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The "War on Hysteria"
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happeningthang



Joined: 26 Apr 2003

PostPosted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:01 am    Post subject: The "War on Hysteria" Reply with quote

Two young UK muslims put off the plane, because of fearful and tearful passengers.

A welsh born muslim pilot ejected from a plane, for a "Muslim-sounding name".

A poll declaring 53% of people in the UK think Islam is a threat.

Quote:
Most strikingly, there has been a substantial increase over the past five years in the numbers who appear to subscribe to a belief in a clash of civilisations. When YouGov asked in 2001 whether people felt threatened by Islam, as distinct from fundamentalist Islamists, only 32 per cent said they did. That figure has risen to 53 per cent.


With the increased levels of fear and (I would suggest) overreaction to muslims in general - ie NOT to terrorists - is there a growing hysteria?
I think there is, and it says that the war on terror isn't working, with fear and unease increasing.
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huffdaddy



Joined: 25 Nov 2005

PostPosted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:35 am    Post subject: Re: The "War on Hysteria" Reply with quote

happeningthang wrote:

With the increased levels of fear and (I would suggest) overreaction to muslims in general - ie NOT to terrorists - is there a growing hysteria?
I think there is, and it says that the war on terror isn't working, with fear and unease increasing.


Hysteria? Of course. Terrorism probably doesn't rank in the top 100 causes of death for Americans. But it's on the news every day andin everyone's minds.

Which is probably exactly what they wanted.

I'll leave "they" to the interpretation of the reader.
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AbbeFaria



Joined: 17 May 2005
Location: Gangnam

PostPosted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 6:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

These kinds of things should be surprising to no one. Whether the terrorists intended this sort of thing or not, it's irrelevant. They haven't left the west with any options. In the old days there was an army or a nation to direct the anger, hatred and fear generated by an attack on one's homeland. Now you have a nameless, faceless enemy that lives on the next block over. Or maybe right next door. Or maybe somewhere, you don't know, but you do know that you saw the folks at the local muslim center waving signs in the last protest rally calling for the death of all non-believers. I second Summer Wine in what she said on another post that it's only going to take one big attack before the people turn on muslims in their communities. Especially in Europe. It will be nasty.

�S�
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Ya-ta Boy



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994

PostPosted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 1:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Now you have a nameless, faceless enemy that lives on the next block over. Or maybe right next door. Or maybe somewhere, you don't know,



I agree there is a rising hysteria. The quote above is EXACTLY what people used to say about Communism in the early years of the Cold War. It's my perception that the number of openly anti-Islam posters has increased dramatically here at Dave's.
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W.T.Carl



Joined: 16 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 2:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gee, I wonder why Muslims are feared. Could it be that some folks just don't like being blown up? Had there been a rash of Eskimo suicide bombers, people would look askance at anybody who looked like an Eskimo. Rolling Eyes
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Ya-ta Boy



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994

PostPosted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 2:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Gee, I wonder why Muslims are feared. Could it be that some folks just don't like being blown up? Had there been a rash of Eskimo suicide bombers, people would look askance at anybody who looked like an Eskimo.


So after the Oklahoma City bombing people got nervous about and feared white guys because they looked like Timothy McVeigh? Perhaps the early hour explains the monumental ignorance of your post.
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mateomiguel



Joined: 16 May 2005

PostPosted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 3:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If Timothy McVeigh wasn't an isolated incident, and in fact there were alot of like-minded young single white male americans who formed clubs and bombed federal buildings alot, THEN people would start to fear white guys.

DUH.
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tiger fancini



Joined: 21 Mar 2006
Location: Testicles for Eyes

PostPosted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 3:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm still amazed at how many people are actually buying into the sensationalist, tabloid mentality that basically assumes all muslims are terrorists. Please people, take a step back and look at how many Muslims actually live in the UK. Take time to talk to them, work with them, socialise with them (these things are actaully permitted you know, despite what you might have heard), and perhaps then you'll realise that the vast majority of them deplore violence and death and killing just as much as the next person.

Of course there are exceptions, you will find this in any large group of people. Take football fans for example. The majority want to go and watch the game in peace, cheer for their team and then go home. Some of them however, will get aggressive and fight other supporters, terrorise local communites and behave like animals (tabloid speak again there!) But these bad elements are a small minority when the group is looked at as a whole.

The fanatics want people to fear Muslims. They want Muslims to be discriminated against, in the hope that they will reach breaking point and retaliate - hopefully, for the fanatic, by joining up with them in their Jihad.
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happeningthang



Joined: 26 Apr 2003

PostPosted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 9:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There was apoll put up by someone (Caledonian Craig??) from the UK Channel 4 show Dispatches...

