Batty

PP, you must try to understand that, in the main, people are quite scared by what's going on in the World at the moment. We do not and cannot understand each other. Fear is what is driving a lot of what people say, and do. There have been so many instances of second and third generation Muslims involved in terrorism that nobody knows who to trust anymore. The teacher for instance who was involved in the London bombings - nobody would have suspected him of being anything other than what he appeared to be - even his own family. As an Irish person I learned that you had to prove you were NOT a terrorist rather than everyone assuming you weren't. Your husband will just have to do the same I'm afraid.

There's no point in getting angry at the world over it - as someone said to me once during a bomb scare in London "it IS your people who are doing this". What could I say? Nothing that would have made any difference at the time.

Cheetah7

I know anyone of us could be anything but its the ALL Muslims are the same brigade I cant stand.

They dont like it when they are generalised, in fact they hate it.

Still as you say, if they want to believe every single muslim man in the UK is a terrorist.

My husband is non practising, doesnt follow his religion but is still classed as a muslim even though he has embraced our culture and is westernised.

But people shouldnt be so smug, because as you so rightly said, we never truly know a person and that goes for all of us.

shepslady

Very Well Said!!!

Sega Mad

It is most interesting to note that the original publication of the offending cartoons was in Sept 2005. It is now January 2006 (4 months on) and suddenly the shit has hit the fan. Hmmmmm!!!
Don't you find it rather interesting that the Iran nuclear power/ nuclear bomb issue has beeen so recently in the news?

If I was a spin doctor I would say
"How can we make it look like the Iranians are utterly Barking mad?"
Iran is a Theocracy and Muslim (possibly extremist, under present rule). It is so easy to flush out the reactionary looney factions by highlighting and even reiterating a recent faux pas. BINGO the Muslim reactionaries react as we all knew they would. To further OUR cause they appear to be irrational lunatics. We can then say
"well! We can't let these loonies have nuclear power or bombs because they are all crazed and rabid and couldn't possibly behave responsibly"

When this current hysteria has subsided we shall, no doubt, be faced with the possibility of yet another American incursion maybe into Iran with the justification provided by this current fiasco.

WE WILL THEN TAKE THE OIL --- 25% of the world's supply!!!

..........................I must pop out and buy myself a BIGGER car

Mwuhahahaha!!

NedKelly

I don't think the Iranian PM Ahmadinejad needs a spin doctor. He is quite good at winding up the Muslim reactionaries on his own.

CitySlicker

No surprise there at all.

Also during October the Muslims were busy rattling the collection tins for the Kashmir earthquake. It really wouldn't do to be collecting for charity while dressed as a suicide bomber would it now. Incidentally the person in question was a convicted cocaine and heroin trafficker (according to the Daily Telegraph).



I will reply to the Professional Princess post when I have done some research. I am just checking the net to see if there is a case in recorded history where a Muslim minority has NOT resorted to violence.

NedKelly

I hope you have a good search engine.

wmoore

Of course something like this wouldn't make the news bacuse it's not sensational enough fo Fleet St. It still doen't mean that all muslims are flag-waving bomb-packing idiots. Of course a lot of people are an a lot of them are muslims but we can't brand everyone the same.

I used to work in a Catholic school and in the last few months a priest from there has been convicted of kiddie-fiddling and sent to jail. This does not mean that all Catholics are kiddie-fiddlers, or even that all Catholic priests are. It just means that this guy coulsn't keep his pants on when in a position of trust and responsibility.

Get over the generalisations, it doesn't help anyone.

CaliforniaBride

Well said! Lost on this crowd I'm afraid.

CaliforniaBride

Ah yes, I remember those days when anyone with an Irish accent was considered suspicious. Sleeping cell waiting to be activated. I find it sad that attitudes haven't improved, but I'm not resigned to it.

cottageinthesky

Love it!!!!

cottageinthesky

Excuse me!! What "crowd" is that then ...... One of the worst generalisations of the thread......

Princess Leia

Well, I think Californiabride has a point.

PL

Apple12

I second that.

cottageinthesky

I actually believe that most people can see that but, quite often, it's the extremist views that get aired - it's the nature of extremism that needs to "shout" in whatever form that may take.

My father was half Japanese, half European - left Japan just before WW2 and was possibly the only Japanese national to join the Allied Forces - in 1950's suburban London, only a few years after Pearl Harbour and the liberation of the Japanese POW camps, with a large American airbase just down the road and many American service families in our cul-de-sac, I experienced the full force of racial discrimination and racial generalisations. My experience of Japanese were of warm, generous, family orientated people - 99% of England thought they were grotesque monsters.

But it does change - and these days, with media technology, it can change much more quickly - someone made the comment on this thread that it is fear that fuels ordinary people's prejudices - unfortunately, Professional Princess, you are in the forefront of breaking down those prejudices - very wearing, very traumatic, very hurtful. But I do believe that you have more people with you rather than against.