Thanks for this info. However, bigtexx' point about some of the otherwise very outspoken leaders of the Muslim religion apparently not raising their voice against terror is still valid. A very sad day today. I was in a pub watching the UEFA European Championship match Italy vs. Sweden, everyone was loud and excited about the game - during the halftime break, the news anchor reported the killing of Mr. Johnson and everyone became silent and somber.
I am afraid you are right and this is why I think attacks by those extremists will go on beyond our lifetime. It is so hard to put an end to a vicious cycle like that.
Hey lemme tell you something. When al qaeda slammed planes into the World Trade center, we didn't have any existing conflicts with Iraq or Afghanistan. They weren't our best friends, but things were quiet for a while there. Those planes broke the silence. How would you like for use to respond to terrorism like this? You want to let them attack and murder thousands of American civilians and we take no action? We just talk calmly to them and respectfully ask them not to murder us by the thousands?!? Could they pretty please not cut off our heads on global television? With sugar on top? you really pi$$ me off with statements like that -- droxford
You know, I always here the call, 'Why don't moderate Muslims speak out against the terrorists?' You've posted some great information about that. There have been numerous books, some of which I've linked to before from moderate Muslims denouncing terrorism, whabiism, al-Qaeda, etc. My question is 'Why don't others listen when moderate Muslims do speak out?'
Breaking news on CNN and Fox is saying that the Al Qaeda leader they thought responsible for this beheading has been killed ... I guess we'll learn more about this in the near future
Wow. Now I remember why I stayed out of D&D. I am not going to persuade you. I cannot enlighten you. I can, however, be enlightened by you and I will continue to read and enjoy the posts by both sides.
A little bit of good news in this very sad story... Reports: Al Qaeda Leader in Saudi Arabia Killed Friday, June 18, 2004 CAIRO, Egypt — The leader of Al Qaeda (search) in Saudi Arabia (search) was killed Friday, Arab satellite stations Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera reported. The news was given in a scrolling news bar at the bottom of the screens. Abdulaziz al-Moqrin (search) is at the top of the list of suspects in Saudi Arabia and is believed to be the leader of the group calling itself Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which claimed responsibility for the beheading of American hostage Paul M. Johnson Jr. (search) Johnson's body was found Friday. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,123117,00.html CNN.com: DEVELOPING STORY Al Qaeda leader in Saudi Arabia killed while disposing of American hostage's body, Al-Arabiyah reports. CNN working to confirm.
Well I'm sorry to hear that. I don't think I was being out of line. But if you have evidence that indicates that Iraq was a spiritual or political power base of radical Islam, I would be glad to hear it. I don't believe the Bush administration or anybody else has ever made this claim. I don't think it is really a matter of opinion either. But if you have evidence to the contrary I think you should present it.
I have never heard of CAIR. That's the problem. I don't doubt that they disagree with beheading innocent people, but the fact that mainstream America doesn't know their views is the problem. You say they've signed a petition? That's fabulous, but if people have to hunt around to the 3rd layer of a website they've never heard of to find it, then it's meaningless. I want to see their leaders on the Sunday news shows, on CNN, on Foxnews, on billboards, and in marches around the country. I haven't seen this.
No problem - knowledge is key. I would like to hear a list of "Muslim leaders" whom you would like to hear speak out. I'd like to hear that from anybody. To be perfectly honest, I cannot think of anyone I consider a legitimate religious mouthpiece for Muslims, and I am one. The only person I can think of is the Aga Khan. He leads a very small (15 million or so) group of Shias called Ismailis. Here is an excerpt from a speech he gave on 20 December 2003 in Mombasa: Gee. He hits pretty much every point people keep wanting to hear, right? Pluralism. Peace. Acceptance. Helping others. Realizing that the other path leads to terror and oppression. Link if you want to read the whole speech (and check out others, or check out the NGO which he operates): http://www.akdn.org/speeches/18_mombasa.htm.
As a Buddhist, I have different ideas on how to combat terror. I do not think man is the enemy, rather ignorance and fear. I do not think violence will extinguish any extremist thoughts.
Maybe I was persuaded by the elation showed by the Iraqis and Afghans when the towers fell. I am even willing to admit that I bought the hype of the "call for war" when my tears were still on my face from 9/11. But I have had years to reflect on the attacks and contemplate alternatives and what the time of thought has shown is that in my heart I support anything and everything that attacks militant Islam. I think Bush makes a better C in C than Kerry would so I will vote accordingly. On a side note I made a mention that I look more favorably on Clinton now than I used to. I will take that a step further and say that I think he was a better President thatn Bush 41 would have been.
Then I believe your problem is with the media coverage and not Islam itself. You can bet if 600,000 Muslims signed a petition saying that OSama was great, and what the world really needed we'd hear about it on the news. I agree that the media by covering these types of events, and activities only help to spread a negative stereotype of Islam. It's one of the reasons I wish there was an English version of Al-Jazeera television available here. Many of the people there are real journalists who try to stick to just the facts. Of course they show things geared at their audience and the world they live in, but it's not the bogeyman some make it out to be. There was recently a fascinating documentary about it.
You STILL didn't answer my question! You're afraid of stating your true feelings. As a Buddhist, you believe that we should not have had any military response whatsoever against the September 11th attacks. Don't you? As a Buddhist, you believe that we should shoulder a thousand of such attacks, even if they remove us from existance, without lifting a finger towards retaliation! Isn't that true? -- droxford
They buy half-page and full-page ads in major newspapers doing exactly what you ask. The New York Times has the ads, as have other major newspapers around the country, I believe. For the actual ads, see http://www.americanmuslims.info. The current director, Ibrahim Hooper, appears on CNN and Fox (don't know about MSNBC). He's been on O'Reilly multiple times, as have other CAIR spokespersons.
I have separate problems with the media in general. In this case, it is with Muslims not making their voice heard. When public perception of your religion is being threatened like it is today, you spend the money to get your message out. Period. You don't wait for the media to pick up your story. You orgranize mass protests, you buy billboards, you spend your money to protect your religion's name.