In case it was overlooked before this helps to give some perspective on muslim opinions in the UK. The Daily Mail points out that 23% (of a 1000) say the 7/7 attacks are justified. They've got a point - as long as you recognise that means 77% of the muslims polled find the terror attacks as unjustified. Same as the average johnny brit I would guess.

There are a few posters here on Dave's who have jumped on the haywagon to hell - denouncing everything muslim. Some are just irrationally fearful, and some are more committed suggesting British National Party policy as a solution Rolling Eyes

There is a problem in the Muslim community in the UK - I don't think hysterical hatred is going to help the situation, and in all likelihood will only make it worse.

Quote:
Perhaps the one thing al-Qaida militants have proven good at, apart from the shedding of innocent blood, is fanning the flames of hostility to Islam and Muslims. From the darkness of their caves and hiding places, these self-appointed spokesmen for one and a half billion Muslims worldwide have excelled in stirring latent negative images of Islam within the western psyche. Through their senseless crimes, Islam, in the minds of most, has become a euphemism for mass slaughter and destruction. Thanks to them, racism, bigotry and Islamophobia could rear its ugly head unashamedly in broad daylight.

The terrible irony is that Muslims find themselves helplessly trapped between two fundamentalisms, between Bush's hammer and Bin Laden's anvil, hostages to an extreme rightwing American administration, aggressively seeking to impose its expansionist and hegemonic will over the region at gunpoint, and to a cluster of violent, wild fringe groups, lacking in political experience or sound religious understanding.

Soumaya Ghannoushi
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=399352&in_page_id=1770
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flip ant



Joined: 01 Jul 2004
Location: He's got high hopes!

PostPosted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 9:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

tiger fancini wrote:

The fanatics want people to fear Muslims. They want Muslims to be discriminated against, in the hope that they will reach breaking point and retaliate - hopefully, for the fanatic, by joining up with them in their Jihad.


I think your post is right on, especially this part. I don't think people can be blamed, however, for fearing Muslims, especially those that are Arab. Sensationalized by the media? You bet. Irrational? Certainly. But VERY real in the minds of most people, particularly when they are traveling. The last flight I was on, there were three Arabs sitting together. There was definitely a "buzz" from the people on the plane and these guys were obviously uncomfortable with the stares of other passengers.

What do Arabs/Muslims expect? I think possibly we are looking at it from the wrong angle. How about those from the majority who are not violent and don't want the death of all infidels kick the asses of those that do? Their silence and inactivity toward their brethren make it worse for all of them.

And, yes, they are "them".
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huffdaddy



Joined: 25 Nov 2005

PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 2:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

mateomiguel wrote:
If Timothy McVeigh wasn't an isolated incident, and in fact there were alot of like-minded young single white male americans who formed clubs and bombed federal buildings alot, THEN people would start to fear white guys.


Replace "Timory McVeigh" with "Thomas Blanton, Jr." and "federal buildings" with "churches". Would people then have a right to fear white guys?
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Junior



Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Location: the eye

PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 3:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

AbbeFaria wrote:
Now you have a nameless, faceless enemy that lives on the next block over.


Not exactly faceless.



Local lad from Londonistan: The capital of Eurabia.
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happeningthang



Joined: 26 Apr 2003

PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 3:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Junior wrote:

Local lad from Londonistan: The capital of Eurabia.


Laughing

3.12% of the population....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_by_country
Quote:
Europe Islam in European Union 457,225,665 3.12% 14,260,985


...and you want to change the name???

You're either hysterical or very accomodating...
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Junior



Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Location: the eye

PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 3:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="happeningthang"]

Quote:
3.12% of the population....


yet the fastest growing sector. it took less than 10 individuals of that 3% to bring london to a standstill on 7/7.

Quote:
You're either hysterical or very accomodating


not me, the Poms. But they're beginning to wake up.

"Islam poses a threat to the West, say 53pc in poll"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/25/nislam25.xml
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happeningthang



Joined: 26 Apr 2003

PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 5:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Junior wrote:
AbbeFaria wrote:
Now you have a nameless, faceless enemy that lives on the next block over.


Not exactly faceless.



Local lad from Londonistan: The capital of Eurabia.


I still think that you and the slim majority of UK punters are over reacting to Muslims - instead of reacting to the minority of islam extremists.

But, putting that aside for the moment...
WTF is up with this kid and his parents??? One thing I don't quite get about the loud and proud extremists in the UK... Where are the anti incitement to hatred laws in all this? Why aren't they applied when people run around the streets with signs like this??

Poms help me out... do they get arrested for protests like this? Are kids subjected to removal from unfit parents raising them in hatred?

Still... there are signs of assimilation, using an English soccer chant to get his point across. They're getting there...
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