Anyone know why Muslims hate being photographed?

Are you saying that all these terrorist activities that take place have nothing to to with the Fatwas calling for the action? That these people are just poor uninformed hungry down trodden people that desperately need our understanding and forgiveness for their despicable acts?

If so that opinion appears like it might have been formed by an atheist that can't possible believe
people do in fact act on behalf of their religion. Are you sure your own belief system (or lack of one) is not clouding your judgement?

 

It's fairly common for blood feuds to go back centuries. If someone blows up my house and kills my family I don't think I'm going to file a civil suit and go through diplomatic channels. Unless someone has experienced anything of it's kind it's pretty clear that intellectually we have high ideals but emotionally humans are not that highly evolved. There just aren't many Ghandis or Dalai Lamas running around these days.

 

No, I meant in their native tongue. Literacy rates in the Arab world and in North Africa aren't superb. Literacy is also a grey area. Someone may be able to read or write enough to get by, but can they read a newspaper? Can they understand a news broadcast in Modern Standard Arabic when they themselves speak a different dialect? Media literacy and which sources to trust is a whole 'nother can of beans entirely. The prevalence of belief in conspiracy theories is astounding.

 

Well, there's always only one dalai lama right?

 

Try to understand. I'm not saying ALL of anything is anything. I'm trying to get you people to get away from that kind of thinking. That's why I pointed out all those factors. ITS NEVER ALL OF ANYTHING.

When you stop generalizing you'll have a better understanding (if that's even your goal).

 

How about this, each year, whoever kills the most civilians is the new terrorist. I think we come out looking bad, but it seems like a fair metric, no?

 

There may well be many Dalai Lama impersonators, probably in Vegas waiting for the Elvis impersonators to get off the stage

 

That is true and he has not issued any findings comparable to a Fatwa ever.

 

Well then Hoo, for a man that admits he has not read the Koran nor studied religion, you do use a lot of ink.

 

You're confusing me with someone else. I've done both.

 

Oh, it isn't apparent in your "poor down trodden soles" speech that discounts religion having any bearing.

 

Brown people, what's their deal anyway

 

Religion certainly does have a bearing. It's what we've been discussing this entire time. My goal with that post was to give some other ideas about what goes on in that part of the world. All the while, you're displaying animosity towards the presentation of additional factors to a situation you want to boil down to stereotype.

 

while that may be the case, you seem to keep persisting on a sunshine and bunny rabbits approach. You derive your opinions through academia while some of us develop our opinions through those that have served in that shit hole area and fought against some of the very people that we were trying to help. Those who have lived along side the people you find so honorable have as a people proven to be otherwise by western standards.

You keep believing what you want, hell, 51 percent of the population does....enjoy your delusion

 

Just explaining my change in attitude.

Ah, yes. In my day, that bullshit theory was called "The Devil's Theory of Imperialism". Oil-rich countries in the Middle East seem to me to have done pretty well under those so-called "dominating economic policies of the West". And the ones that embraced more socialistic/nationalistic policies (i.e. Baathist or Nasserist) have suffered mightily. Allowing people to live free to make their own choices while respecting basic human rights is hardly imperialistic. And please don't talk to me about our support for dictators in the past. The transitioning to democracy we created in Iraq and Afghanistan--while imperfect--are hardly the policies we pursued with the Shah or the House of Saud.

Not at all. I was just mocking your embrace of your particular ivory tower. It's not an environment to which I haven't been exposed. There are all sorts of ivory towers out there; some taller and better built than others.

Sigh. So sad. I was just saying that I am making a judgment about a religion that treats half their population as second-class citizens. So, if we choose to use your term, I guess my outlook on gender equality does make me morally superior. And you were the one who ran for the cover of being an "intellectual" rather than having a real debate. I was simply offering a gentle reminder that others can hold different views and still not be knuckle-draggers. Don't be pissed at me that my bullshit academic credentials are superior to your bullshit academic credentials.

 

I'm trying to get people to think about the problems in MENA outside of the very limited scope of terrorism and/or Islamic radicalism. That's all I'm doing. And you say I'm focusing on "sunshine and bunny rabbits" and MarAzul calls it a "poor down trodden soles" speech. Get a grip, guys.

My background is in academia. I've lived in the Middle East, I've lived in North Africa. I've seen the problems, I've talked to the people. No, I haven't been to war. Why is it that you're forming your opinions solely from a combat perspective is beyond me. All I'm asking is that you at least acknowledge that there are other points of view on this matter than terrorism and/or radicalism and/or war.

 

You explained nothing. You just made some vague statement that you revised your opinions based on your experiences and jeez you should really try it some time.

I wasn't referring to war, I was referring to the dominating economic policies of the West. Ask the farmers in India who have been forced off their land due to policies written by the IMF and the World Bank if we want them to live in happiness and prosperity.

And yes, oil rich nations have done great. They've played the game perfectly. They have capital to spare and their people are healthy and-- oh wait, no, they are run on slave labor. But that's okay, we'll still do business.

Oh, I didn't realize I was lionizing the school I went to when other people's informed opinions aren't the same as mine. No wait, you did that.

My ivory tower is a mud pile. I went to PSU for shits sake.

I thought we were talking about terrorism?

Where did I hide behind my education? All I did was pointed out that at least I have an education on these topics. I'm all for debate. I never called anyone stupid for not thinking the way I do. All I'm trying to do here is get people to go a little deeper.

 

Who forgot to check credentials here anyway? One thing is for sure, where politics and religion are the same power base, fanatics get an easy toehold on the masses. (nobody is getting a peek at my credentials!)

 

I'll give a degree of truth to that point, with Hamas and the Palestinians. That's somewhat offset by the celebrations we see in the streets after some Hamas assholes sets of a bomb in Israel and then sets one off to kill the emergency responders.

But, are you making a case that Al-Qaeda is feeding tens of millions of people in Indonesia? The survey I linked shows the 50% of Indonesian Muslims support OBL "to do the right thing regarding world matters." I'm not thinking that pertains to support because OBL is feeding millions of Indonesians.

So, you still saying there are only a handful of Muslims that support terrorism? Why does that seem to be a hard question for you? You made the claim, I made my case against it. Do you still believe your claim?

Go Blazers

 

Are we talking killing civilians after spending billions on weapons and tactics that avoid killing them, while we're fight against fighters that hide behind those civilians by using them as sheilds? Or are we refering to targeting women and children for gruelsome, painful death to make a political statement? Or, do you think that is the same thing?

Go Blazers