Posted on 07/22/2005 5:55:28 AM PDT by pabianice
WHILE yesterday's explosions on London's subway and bus lines were thankfully far less serious than those of two weeks ago, they will lead many to raise a troubling question: has Britain (and Spain as well) been "punished" by Al Qaeda for participating in the American-led military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan? While this is a reasonable line of thinking, it presupposes the answer to a broader and more pertinent question: Are the roots of Islamic terrorism in the Middle Eastern conflicts?
If the answer is yes, the solution is simple to formulate, although not to achieve: leave Afghanistan and Iraq, solve the Israel-Palestine conflict. But if the answer is no, as I suspect it is, we should look deeper into the radicalization of young, Westernized Muslims.
Conflicts in the Middle East have a tremendous impact on Muslim public opinion worldwide. In justifying its terrorist attacks by referring to Iraq, Al Qaeda is looking for popularity or at least legitimacy among Muslims. But many of the terrorist group's statements, actions and non-actions indicate that this is largely propaganda, and that Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine are hardly the motivating factors behind its global jihad...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I think they just want us to leave them alone to create their 11th century paradise all over again. I am half tempted to let them. At this point, they deserve it.
Get an answer to that question, and there you have it.
Maybe Muslims should start worrying about why the entire non-muslim world hates muslims.
Oh, look - now Iraq IS about terrorism.
Or not. Depending on whether they are trying to bash Bush, or trying to bash the US as a whole. I mean, those are the only two things they do now, anyway.
I agree with your statement. A qualification I would make is that Muslim doctrine, as I see it, does not necessarily promote violence (albeit there is a strong element of religious intolerance).
I think it is important that Western Muslims (especially in US) become integrated culturally. Only co-operation from the Muslim community will forestall terrorist action. I believe that more of this has occurred than has been reported. E.g. the Lackawanna cell was first brought to the attention of authorities by local Muslims. Fox News has reported other instances, but they provided no specifics. (That may be necessary to protect the sources from retribution.)
Hey it's simple.
1) The world must allow Israel to be destroyed
2) All Jew must be killed or leave the ME
Thats it.
If the world allows those 2 grievences to be appeased the entire muslim population, no matter where they reside, will become the finest of the fine Global citizens.
Hell, it's that easy!
Why can't we and the rest of the so called civilized world understand and comly with that?
If media wanted to help, they would stop lionizing these people by continually showing their names and faces. Show us the good guys who have gotten the silver star for valor, instead,
I didn't read this article the way you interpreted it at all. His point is that the radical Islamists are against Western culture, not motivated by Iraq, Israel or Afghanistan.
Did you read this whole thing?
Apparently, not.
Why the barf alert? The author makes eminent good sense.
I'm confused.
The lady that wrote this letter is Pam Foster of Pamela Foster and Associates in Atlanta. She's been in business since 1980 doing interior design and home planning. She recently wrote a letter to a family member serving in Iraq. Read it!
WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS?
"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001? Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania? Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they? And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet? Well, I don't. I don't care at all.
I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11. I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia. I'll care when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi tells the world he is sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling, slashed throat. I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.
I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs. I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.
I'll care when Clinton-appointed judges stop ordering my government to release photos of the abuses at Abu Ghraib, which are sure to set off the Islamic extremists just as Newsweek's lies did a few weeks ago. In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care. When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college hazing incident, rest assured that I don't care.
When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank that I don't care.
When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts that I don't care. And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and -- you guessed it -- I don't care!"
LOL!
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