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Mew Mew Kitty
Joined: 09 Mar 2008
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 Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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Hello!
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mateomiguel
Joined: 16 May 2005
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| Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:36 pm Post subject: |
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Its true that I don't like Islam. But I didn't start out this way. Its just that for my entire life I've heard on the news about violence, oppression, fear, hatred, and it seems like all bad things come from the Middle East, from Islam, from Muslims. And when they go to other countries they bring it with them.
I just developed this opinion within the last year. I guess I'm just getting tired of hearing about it all the time. I started imagining a world where Islamic violence, hatred, and fear weren't the number one headline on the world stage. I am guessing that would make Africa the number one source of depressing and sad news, but post-colonialism unrest and tribal violence are fixable problems. I have come to believe that Islam isn't.
Islamic apologists will point out that not all Muslims are like this, and I realize that. But I have this suspicion that those Muslims that aren't militant hate-mongers feel slightly guilty about not being as hardcore as their jihadist brethren, look up to them, and silently approve of them. I think this because I never hear any large group of Muslims opposing violent Islam. Those few Muslim figureheads which do offer a different kind of Islam are threatened with death, or killed outright. This may in fact prevent the formation of any opposition to the militant version of Islam, which means that even if there is a peaceful version of Islam, it will be forever suborned by the psycho jihadists by repeated threats of death. That is some sort of self-perpetuating cycle without a hope of a nice, happyfuntimes Islam that can get along with other world religions and/or creeds. |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:00 pm Post subject: |
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| mateomiguel wrote: |
Its true that I don't like Islam. But I didn't start out this way. Its just that for my entire life I've heard on the news about violence, oppression, fear, hatred, and it seems like all bad things come from the Middle East, from Islam, from Muslims. And when they go to other countries they bring it with them.
I just developed this opinion within the last year. I guess I'm just getting tired of hearing about it all the time. I started imagining a world where Islamic violence, hatred, and fear weren't the number one headline on the world stage. I am guessing that would make Africa the number one source of depressing and sad news, but post-colonialism unrest and tribal violence are fixable problems. I have come to believe that Islam isn't.
Islamic apologists will point out that not all Muslims are like this, and I realize that. But I have this suspicion that those Muslims that aren't militant hate-mongers feel slightly guilty about not being as hardcore as their jihadist brethren, look up to them, and silently approve of them. I think this because I never hear any large group of Muslims opposing violent Islam. Those few Muslim figureheads which do offer a different kind of Islam are threatened with death, or killed outright. This may in fact prevent the formation of any opposition to the militant version of Islam, which means that even if there is a peaceful version of Islam, it will be forever suborned by the psycho jihadists by repeated threats of death. That is some sort of self-perpetuating cycle without a hope of a nice, happyfuntimes Islam that can get along with other world religions and/or creeds. |
Mateo, I think that's a well-meaning post. Don't you think that the Muslims in many cases are using their religion in response to 100 years of European invasions, imperialism and the like. It doesn't make the terrorism correct, but a fraction of Western people have been killed when compared to Muslims. September 11th as bad as it was think of the horrors Muslims have dealt with at the hands of the British in the Near East, the French in North Africa. In North Africa, hundreds of thousands of Algerians were killed. In the world, we live in there is a bad reaction also to globalisation triggering right wing movements in Europe and Russia. Many cultures feel assaulted and insecure in the modern era.
You are assuming that all Muslims feel guilty for not being militant jihadists. Aren't you judging them, then? How do you know they feel guilty for not being like their jihadists. How many Muslims do you actually know? One of my best friends from Syria who calls himself a Muslim has no desire whatsoever to be a fanatic of any sort. He will only go to a mosque during times like Ramadan or Eid or whatever other holidays Muslims celebrate. And, no, my friend is not acting and is not a closet Binladin. That's paranoia.
He doesn't secretly wish he was a jihadi, he wishes he had a better job with the U.S. Government and is annoyed with some of the closed minded attitudes of the Arab Christians and Muslims he works with. There are shades of grey in all nations. You haven't heard major condemnations, because the US media hasn't really publicized it. The US media didn't really mention when Saudi Arabia sent tons of money to Kossovo. They did mention Israeli aid. Are you reading French papers, British papers? I do recall reading on the Christian Science Monitor that some Muslim scholars issued a fatwa against Binladin. Why don't you make a google search and type the words "Muslims condemn Binladin" and see what you come up with. You may not think those condemning Binladin are sincere.
The evidence, my friend, is in Iraq. Who is really eradicating Al Qaeda?
It is mainstream Sunni chiefs and their tribal followers. They are killing jihadis. That's in the mainstream news. They are working hand-in-hand with the American soldiers. You couldn't have missed that on the news.
Also, in Lebanon brave Christian and Sunni and Shiite soldiers bravely stood against Jund Al Sham, a fanatical group and the Sunnis there are behind the Sunni prime minister who is an American ally. That was all definitely in the US media. So what are you watching?
We can't have a PC idea that there are no problems with radical Islam.
The various governments and people of the Middle East know it's a problem and the intelligence services are rounding people up. You do have a war in the Middle East between Islam versus Islam. There is an ideological war going on in the Middle East, but unless you really listen and watch, you wouldn't notice. It requires opening up your mind and being a little more critical. Yes, there is Binladin, there are Jerry Falwell, Rabbi Ovadiah, extremists speak the loudest and have bombs in many cases. |
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ytuque
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
Location: I drink therefore I am!
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