My new favorite website.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/

 

 

I absolutely LOVE this site.

[whitesoxfan101]

This thread should be interesting....

 

*sits back with bowl of popcorn*

[Flash Tizzle]

Yes, because someone (probably Northsidesox) will bring it up, all religions have their problems. Just happens those connected to Islam are attributed to far more violence than others. And as much as some people don't want to admit it, there's obviously ambiguous versus within the Quran which may be misinterpreted by those reading them. This is an issue.

 

There may be a Christian backed, right-wing conspiracy constructed to soil Islam's reputation, but from what I've observed from my own unbiased eyes, this religion has a MAJOR image problem. Yeah, go ahead and tell me about Christianity's problems with the KKK, or what transpired 800 years ago in Europe. Islam is living three hundred years behind the rest of the civilized world.

 

I wouldn't mock the "religion of peace" label, though. Even if you liberally calculate active terrorists associated with Islam, it wouldn't be enough to account for 1/50 of 1%.

 

Problem is whenever something is attributed to Islam--aka., terrorist bombing, there's always the two groups. One suggests, mockingly, "religion of peace at it again..." Another replies, "You can't hold all Muslim's accountable! Chrisitians aren't exactly void of trouble!" I don't believe neither are right. As usual, the truth lies in between both arguments.

Edited May 14, 2006 by Flash Tizzle

[kapkomet]

Yes, because someone (probably Northsidesox) will bring it up, all religions have their problems--just happens those connected to Islam are attributed to far more violence than others. And as much as some people don't want to admit it, there's obviously ambigious versus within the Quran which may be misinterpreted by those reading them. This is an issue.

 

There may be a Christian backed, right-wing conspiracy constructed to soil Islam's reputation, but from what I've observed from my own unbiased eyes, this religion has a MAJOR image problem. Yeah, go ahead and tell me about Christianity's problems with the KKK, or what transpired 800 years ago in Europe. Islam is living three hundred years behind the rest of the civilized world.

 

I wouldn't mock the "religion of peace" label, though. Even if you liberally calculate active terrorists associated with Islam, it wouldn't be enough to account for 1/50 of 1%.

 

Problem is whenever something is attributed to Islam--aka., terrorist bombing, there's always the two groups. One suggests, mockingly, "religion of peace at it again..." Another replies, "You can't hold all Muslim's accountable! Chrisitians aren't exactly void of trouble!" I don't believe neither are right. As usual, the truth lies in between both arguments.

 

Good post.

[NorthSideSox72]

Yes, because someone (probably Northsidesox) will bring it up, all religions have their problems. Just happens those connected to Islam are attributed to far more violence than others. And as much as some people don't want to admit it, there's obviously ambiguous versus within the Quran which may be misinterpreted by those reading them. This is an issue.

 

There may be a Christian backed, right-wing conspiracy constructed to soil Islam's reputation, but from what I've observed from my own unbiased eyes, this religion has a MAJOR image problem. Yeah, go ahead and tell me about Christianity's problems with the KKK, or what transpired 800 years ago in Europe. Islam is living three hundred years behind the rest of the civilized world.

 

I wouldn't mock the "religion of peace" label, though. Even if you liberally calculate active terrorists associated with Islam, it wouldn't be enough to account for 1/50 of 1%.

 

Problem is whenever something is attributed to Islam--aka., terrorist bombing, there's always the two groups. One suggests, mockingly, "religion of peace at it again..." Another replies, "You can't hold all Muslim's accountable! Chrisitians aren't exactly void of trouble!" I don't believe neither are right. As usual, the truth lies in between both arguments.

I suppose I'm obligated to respond...

 

To put this as plainly as I can, I prefer to judge people on their actions and not their associations. People who are violent need to be punished - those that are not should not. And I refuse to apply the actions of one or even many to an entire religion, race or nation.

 

The religion isn't the problem (for Islam or any other of the big ones). Its the actions that people falsely attribute to its tenets. That is why these are "extremists". Really, they are just looking for an excuse. An excuse for the poverty and corruption in their countries, which should be directed at their own governments. And to an extent, an excuse for hating the West for intruding so disastrously in their affairs - a valid thing to be upset about.

 

I agree that Islam has an image problem. Many of the nations which have large Islamic populations are in dire straits on many fronts, which is in great part what is causing the rising hatred. So perhaps we need to be focusing on this governments, instead of religion. Of course, it might also help if we had the balls to stand up and admit what part we had in their misfortunes, because we are not free of culpubility here. But I'm afraid that is highly unlikely to happen. At this point, I'd settle for us getting our cannons focused on the right targets.

