Posted on 09/11/2006 6:01:11 PM PDT by Jean S
Edited on 09/11/2006 9:21:38 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
this is a crazy Thread
Islam, as a whole, believes Islam has the true truth, and that they are blessed by Heaven, and are God's favored.
The fact that economic and social realities don't match this worldview means there is a heavy split between what they feel ought to be, and what is. It leads to a heavy persecution complex.
As a large group, the cultural leaders see the West as wicked, America as a terrorist state trying to keep the righteous down and surpressed, and that all of our talk about human rights and goodness and freedom is just a sham to impose our will upon all the poorer peoples of the world. The is the operational meme.
The radicals haven't hijacked the religion. They are a logical extension of the world view that has been circulating around since at least the 40s. This worldview runs in shades of grey down to the most moderate Muslim.
The world is not Islamic, the caliphate is not worldwide because of the work of Satan, and we are his tool.
One writer put it this way: "…The mentality of each one of us was programmed upon entering school as a child, [to believe] that [Islam] is everything. Instilled in our small heads was the [notion that the Muslim] has a right – whatever the cause – and that he will triumph – even if he is armed with a stick of wood against a tank – because he [represents] the truth and the others represent falsehood. Instilled in our small heads was the [notion] that we have a monopoly on good values..."
"They have taught us that anyone who is not a Muslim is our enemy, and that the West means enfeeblement, licentiousness, lack of values, and even Jahiliya [i.e., ignorance – a term used to describe the pre-Islamic era] itself. Anyone who escapes this programming in school encounters it at the mosque, or through the media or from the preachers lurking in every corner… This is the culture that has made each of us able to determine the fate of the universe."
These types of ingrained views explain how sensitive Muslims can be on perceived attacks on even the fringes of their faith at times. Because of this outlook, many of them carry a very big chip on their shoulders. They know on one hand, their culture has not been highly successful in the ways we judge success - corruption, poverty, social injustice, lack of rights, deep intrusion into everyday matters are everywhere. But they are Muslim! God favors them!
The contrast hurts.
Yes, only a handful have taken up arms against the West, but the views of the evilness of America are rampant. Rather than believe that their faith can produce people who would do things like attack the WTC, many of them prefer to believe conspiracy theories of how the Zionists and/or the US manipulated it so that we could gain control of the Middle East. This view is held by many, over a third, maybe a half of the people who have been polled on it believe it, because it is more comfortable to blame the Americans than admit that the perfect faith could produce monsters who would do that to so many women and men who were not involved in the evil they accuse our government of.
This world view nurtures and excuses those who want to stand up against the US, and although many wouldn't act on it, many tolerate just this sort of terrorist behavior, and they label it things like "resistance," with the concept of freedom fighter to make it seem good and holy.
And the end result is things like another writer noted: "We kill in the name of Allah, blow up cars in the name of Allah, and slit throats in the name of Allah and Islam, and then we protest when others depict the Muslims as terrorists. We indiscriminately kill doctors who went to provide medical care to Afghans, and then we protest when the world describes these acts as acts of terror. We blow up embassies and trains [and consequently] children, women, and citizens with no connection to our cause are killed, and then we protest when the world describes these extremists, who view themselves as Muslims, as terrorists."
The common ME worldview does not actively join the terrorists, but they accept them, and in some circles, they are true heroes.
It's a lot like Ted Rall's view of the government. It paints Bush as some sort of Dr. Moriarity about to proclaim himself dictator of the world when he's not anything like that. He himself isn't out there hunting down the president with a rifle in his hand, but he could very well feel sympathy and agreement with those who might try.
And in the meantime, he passes off a lot of bigoted, hatefilled rhetoric that may find fertile ground in another person's head, and keeps the pot cooking at a high boil.
Txradioguy is one of the good guys, I hardly think he has been brainwashed..
Actually, he said "totalitarianism" tonight, which I think is the best description of the Islamic system and objectives. I thought Bush was much more blunter than he usually is and did not make any silly apologies for Islam. But there probably are Muslims who don't want to kill or convert us all, and there's no point alienating them all in a public speech. When the time comes where Islam per se has to be declared the enemy (and that time may come) rather than simply understood to be the enemy, I'm sure it will be. But this isn't the time.
Offending the millions of muslims on OUR SIDE in the WOT by denigrating their religion is not only unpresidential, it's stupid. If we are going to remake the ME, which is already started and quite successful to date, then we better treat our islamic allies with a modicum of respect.
George Stephano...whatever
I saw it....couldn't have expected anything else from the queer biotch clintonite
Nobody on FR likes or supports CAIR. I would challenge you to find any posts here supporting CAIR. They are hucksters and shuckters selling snake oil.
That is not the point, and that is not how this thread got hijacked. It got derailed and hijacked by a mere two or so people capping on President Bush's excellent speech tonight, saying he should have blasted all of Islam to hell while our troops are risking their lives in Islamic countries to make democracy a reality.
You are of course, correct. I get frustrated because of what I see here on how islam is using our freedoms against us. I really do believe it is against us in its fabric and it is a choice. And of course today I have been reliving it to some degree with the boiling point going up.
Silly comment made out frustration and a bit of anger.
Sorry Tx -- anger is a stupid emotion and makes us (OK, me) do stupid things.
Like this thing started out -- I need to clam down.
It IS frustrating. I have a very good freind who is a Muslim from Pakistan. I would trust my kids with this guy. I wish more of the moderates would speak up, though..
Night, Meek!
take care
That may be so, but even the poor slobs volunteering to kill terrorists in Iraq have my respect.
Every POTUS ages. It is the weight of the world on their shoulders. Sort of like an Atlas complex. The physical changes show the true stresses of the office. Pray for the POTUS.
Something else that is notable, is that I see a lot of comment about CAIR being leftist, when in fact they are, which means the radicals are conservative.
Just some ideology based mind exercises.....:-)
Yes, the power of the terrrorists is in their anonymity. But they do not stand a chance against Americans, even though 40% of the country, called democrats, are cheering them on.
Yep.
I agree 100%
Council on American Islamic Relations.
Only lefty in the sense they take advantage of the Left's obsession with multi-culti to work the legal system.
They are islamofascist apologists and enablers.
Thank you very much.
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