The Future of Lunatic Jihad

[giblets]

I bet BK masturbates to execution videos from the Middle East.

They don't execute very many 8 year old boys.

[Ben Kenobi]

I bet BK masturbates to execution videos from the Middle East.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpAh4TAUYnc

I seem to have found your stash. (Edit, worksafe).

[Elok]

Sharia seems pretty effective at killing Christians wherever it goes. Does it really matter if they have a 'centralized state apparatus', if the options are various shades of Muslim? I don't see it.

The entire concept of a caliphate presupposes a combined religious and political authority; indeed (IIUC) Islam does not traditionally recognize a distinction between the two. Nobody is arguing that AQ et al aren't good at murder. It's constructive activities, like running a country, at which they have shown no aptitude, and are unlikely to discover any at any point in the foreseeable future.

[Ben Kenobi]

The entire concept of a caliphate presupposes a combined religious and political authority; indeed (IIUC) Islam does not traditionally recognize a distinction between the two. Nobody is arguing that AQ et al aren't good at murder. It's constructive activities, like running a country, at which they have shown no aptitude, and are unlikely to discover any at any point in the foreseeable future.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. I don't think it really matters much on the political end insofar as they continue to reinforce their Christian eradication program worldwide. They are fighting a Jihad, the same one they've always been fighting.

[kentonio]

Sharia seems pretty effective at killing Christians wherever it goes. Does it really matter if they have a 'centralized state apparatus', if the options are various shades of Muslim? I don't see it.

The amount of things you don't see is practically endless, you despicable little hatemonger.

[Ben Kenobi]

The amount of things you don't see is practically endless, you despicable little hatemonger.

You forgot to append PBUH.

[DaShi]

Ben, drink anti-freeze.

[regexcellent]

So, the most recent Economist included a special report on how Al-Qaeda is regrouping and becoming more influential. It was, as you might expect, a sobering account--until the last paragraph. Then it noted that AQ's final goal was to establish a new Caliphate across most, if not all, of the Middle East, and that said goal was now closer than it had been. At this point, I pretty much cracked up; the idea of those psychotic bigots successfully ruling even a Vatican-style mini-state strains my imagination. A super-state covering thousands of square miles, run by a batch of zealots whose primary, if not only, skill is destabilizing states...that's almost too grotesque to be funny. Almost.

What do you think the future holds for Muslims of the frothingly-violent persuasion in that region? I read a rather horrible blog post the other day, suggesting that a massive Sunni-Shiite "civil war" was imminent for some reason. And gloating about it, which is why I'm not going to link to it. What do our armchair policy wonks think of that?

Discuss, and stuff.

Well they're closer than they were in the sense that they have the opportunity with "arab spring" revolts to try to establish more Islamist states across the region, plus Turkey being more Islamist-friendly under Erdogan. But a pan-arab caliphate or whatever is thoroughly absurd and even if it were established it would be less stable than an upside-down house of cards in a canoe.

[Ben Kenobi]

Ben, drink anti-freeze.

But it's warm out. Why would I do that?

[Berzerker]

anti-freeze prevents over heating too, maybe Sava and Dashi should be drinking it

[Ben Kenobi]

anti-freeze prevents over heating too, maybe Sava and Dashi should be drinking it

I think Canadians get a +2 racial bonus against antifreeze poisoning.

[Dinner]

They'll be around beheading people and blowing things up forever. It's just a sickness in that part of the world. I can't judge them though because the tea baggers are one corn flake away from suicide bombing family planning clinks.

[Ben Kenobi]

I can't judge them though because the tea baggers are one corn flake away from suicide bombing family planning clinks.

I hear planes are quite effective at that.

[C0ckney]

So, the most recent Economist included a special report on how Al-Qaeda is regrouping and becoming more influential. It was, as you might expect, a sobering account--until the last paragraph. Then it noted that AQ's final goal was to establish a new Caliphate across most, if not all, of the Middle East, and that said goal was now closer than it had been. At this point, I pretty much cracked up; the idea of those psychotic bigots successfully ruling even a Vatican-style mini-state strains my imagination. A super-state covering thousands of square miles, run by a batch of zealots whose primary, if not only, skill is destabilizing states...that's almost too grotesque to be funny. Almost.

it really depends on how you look at it. with the fall of the ba'ath regimes (iraq, egypt, syria teetering on the brink), and other secular dictatorships, this gives space for new political forces to emerge. a lot of the time this has meant islamist forces, who tend to the most organised opposition groups to secular dictatorships, coming to the fore. these kind of forces are often happy to work within a democratic framework and with other parties (like in tunisa for example, where an islamist party governs with the support of social democrats and socialists), but sometimes the attitude of the party, or the situation of the country itself makes this impossible (egypt is a decent example of this). the space opened up has also given room to more radical elements. al-qaeda (which isn't one organisation but rather a collection of loosely affiliated groups) and other islamic extremists, thrive in countries where the situation is chaotic or unstable.

al qaeda is not the sort of force that can govern. they can provide valuable support to other forces which can govern (the taliban, al shabab et al), but these forces always have an ethnic or tribal base. what they can do is take an unstable situation and turn it to the advantage of their allies, carry out relatively sophisticated attacks, assassinations and things of that nature. the idea of some al qaeda run 'caliphate' is not credible.

What do you think the future holds for Muslims of the frothingly-violent persuasion in that region? I read a rather horrible blog post the other day, suggesting that a massive Sunni-Shiite "civil war" was imminent for some reason. And gloating about it, which is why I'm not going to link to it. What do our armchair policy wonks think of that?

Discuss, and stuff.

there's been a sunni-shia war on and off since the 8th century. i wouldn't read too much into what some idiot wrote on his blog.

[Uncle Sparky]

I bet BK masturbates to execution videos from the Middle East.

... he lives in Texas... he can probably attend all the executions he wants to...