Bangladesh: "Offended" Muslims burn 100 Buddhist homes, 10 temples

Just an example. So you're pro-immigration. Hard to believe, but whatever. As I said you may define pro-immigration differently than I do. For you immigration requires the immigrant to take on the culture of their host. For me I don't share that belief. We both call ourselves pro-immigration. We don't agree on the same things. We probably could not agree together on a good immigration policy even though we both label ourselves pro-immigration.

There are many things you believe in that Neo Nazis believe in. That doesn't make you like them. They like Geert Wilders and you like Geert Wilders. They are anti-Islam and you are anti-Islam. Take your pick. I'm sure you can compile a list of things which you share with them, good and bad, and it wouldn't matter. As long as you don't agree with their core values and methods, that is what differentiates you.

I'm not insulted by insults against the Prophet btw. But here you are showing that you are clearly missing the whole point:

Two people sharing beliefs doesn't mean they share all the beliefs. Doesn't mean they agree on the terminology. Doesn't mean they react the same way to everything. There are hundreds of millions of Muslims who hate insults against the Prophet and didn't so much as lift a finger at the innocence of muslims video.

There are hundreds of millions of Catholics who abhore the cover up of the rape scandal. Doesn't mean they can be grouped for all purposes or for most purposes.

It is not something shocking I am saying. Patterns of behavior in huge populations cannot be attributed to incidental random things (nationality, race, etc) nor can they be attributed to something so arbitrarily interpreted as religion. The HUGE majority of their behavior will be determined by the circumstances.

While it seems to be a dream of yours that such questions are only answered in a few words, sadly it is not the case. It is not Islam because it's not Allah or Muhammad doing these things. It is Muslims, and Muslims are humans who behave like humans and patterns in the behavior of large groups has everything to do with circumstances. Just like there is no magical power in the religion to make people better, there is also no magical power in it to make people worse. You can't believe one and not the other.

 

It really seems like you are. Pretty much every thread you post in the D&D is something about muslim extremists. Why do you think you focus so strongly on that particular topic? I'd be interested in hearing you clarify your position because it's hard to escape the impression that you are against Islam.

Personally, I'm against all religions when they seek to impose their systems on non-believers (or other-believers).

 

Stop lying to yourself. Your posting history contradicts your statement here.

 

In fairness I try to always place radical/ fringe/ etc. in front of Muslim when I post on these subjects. I left that off -- my mistake -- there are a billion Muslims on the planet if they all acted like the fringe radicals of Islam the world would be in chaos.

 

Why is one not allowed to be outraged by insults against whatever prophet?

Why are you outraged by Mathlooms outrage? Don't think he is participating in any violent demonstrations.

 

That is just plain old denial.

 

I know what you mean, it takes me a lot of mental effort to make sure I label moderates and extremists properly in posts and it's quite tiring. I'm not about to judge you, especially not for an oversight. That would require you starting a hundred threads disproportionately focused on Muslims/Islam, grouping extremists and moderates together, and ignorance of any other kind of problems for me to think "this dude must really hate Muslims/Islam."

 

Bottom line, if you love Islam you're ass better care about these really teeny tiny minority radical Muslims because they are ruining it for you.

And for that love alone they should stand up, loud and proud, against this radical bull ****.

They can end it IF they want too. Lack of action condones the radicals and makes them guilty as well.

 

This applies to all groups. I mean should all Catholics be responsible for the actions of pedophile priests? I follow the teachings of Buddhism but I don't expect my Congressman Keith Ellison to apologize for Bangladeshi Muslims burning down Buddhist Temples or for the Taliban blowing up the Bamiyan Buddhas.

This is one of my biggest problems with these discussions is that they always come down to group identity and the drawing of sides. You either are against Islam or you are defending it. Any attempt at addressing the complexity and context gets labeled "apologizing for terrorists" Islam is a vast religion and Muslims are a vast disparate groups. While there are many conflicts and problems with Muslims around the world most of those problems often seem connected to political issues and preexisting conflicts. Radical Islam in the last 20 years seem to have taken on the role that radical Marxism played in the 1970's and 1980's. As a loose ideology that allows for local conflicts, usually involving poor disenfranchised groups, to internationalize their conflict for propaganda and support purposes. For example the IRA, Sendero Luminosa, and PLO all called themselves Marxist but an Irish in Belfast, a Peruvian in Lima, and a Palestinian in Ramallah don't have that much in common but taking on the mantle of Marxism helped to paint their struggles as part of a larger conflict. Now you have groups like rebels in Chechnya, rebels in Mindanao and again Palestinians claiming they are radical Muslims when they have little in common. Islam becomes a way of internationalizing the conflict.

Going further there are many other similarities such as Marxist groups would tap supports from countries and individuals like Qadafi who were interested in building up their own influence. 20 years later Qadafi rebrands himself as a fundamentalist Muslim and supports the Islamic rebel groups. Al Qaeda is created as a way for OBL and Zawahiri to build up a power base through exporting global Jihad and various rebel groups in places that were only nominally Muslim (Chechnya and Bosnia) and places that practiced very moderate versions of Islam (Philipines) start calling themselves fundamentalists and start getting money, arms and fighters. Even the reaction of those in the West are similar. In the 1950's Sen. McCarthy rails about Communist infiltration in the State Department, in 2012 Rep. Bachmann rails about Muslim infiltration of the State Department.

What we are seeing with the current troubles between the Western World and the Islamic isn't something inherent in Islam but a continuation of a struggle that has been going on since the downfall of colonialism. That is why I think it is a mistake to view these struggles as solely a religious struggle. As I've said to Mathloom I don't think the problems of the Middle East are mostly due to Islam but of feeling victimized. In the same way I doubt the Muslims that angrily burned down Buddhist villages are solely due to that they were Muslims. I suspect poverty, ignorance and ethnic tensions probably contributed to it and a Facebook post was the excuse that they needed to riot.

 

You are a funny guy.

I'm Muslim and like most Muslim's I don't really "love" Islam and nor do I care what you or anyone thinks about Islam. So the teeny tiny minority is not ruining anything for me.

 

then you're the worst, a joke, a plastic... Real Muslims would be ashamed of you. what's next, i'm married but i'm not really in love?

i'm starting a new religion where i mock, ridicule, deride, offend, all religions and religious icons. hopefully these damn radicals let me do my **** like i let them do theirs.

 

go for it bro

 

Your*

 

Have fun.