mgod wrote on Sun, 02 December 2007 20:19 |
Ashermusic wrote on Sun, 02 December 2007 09:12 | It is backward, medieval, inhumane, sexist, racist, reprehensible, and we should not be afraid to stand up and say so.
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Not so long ago the Christian west was exactly that, burning heretics and "witches", driving Jews from their homes, etc. All the while Islam was giving us modern mathematics and architecture.
Really, the Christian West is still at it, as you demonstrate - continuing to demonize the other, in this case Islam, which gives rise to terrorism against "us" and massive invasion resulting in outright theft of property and life against "them." The idea that Muslim terrorism is sui generis, its own evil thing with nothing giving rise to it, is I think the single most evil thought that is perpetrated in the West - we are absolved of all blame because their tactics are not addressable by the conventional warfare which "we" excel at. If only those evil doers would play the game! So, then the logical conclusion of everything Mr. Asher has said is that if we face an invading force of Muslims from around the world, we could not have a legitimate complaint against Islam itself. Mr. Asher - you're in a fit about tactics, and you're using your ancient and highly propagandistic ideas about the enemy you select to justify traditional barbaric thinking. Yes, this is a war and we started it. And we use religion to justify and excuse ourselves. That's what this discussion is really about. Mr. Asher is simply either distracted by, or trying to distract us by complaining about a way of life he doesn't know but of which he disapproves.
I'll go Richard Clarke one better: leave them alone, pay market prices for their oil, and I bet we go a looooooong way to peace.
DS
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1. "Not so long ago" is three hundred years ago. Whatever Christianity's past sins, and yes they are many, it does not reflect Christianity today. And I am not Christian.
2. Islamic terrorism may not be sui generis but at this time in history it stands alone in its practices on a large scale.
3. I find it interesting how you avoid even discussing the sexism of the culture. You bet I disapprove of it and you should too. Even at its worst Christianity never tolerated honor killing, clitoridectomy, etc. But who cares, after all, you are not a woman, right? And after all, it is just another value system, no more or less moral, right?
4. According to Osama Bin Laden, the attacks on the U.S, which started long before Iraq, were begun because we affronted him and in his mind all Islam by defiling Islam with our infidel presence on the sacred holy ground of Saudia Arabia which contains the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. This also turned him against the House of Saud. BTW, in those days, he never mentioned the Palestinian issue, raising that later was strictly a tactical choice. You really ought to read "The Looming Tower."
Your idea of going Clarke one better is is essentially how Neville Chamberlain proposed dealing with Hitler and we all saw how well that worked.