[EvilMonkey]

Of course, it might also help if we had the balls to stand up and admit what part we had in their misfortunes, because we are not free of culpubility here. But I'm afraid that is highly unlikely to happen. At this point, I'd settle for us getting our cannons focused on the right targets.

And what parts of those misfortunes would be ours?

[LowerCaseRepublican]

Fundamentalism of any religion leads to crazy s*** like creating a "Biblical" definition of marriage being one man and one woman (despite the Bible explicitly saying that marriage is between a man and more than one woman...yet bigamy is oddly illegal) being trumpeted around or bombing the Atlanta Olympics or making guys like Paul Hill a hero while giving out the home addresses and phone numbers of doctors that work at abortion clinics.

 

For an example of these nuts...

**WARNING -- NSFW/Squeamish Stay Away Photos of Aborted Fetuses at Site**

http://www.armyofgod.com/

 

Or guys going into a place of worship and opening fire with an assault rifle killing unarmed people (a totally off the wall Zionist guy named Baruch Goldstein)

 

Every religion has their bad apples, the ones that take good ideas and lessons at the core of every religion and turn them into something to justify murdering those that don't agree with them.

 

And Evil, the quick method:

1. Keeping the Shah in power even though the people didn't want him. Add in the assistance given the Shah to exterminate moderates to the throne (which the fundies were doing as well) and you get the power vacuum that leads to the eventual fall of the Shah and the installation of the fundie whackjobs in Iran.

 

2. Our interventions in Iraq in the 1960s to stabilize the region with leaders that we liked, even it was for the incredible short term -- leaders who decimated their populations under an iron fist.

 

3. Our support for the Taliban, training and funding of Al Qaeda during the 1980s (despite knowing they hated us as well)

 

While nowhere as insane as our rampant intervention in Central and South America, the United States very well did get themselves involved in what turned out to be the long term instability of the region.

 

For much more info, check out William Blum's "Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since WW II" (he's a former member of the State Department who resigned in protest to Vietnam's escalations)

[Texsox]

I suppose I'm obligated to respond...

To put this as plainly as I can, I prefer to judge people on their actions and not their associations. People who are violent need to be punished - those that are not should not. And I refuse to apply the actions of one or even many to an entire religion, race or nation.

 

The religion isn't the problem (for Islam or any other of the big ones). Its the actions that people falsely attribute to its tenets. That is why these are "extremists". Really, they are just looking for an excuse. An excuse for the poverty and corruption in their countries, which should be directed at their own governments. And to an extent, an excuse for hating the West for intruding so disastrously in their affairs - a valid thing to be upset about.

 

I agree that Islam has an image problem. Many of the nations which have large Islamic populations are in dire straits on many fronts, which is in great part what is causing the rising hatred. So perhaps we need to be focusing on this governments, instead of religion. Of course, it might also help if we had the balls to stand up and admit what part we had in their misfortunes, because we are not free of culpubility here. But I'm afraid that is highly unlikely to happen. At this point, I'd settle for us getting our cannons focused on the right targets.

 

Well said. I highlighted a couple things I thought were especially insightful.

[NorthSideSox72]

And what parts of those misfortunes would be ours?

Oh jeez, this could be a book...

 

We meddle. A LOT. Throughout the Cold War, we manipulated, pulled strings, propped up governments and destroyed them like so much of a chess game. We gave money to militant gangs who conveniently hated our enemies. We let US industry (oil particularly) go over there and have there way, including using what amounts to slave labor. We ignore the realities about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict we dislike, which would be fine in itself, except then we support Israel militarily. The whole creation of the state of Israel was itself an insulting, arrogant act against the existing middle eastern cultures.

 

Shall I go on?

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

Oh jeez, this could be a book...

 

We meddle. A LOT. Throughout the Cold War, we manipulated, pulled strings, propped up governments and destroyed them like so much of a chess game. We gave money to militant gangs who conveniently hated our enemies. We let US industry (oil particularly) go over there and have there way, including using what amounts to slave labor. We ignore the realities about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict we dislike, which would be fine in itself, except then we support Israel militarily. The whole creation of the state of Israel was itself an insulting, arrogant act against the existing middle eastern cultures.

 

Shall I go on?

 

 

The oil thing you mentioned was a big reason why the Soviet Union collapsed. During the 1980s one of Reagan's strategy's was to flood the world with cheap oil thusly bringing down the price and shutting off a major revenue source for Soviet Russia.