Is this assessment of Islam justified or prohpetic ?

[Dis]

Originally posted by Tattila the Hun
Surely islamic terrorism hasn't suddenly become a problem after 1994?

my thoughts as well. I heard about the **** in the 60's and 70's. It was before my time, but those were significant events.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by DaShi
Unlike in China, where the Muslims were nice first but got the royal screw from the Chinese.

Muslims are not a separate "race." Chinese can also be Muslims

Not that you know, seeing how you have been watching Clerks and all.

[Alexander's Horse]

The problem with the thesis is that Islam was once enlightened and advanced but now is found in countries which are poor or backward and feel under threat from the modern world for a range of historical reasons for the most part not related to religion. Religion is a glue for identity, resistance and nationalism.

One should be sceptical that Islam is the problem. You can find in Christianity or Hinduism or Buddhism plenty of bigotry and backwardness too.

[aneeshm]

How many Hindus , Buddhists , or Jains are terrorists ? And I don't mean fundies who make ridiculous statements , I mean actual terrorists who go blow themselves , believing in a 70-virgins afterlife .

I would tend to , in the main , agree with the author's assessment that Islam is a civilisation closed from within , and unable to adopt to the modern world .

[Dr Strangelove]

When people are pressed back against a wall and are hurting they try to identify the source of the pain. If they're unable to psychologically confront the source because the source is too close to home (they lack skills to survive in a modern world), is beyond their control (the homeland is no longer able to sustain them), or involves surrendering cherished totems / taboos (not beating the little woman) they transfer their anger to a psychologically more comfortable target. For many muslims that's us.

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by aneeshm
How many Hindus , Buddhists , or Jains are terrorists ?

Come on, they've all had fanatics and terrorists.

Islam looks like the religion for losers now because its being hijacked by losers - its a great faith and only a minority are extremists. This has happened to other faiths all through history - look at Northern Ireland.

[our_man]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse


Come on, they've all had fanatics and terrorists.

Islam looks like the religion for losers now because its being hijacked by losers - its a great faith and only a minority are extremists. This has happened to other faiths all through history - look at Northern Ireland.

There is a difference between the situation in NI and Islamic extermism. These guys are killing for their religion in the name of Allah, while in NI people on both sides of the divide killed out of misguided nationalism. Religion didn't have that much to do with it; it was just historical circumstance that Unionists were Protestant and Nationalists were Catholic.

[aneeshm]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse


Come on, they've all had fanatics and terrorists.

Fanatics - yes . Hindu fanatics exist ( though they don't actually do much , unless highly provoked ) . Buddhist and Jains don't even have fanatics ( or if they do , then they do a very good job of keeping quiet ) . And neither of the three has terrorists who blow themselves up purely motivated by religious nationalism .

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse

Islam looks like the religion for losers now because its being hijacked by losers - its a great faith and only a minority are extremists.

The problem lies in the fact that the religion gives power to this minority ( that is , the mullahs and the orthodox religious establishment in general ) , and that the majority gives its passive support to the minority .

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse

This has happened to other faiths all through history - look at Northern Ireland.

As already mentioned , it is my view that Nortehern Ireland is motivaed by nationalism rather than religion . They might overlap , but the prime mover in this case is nationalism , not religion .

[DaShi]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


Muslims are not a separate "race." Chinese can also be Muslims

Not that you know, seeing how you have been watching Clerks and all.

What does this have to do with race? Or is that how you see everything? There are Muslims who are Indian. There are American Muslims. Doesn't change the fact that the Muslims are considered a second class in China whether they're Chinese or not. This has nothing to do with race at all.

What's the deal with Clerks? Does me watching that movie really bother you that much? How sad.

[GePap]

I do not believe in the notion that the circle can't be opened anymore. Yes, Islam is different than Christianity in that it places a great amount of importance in the community, as opposed to a notion of individual salvation- this communal approach thought does not demand a conservative and permanently closed situation. It makes it harder, but not impossible, and the very theory developed in the article shows that if some group were to make a serious attempt at itjihad and reform, to create new schools of Islamic jurisprudence, that their impact could spread trhough the whole umma.

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by aneeshm
How many Hindus , Buddhists , or Jains are terrorists ? And I don't mean fundies who make ridiculous statements , I mean actual terrorists who go blow themselves , believing in a 70-virgins afterlife .

Well yes, you had Hindu extremists at Ayodhya mosque - Indian history is replete with terrorist communal violence - muslim against hindu - hindu against muslim - hindu or muslim against christian. Recently an Australian missionary and his two sons were burned alive in their car by a Hindu mob. This is not terrorism? I'm sure you remember the siege of the Golden temple at Amritsar - fanatical Sikhs who had to be gunned down by the Indian security forces, the Sikh terrorism in Punjab against muslims and hindus.

Terrorism and fanaticism is well known in Buddhism, the famous suicide by burning of monks in Vietnam during the Vietnam war, the Tongs in China, fighting monks in Tibet and China, the Bushido code which led to Kamikaze in Japan, ritual suicide in Zen Buddhism, need I go on??

This is nothing more than a good old bash at the muslims in the best traditions of communal ignorance. Check out your flags!

[KrazyHorse]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/03/21/shrine.destroyed.ap/index.html