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Townsend
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Art said:Obviously on tha occasion you were wrong jk Penqwuino
Whats funny is that you're not joking, just trolling.
Oh, by the way...I was only joking there Art
Art said:Obviously on tha occasion you were wrong jk Penqwuino
ADC Strongly Condemns Bombings in LondonGENIERE said:Moderate Muslim, what’s that? I’ve not been able to find any unqualified condemnation by a Muslim cleric or government.
If one bothers to look, one will find that many Muslims do condemn terrorism, including todays events.Muslims in the UK also joined in condemning the attacks. The British Muslim Forum said: "Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected and we express our sympathy to their families and friends.
Ahmed Versi, editor of The Muslim News, said: "We unequivocally condemn these terrorist attacks. We express our deep condolences to the families, relatives and friends of the victims."
Trouble is, "their reasons for being" include our very existence (see: Bin Laden's "open letter" to the west), so unless we decide to commit mass-suicide, we'll never remove their motivation.Art said:The only way ultimately to stop this kind of endless slaughter is to remove their reasons for being and remove the support these fanatics hold within the muslim communities / countries.
London is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. Without a doubt some of the casualities of this attack will be muslims so your assertion is as ridiculous as it is offensive.GENIERE said:Moderate Muslim, what’s that? ...
Perhaps it is just a formality. Nevertheless, they are now on record as condemning the terrorist attacks.Iran and Syria, both on Washington's list of states sponsoring terrorism, joined an unbroken chorus of condemnation, as did the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Lebanon's Shi'ite Muslim Hizbollah guerrillas.
Religion, and in particular Christianity, has never encouraged enlightened thinking. You mention Europe, and might I suggest you review history during the Dark Ages. Those who pursued science were considered heretics, and only the monks were allowed education and to be literate. And then shall we discuss the crusades?quetzalcoatl9 said:Perhaps...or perhaps they may wake up and realize that their countries are living in the dark ages because of Islamic furvor. The Arab world lived in something of a Golden Age, much like ancient Greece or the classical Maya, until aggressive Islamic fundamentalism took over.
The reformation of christianity in Europe allowed enlightened thinking and human reasoning to take hold. If Islam were to reform itself, perhaps the same would happen with them.
If the Islamic states are weak, and are being exploited by the mighty powers of the world, it is because they let themselves fall into a position of weakness.
Unfortunately, after I read the Koran, it confirmed the worst of the stereotypes I'd heard. Until then, I tried to keep an open mind in the way you suggest. After I read it - while can see why it's possible to be a peacful muslim, I also can see why extremism can easily come from that book.Anttech said:get a grip! go read the karan, and understand Islam before painting every single muslism with the same brush...
Have you ever read the 'old testament' of the Bible?russ_watters said:Unfortunately, after I read the Koran, it confirmed the worst of the stereotypes I'd heard. Until then, I tried to keep an open mind in the way you suggest. After I read it - while can see why it's possible to be a peacful muslim, I also can see why extremism can easily come from that book.
russ_watters said:Unfortunately, after I read the Koran, it confirmed the worst of the stereotypes I'd heard. Until then, I tried to keep an open mind in the way you suggest. After I read it - while can see why it's possible to be a peacful muslim, I also can see why extremism can easily come from that book.
Wherever Muslims are you find terrorist activity and conflict, be it in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Israel, Russia, Bosnia, Spain...
in the Netherlands 40% live off welfare, murder artists and burn churches, in France they riot seasonally and very vocally express their hatred for their host nation
Don't come to my West.
Bosnia
Anttech said:They bring a sense of culture from the cradles of civalisation and in the most part live in harmony with the Christians in the UK...
Yes, I have. They don't compare.Art said:Have you ever read the 'old testament' of the Bible?
Anttech said:They bring a sense of culture from the cradles of civalisation and in the most part live in harmony with the Christians in the UK...
