Boy, that one sent me Googling.
We're going to eventually have to kill every freaking one of them if we're going to survive.
I disagree.
I believe the Islamists in general can be quarantined, and we (could have?) can annihilate the core group of Jihadists in such a manner as to discourage future problems from these varelse.
But, of course, the ill conceived Bush "hearts and minds" Iraq campaign is counter productive and has set us back years, tears, and fortune.
I hope it's a pejorative. What does it mean?
Sorry about that. Well, actually I'm not. I think it's a great term, though I think you get the best feel for it after reading "Ender's Game" and "Speaker for the Dead". Both are excellent novels BTW, if you're into science fiction at all.
I believe the Islamists in general can be quarantined, and we (could have?) can annihilate the core group of Jihadists in such a manner as to discourage future problems from these varelse.
For those who haven't done the Googling, I'd like to expand a bit on the term "varelse", and the other terms that are related to it. I think this will more fully enable a more fruitful discussion on why I think they are varelse.
In the book, Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card put forward a series of classifications for what is in the book, alien races, but is adaptable to our single planet as well.
There are four different classifications of people. Remember that with each of these terms, they are mutual. if group A and B are Framling to each other, the A considers B to be Framling, and B considers A to be Framling.
Utlanning- A human we recognize as part of our same world and species, yet from another town or country.
Americans are generally Utlanning to each other. We relate and share more or less the same basic culture. The British would probably also be Utlanning.
Framling- A human we recognize as part of our same species, yet from another world or planet.
Most of Europe and possibly central america is more or less Framling as far as Americans are concerned. Communication and peace between Framling is possible.
Ramen- When a lifeform is considered human, but is of another species. Being able to think and behave at a human level and act civilized.
We would generally consider far eastern nations as being Ramen. Dissimilarity of history and culture between, say Japan and the United States is great. Nonetheless, peace and communication is possible because we are each Ramen to each other.
Varelse- A creature with whom communication is impossible. If such a creature is belligerent, then it is the only time when war is truly unavoidable and necessary.
This system is largely non-judgemental in that if group A and group B are Varelse, there can be no meaningful communications between each other. If they are not hostile, they can live in peace even though they cannot communicate. If one of them is hostile, then war is inevitable. Any war waged must be total war. You cannot stop until the other side has been completely anihilated, because they can't be reasoned with. They will keep coming because they see no value in you, your beliefs, your culture, or even you as a living being.
Look around the world. In every culture they exist, muslims are a violent and dangerouis force. They enslave entire peoples, and destroy any remnant of foreign cultures they come into contact with. (See the Buddas blown up by the Taliban.) In India, they kill Hindus. In Bosnia, they kill Christians. In Isreal, they kill Jews, of course. In the Philipines, they kill Christians, and pretty much anyone else that moves. When they don't have other people to kill, they turn on themselves and start killing each other depending upon which particular sect of Islam they happen to be a part of. More than anything else, they seem to worship death and destruction. This is not something one can just say "live and let live" to, because they just plain do not want to let you live.
Perhaps they are Ramen, and the lunatic fringe among them can be weeded out so that they may find some way to exist with. I am not entirely sure. Muslims seem to have been on this violent course for centuries now. The modern world appears to be an anathema to them, and their ideology seems, to me anyway, to be too easily twisted into a murderous one. The folks who blew up the London subway stations were British. From what I understand, they grew up there, yet their rage at those different from themselves was such that death and carnage was the only way they felt they could adequately express themselves.
I hope to G-d I'm wrong about that, because if I'm not, this next century may be even bloodier than the last, and that's saying a lot.