Posted on 09/25/2005 5:26:58 AM PDT by Happy2BMe
The differences might also be rooted in history, perception and politics.
"It's an interesting phenomenon," said Arsalan Iftikhar, national legal director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "I think a lot of it revolves around immigration laws."
Britain's "more relaxed" immigration laws have led to a greater influx of uneducated, blue-collar workers different from the well-educated, well-established Muslims who immigrated here 30 to 40 years ago, he said. They centered themselves in urban ghettoes, he said, and "that necessarily isolates them." That isolation breeds exclusion, which can be a prelude to violence.
"The kids in Britain who saw things that way were alienated to start with," CAIR Research Director Mohamad Nimer said. "They were not seen as British citizens; they were seen as Muslims although they were British citizens. 'Now, you're a Muslim, and you don't belong here.'"
"Our situation in America is different because of the history of this country," he said. "People in this country are accepting to new populations."
That's not to say that life is perfect for American Muslims. U.S. popular thought often puts entire groups under scrutiny, and Muslims - more specifically, Muslims of Arab descent - are sometimes targeted.
"We blame all Muslims for the bad deeds of any particular Muslim," Nimer said. "We cut up the maps and we distribute blame at will."
The most obvious example of that is Sept. 11, after which Islam became synonymous with terrorism.
"Bizarre policies were implemented by the government post-9/11," Zogby said. "But the pendulum's going back because a whole lot of people are pushing it back."
Nimer noted that the push has been a political one. "When people feel that there is some injustice that is taking place, they channel that feeling into increased political participation," he said. "People were stunned by the PATRIOT Act, but it motivated them to join coalitions to basically repeal it."
"A lack of political guidance, so to speak, in Europe" has exacerbated an already problematic situation there, he said.
Not everyone has maintained optimism, though. Akbar Ahmed, author of "Discovering Islam: Making Sense of Muslim History and Society," is wary. He asserted that the U.S. is not immune to radicalism or extremist behavior, and that internal insurgence is possible.
"We live in an environment that is much more dangerous than we assume it is," he said. "If there is something else that happens here, this fragile fabric could unravel."
Still, Zogby is confident that the fibers of America form a stronger vestment.
"Of course there are bad guys," he said. "We'd be foolish to ignore it, but I think the pressures that work in the other direction are too great."
James Zogby, founder and president of the Arab American Institute, expressed the idea in the simplest terms."You can be a third-generation Kurd in Germany and still be a Turk," he said. "After one generation, you become an American, not only in citizenship but in identity."
Except along the border, where it might be seen as racist and imposing.
This infidel isn't buying it.
Hogwash. If they haven't abandoned the Quran, they are capable of anything.
The muslims in the US I know want only one thing. Submission to islam!!
-a wave of concern crossed the Atlantic and sprinkled the American shore: Could something like that happen here, too?-
Gosh, COULD something happen? Ya mean OTHER than OKC and 2 "tragic events" at the WTC? And who knows how many other incidences not released to the public?
We discuss the news once in a while and every time he makes a supporting statement about the Mooselimb terrorism, he doesn't support it outright, but says we as Americans don't understand their religion and the rest of the world does.
In his eyes that makes american stupid.
I ask him would he send his own children strapped with bombs to blow up innocent people, he says of course not, that's why I live in America.
Game over.
I simply cannot convince them that the JOOOWS and George Bush don't run the world, but I'm working on it.
Americans are always looking for something new to go with the meat and potatoes.
This infidel has a problem with it also.
We here in America have no problem with people coming here and becoming "Americans".
The problem with "The Religion of Peace" is that it's cult followers come here and live as "Muslims living in America waiting for the law of Islam to come".
None of the 9/11 hijackers were permanent residents. If anything, the whole experience demonstrated that Middle-Easterners in general and Saudi Arabians in particular are poor houseguests who should not be allowed admittance.
It's long overdue to reconsider the concept of the United Nations staff being allowed to run loose!
Even if it were true that we aren't creating jihadis, we're still importing them all the time. As the tread about the 2007 immigration lottery showed the other day, the elgible nations are predominantly muslim + france and germany.
We're commiting national suicide.
I dont trust any mooslims,period.
"Even if it were true that we aren't creating jihadis, we're still importing them all the time. As the tread about the 2007 immigration lottery showed the other day, the elgible nations are predominantly muslim + france and germany.""We're commiting national suicide."
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What can you do with 70,000 terrorists?
(click)
To date, some 1 million non-Mexicans have entered the U.S. through Mexico, of which about 700,000 have disappeared, according to a report in the Dallas Morning News.No one knows how many might be terrorists, though rough estimates are that about 70,000 of those non-Mexicans are Saudis between the ages of 18 and 34.
Ponder that as you abhor racial profiling and replenish your stores of duct tape.
And there, there is a pre-existing underclass but they get to wear really cool burqas or chadors and to enjoy the glory of being stoned to death or murdered by family should they allow themselves to be brutally raped.
Just minor cultural differences, you understand ...
Not exactly, we blame Islam. Islam is the root of terrorism. As long as Islam lives, there will be jihad.
The goal of jihad is the world Caliphate. Terrorism is only one tool of jihad. We are also losing to Islam when we cave in to the sensitivities of muslims by allowing them special swimming privileges so that their men are not exposed to western women in bikinis and by changing product designs the way Burger King did with its ice cream and Nike did with its shoes.
In the U.S., Islam is the most restrictive of cultures and is accordingly the lowest (most restrictive) common cultural denominator. Slowly, but surely, it is taking over. Most of the time in the U.S., muslims who complain get results. Here is a link to a Daniel Pipes article which cites the MANY examples of how Islam is reshaping our society. This article isn't new but you'll be amazed at how many changes had already occurred pre 9/11.
bttt
zogby, now there is a guy i trust.
Thanks for the ping!
Exactly
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