People can certainly believe whatever they want, but the actions they take as a part of that group are what determine if the group is allowed to exist or not. The KKK manages to just barely keep itself above water, but has all but been arrested/legislated into oblivion. There are a number of muslim groups (al Qaeda, obviously) that simply do not have the right to exist, in precisely the same way that the IRA, or the mafia does not have the right to exist.Townsend said:Yes but russ you still need to keep an open mind. You cannot condemn an entire religion because of this. People have the right to practice whatever religion they choose even if that religion breeds terrorism. Its like the KKK, it is a loathsome organization but never the less people have a right to be a part of the KKK if they so choose.
I would agree with that, however, its tough to really know what the typical Muslim thinks or would think if they were educated enough. Most live in oppressive regimes, are fed propaganda that impairs their judgement, have substandard education in general, and don't have a way to express their opinion even if they had all the information necessary to form informed opinions. That's half the reason most of the vocal opposition from Muslim groups comes from Muslim groups in the west (the other half is, of course, that part of the reason why Muslims would leave the ME to come to the west is that dis-satisfaction with the ME).quetzalcoatl9 said:i think that what russ is trying to say is that it all-too-often seems like the majority of muslims are silent on the matter. nobody would say that all of them are terrorists, but they don't seem to have a problem with it either.
A little exaggerated...This pertains to Infidels desecrating the holy land, and not to eradication of an entire race from the face of the Earth. As far as Western culture is concerned, one has to admit that our obsessions with video games, pornography, gambling, sports, reality TV, etc. are not exactly desirable, and we could use a little 'back to the basics' wholesomeness ourselves.russ_watters said:Trouble is, "their reasons for being" include our very existence (see: Bin Laden's "open letter" to the west), so unless we decide to commit mass-suicide, we'll never remove their motivation.
It's the same way with religious fundamentalism here in the US, in which children are indoctrinated during the formative years.russ_watters said:Eliminating the support in Muslim communitied may be possible, but it too is extremely difficult. Nation-scale religious fanaticism is so ingraned in some societies, its extrordinarily difficult to eradicate.
Not that the media in the US couldn't use some improvement too, but broadcasts, particularly those sponsored by the US are viewed as state-sponsored, and indeed it is.russ_watters said:About the only thing that can do it from the outside is spreading information to counter the propaganda that the general public of such countries are being fed. Some countries are starting to turn it around (Iran) but it is a very slow process.
Many countries in the Middle East are oil-rich, for example Saudi Arabia, yet this is where the majority of terrorists have originated.russ_watters said:From the inside, prosperity can do it - people who are prosperous have no need to look for scapegoats to blame for their situation.
I agree and hope the same thing.russ_watters said:One X-factor is the progress being made on ME peace, with Israel pulling out of many of its occupied territories. There is little more that can be done to show a true commitment to peace than fighting with your own citizens in the name of international peace. We'll just have to wait and see if the PA makes a reciprocal gesture and if the people on both sides respond to the magnitude of this gesture. IMO, real peace between the Islamic world and the west needs to start in Israel anyway.
Most live in oppressive regimes, are fed propaganda that impairs their judgement, have substandard education in general
2CentsWorth said:As far as Western culture is concerned, one has to admit that our obsessions with video games, pornography, gambling, sports, reality TV, etc. are not exactly desirable, and we could use a little 'back to the basics' wholesomeness ourselves.
If one adopts that position, then one must question the validity of Christianity, not just Islam!russ_watters said:No, I wouldn't say all (or even half) of Muslims would be characterizable as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers, but to belong to a religion that so easily breeds terrorism and extremism would cause me to question its validity.
Hmmmm!A tribe of Moros, dark-skinned savages, had fortified themselves in the bowl of an extinct crater not many miles from Jolo; and as they were hostiles, and bitter against us because we have been trying for eight years to take their liberties away from them, their presence in that position was a menace. Our commander, General Leonard Wood, ordered a reconnaissance [sic]. It was found that the Moros numbered six hundred, counting women and children; that their crater bowl was in the summit of a peak or mountain twenty-two hundred feet above sea level, and very difficult of access for Christian troops and artillery.
Contrast these things with the great statistics which have arrived from that Moro crater! There, with six hundred engaged on each side, we lost fifteen men killed outright, and we had thirty-two wounded. . . . The enemy numbered six hundred-including women and children-and we abolished them utterly, leaving not even a baby alive to cry for its dead mother. This is incomparably the greatest victory that was ever achieved by the Christian soldiers of the United States.
