Oh, FFS stop flogging a dead horse.

Why don't you start a thread on kittens? You'd feel better.

I seem to remember that you seem to be quite free with your FFS's.
When I was young I would comment on Mary Whitehouse's rants about programmes she disliked shown on the TV by remarking that was something called an OFF switch.
Likewise, you're not shackled to your computer and you're not obliged to read threads that seem to annoy you.
I used to tell my colleagues, and they agreed with me, that it cost nothing to be polite, but then I was working in Gateshead not Newcastle.

FFS.Keep on topic, we're dissing f***ing refugees here, not the f***ers from Gysteheed.

He's got a point Novo, the guy isn't going to stop so why not just put him on ignore?

I feel fine thanks; I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year.

I thought the New York Times article was relevant and highlighted some demographic figures/issues I hadn't given much thought to. Head in the sand attitude won't make issues go away.

PS don't like Kittens they make me itch :-)

I think that it reflects very badly on BE that it allows paw339's continued involvement. Free speech is a good thing but in any community there are limits. In a civilized community one of those limits should be on inciting racial hatred. Of his 271 posts I challenge anyone to find even ten that are not intended to do just that.

He is a troll. He has nothing of value to add to the BE community. Not a fun troll we can take the piss out of, but a nasty piece of work. I don't think BE should be a platform for his objectionable views.

It is sometimes said that the Maple Leaf is like a pub with lots of banter and give and take. Cowards like paw339 do not have the intestinal fortitude to talk like this in a pub because they know they will end up getting a slap. Unless, of course, they have a phalanx of beered up, bovver booted, meat heads to protect them. But, from behind the safety of an anonymous keyboard ...

Can't face dealing with issues or different opinions. Ban discussion?

A lot of the storm of anger in Germany over the last week or so has been directed at the media for its censorship of discussion of difficult issues related to the refugee crisis. This censorship often makes opinions far more divisive and obviously problems don't get solved if they don't get faced.

Being a pessimist isn't against the law.

You're welcome to contribute IMO. But I'm not sure what your point is? I think we all understand (and understood) that taking in refugees is going to have its frictions. So far, given the immense number, the awful events we have seen (like Cologne) are relatively insignificant. Were they even Syrian?

The NYT piece you quote is OpEd. Who knows what the real stats are. Time will tell. But for every hoodlum like those in Cologne there are probably at least 20 decent honest men like the one in Bristol's article. Or do they not count?

But you're not really discussing anything are you. Other than the occasional token response when a differing view is mentioned what you're pretty much doing is dropping propaganda leaflets from a plane flying overhead and then moving on to the next fly past.

My case rests.

I suspect you're clutching at straws there but as you say time will tell if the experiment was worth it.

Too many Muslim men are misogynists - Telegraph

It's an easy topic to over generalise on. You can't, for example, tar Muslim men from different countries, different cultures, and different socio-economic backgrounds with the same brush. You can, however, uphold Western values and reject the Islamic values which are inconsistent. That's the way forward rather than demonising the individuals.

The influence of the culture of the country of origin is often more of a problem that the religion of the individual. I've worked in Turkey and Indonesia; both Muslim counties. In Turkey (Eastern) my female colleagues had to be escorted everywhere to avoid problems and even then it was not 100% successful, but we encountered no issues at all in Indonesia.

Indeed, cultural mores determine a lot, hence the need for Western countries to assert their own cultural values. Rationality being a good starting point IMO!