Leslie

I don't support any religion. A religion is a thing, it can't do anything. I support (and oppose) people and I get nervous when large swaths of people are getting blamed for events they had no knowledge of, no control over, and are just as disgusted with as I am.

It is a nuanced conversation and I've racked my brain for a way to talk about this where I wouldn't (within two posts) be accused of supporting something that I do not. It's impossible though because there are certain people who unfailingly, if you don't agree with their wholesale condemnation of 1.6 billion people, you get accused of defending terrorists.

I've posted on here for years about my opposition to the treatment of women in, in the name of religion, some of the most horrific situations you can possibly imagine. I've posted on here about my hatred of the burqua as well as all of the methods of men controlling women's bodies in currently existing societies.

I just wish people would use their brains. Two things can be true at once.

When Warren Jeffs was raping little girls and trafficking in human bodies ... where was the similar outrage against Mormons? Why didn't we hold Mitt Romney to task over all that? Because he had nothing to do with it, that's why.

scrubbedexpat099

I seem to have lost my impressive reply.

Anyway you are assuming it is a tiny tiny number that hold a peverted interpretation of their religion.

I do not. All the evidence says otherwise.

Let us put it another way if it was the BNP or whoever of the same ilk does every member hold the most extreme views, obviously not.

Pulaski

Indeed. Numbers who have headed to Syria from the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands and other Western European countries are already known to number many hundreds, and people continue to go. I presume that there are many more who either are preparing, aren't quite ready yet, or are providing support. Obviously the numbers are small compared to resident muslim populations of millions, but far greater than the extraordinarily rare cases of lunatics like Warren Jeffs.

Though to use WJ as an example of lunatic thinking, "behind" him there were hundreds of people who knew what was going on and who openly or tacitly supported him, or tolerated it. I have no doubt the math in respect of the jihadis heading to Syria and their supporter is comparable.

Michael

Then I guess we could say the same thing about the Germans and the Japanese during WWII. Although they may not have been directly complicit in the atrocities, they were willing subjects that turned a blind eye. When someone agrees with extremist's ideas, they are complicit.

Warren Jeff ran a cult that for about 100 years, the Mormon Church disavowed and had church laws in place against such practices. When the Mormon church was like the Warren Jeff cult, people were outraged at the Mormon church and that is what drove the church to Utah.

scrubbedexpat099

Amusingly if it was unIslamic the sentence would be death.

Pulaski

With or without 72 virgins?

scrubbedexpat099

I think you miss out on those. Must be a bit of shortage anyway.

Pulaski

Death and no virgins? That sentence seems a bit harsh for the religion of tolerance and peace.

Hotscot

I wonder how the landscape is going to look in 20 years...scary..

RoadWarriorFromLP

A Muslim employee of the Kosher market in Paris saved 15 people by hiding them in the basement, then helped the police to plan the raid.

Feel free to rush in to give Islam the credit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/wo...ge-crisis.html

Hotscot

That was indeed admirable

However, certainly in my opinion, I question if the core teachings of some religions, including Islam, are antithetical to the society in which their practitioners exist.

And if they are..how can the disparity possibly be reconciled as to minimise conflict?

Leslie

No, I'm assuming that a tiny number are committing murder. There are likely many different interpretations of the religion but I don't have that data and neither do you.

Michael

Whether one or millions oppose terrorists actions, it is the over all belief that much of it is justified that fuels the hatred and the terrorists. I'm sure there were good people in the Klan but that doesn't mean the Klan's philosophy was something that most people would consider as just different.

Hotscot

So how do we identify the radicals and eradicate them?

With the help of the community?
Through education?

Leslie

What? Most Germans and Japanese didn't have any choice in the matter. It's a good comparison, but not for the reason that you think.


Since he's only about 60 years old that's actually pretty impressive. Again, you seem to be making my point, but mostly you're just rambling about things that are completely unrelated to my point.