The other half of the paragraph quoted above. I am not questioning Russ, but rather addressing those who might single out Islam for condemnation, while ignoring the fact that Christainity has in the past incited people to similar violence.Russ said:But then - I'm not a big fan of organized religion in general... I see too many people in all religions who make excuses for what is done in the name of their religion, rather than questioning the religion that provides the belief engine for the acts.
No, 2Cents - not exaggerated. Its #1 (join Islam) and #2 (give up your way of life) in the "what we want from you" section in his open letter to the west: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/worldview/story/0,11581,845725,00.html2CentsWorth said:A little exaggerated...This pertains to Infidels desecrating the holy land, and not to eradication of an entire race from the face of the Earth.
I noticed that this posted was edited by Russ, so I guess he's moderating, in which case I don't hold out any hope, but if there are any other moderators watching I'd just like to state before I add this [worst word possible... you know... begins with c] to my ignore list that I am incredibly surprised and disappointed that posts like this are accepted on this forum. That's all.Ron_Damon said:Why Europe let's in so many Muslim [edited] is really baffling. What are they trying to accomplish? Wherever Muslims are you find terrorist activity and conflict, be it in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Israel, Russia, Bosnia, Spain... Every country in Europe with a large Muslim community has been utterly incapable of assimilating them: in Sweden they control large cities where even emergency services are unable to enter without police escort, in the Netherlands 40% live off welfare, murder artists and burn churches, in France they riot seasonally and very vocally express their hatred for their host nation. If Muslims want to keep on living in the middle ages, then do so in your own vast territories. Don't come to my West.
Before you call me "racist", the above comes from someone who naively, but sincerely, supported the Iraq invasion in the hopes of modernizing the middle east in the fashion of the successful work done in Japan and Korea, and who passionately and publicly supported the entry of Turkey into the EU.
And to the West. We DESPERATELY need to find alternative sources of energy. The only way to fix the Muslim world is to get the F*CK out of there and erect a wall to keep us separated until the modern era dawns upon them.
I do participate in sports, rather than watch. As for the rest of the list - :yuck: I do not engage in those activities and have no interest in doing so.As far as Western culture is concerned, one has to admit that our obsessions with video games, pornography, gambling, sports, reality TV, etc. are not exactly desirable, and we could use a little 'back to the basics' wholesomeness ourselves.
Did you read my whole post...?Astronuc said:If one adopts that position, then one must question the validity of Christianity, not just Islam!
Palestinian terrorists have yet to step back from their stated goal of the annihilation of Israel.
Astronuc said:If one adopts that position, then one must question the validity of Christianity, not just Islam!
russ_watters said:while can see why it's possible to be a peacful muslim,
russ_watters said:No, I wouldn't say all (or even half) of Muslims would be characterizable as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers
Originally Posted by Astronuc
If one adopts that position, then one must question the validity of Christianity, not just Islam!
Yes, but I chose to address that particular point. I was not singling you out or being critical of you. Sorry if I gave that impression.russ_watters said:Did you read my whole post...?
As I said, I'm not a big fan of religion in general, but to be more specific regarding Christian sects, the Catholic Church and a number of branches of Protestantism. I'm Presbyterian, which I consider one of the more benign, but there is still an awful lot that I don't like about it and I'm far from a devout follower.
What do you base that on? The fact that Israel is now pulling out of occupied territories so that for the first time ever, "Palestine" can exist? The fact of the matter is, Israel has never wanted anything other than its own survival and security. All of the occupied territories that they are now pulling out of were taken in defensive wars.Anttech said:seem like what Israel wants to do to Palestine...
Ok...well, there was a lot more in that post relevant to that point. By taking it out of context, you implied that I don't question Christianity and I was relatively clear about saying that I do.Astronuc said:Yes, but I chose to address that particular point.
judging by your retoric you are from USA
Hurkyl said:Ah, doing your part to help stir up hatred, eh? :tongue2: