Why Can’t We Talk About Islam Honestly?

[Peter1469]

Who gets to decide what is a "true Muslim"? Is there a similar authority in Christianity that gets to decide who is a "true Christian"?

Meaning Muslims that don't use a black Sharpie to line item veto the parts they don't like out of their Holy Book.

[AeonPax]

Youre right its not only a left problem, the dishonesty and extremism broachs both left and right. Theres enough outrageous and AGENDA driven drivel about terrorism coming from both sides.The pat answers however the left has for everything terrorist is ridiculous. Like Christians are worse or Not All muslims, or its americas fault. No its none of the above Muslims were murderers long ago.The right is just as bad with their silly answers, like its Obamas fault or its the LibbyLibLibs fault The truth is terrorists are a problem to MANY countries if was all americas fault why are they killing the French and in Macau and in the Phillipines. Truth is muslims are nuts and believe everyone has to be just like they want them to be.More lives would be saved if the left and right got on the same page and that page is that terrorists want to kill us and not make it easier for them to do that, like taking refugees

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I have yet to see, the two zealot sides of Democrats and Republicans discuss something with the mutual goal of finding common ground...NEVER....least ways online. It's a constant and perpetual war between intransigent rock minds who are absolutely incapable of critical thinking outside their ideological dogma.

As long as this political/ideological stupidity remains the norm, this nation will not progress.

[Common]

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I have yet to see, the two zealot sides of Democrats and Republicans discuss something with the mutual goal of finding common ground...NEVER....least ways online. It's a constant and perpetual war between intransigent rock minds who are absolutely incapable of critical thinking outside their ideological dogma.

As long as this political/ideological stupidity remains the norm, this nation will not progress.

They have compromised many times in the past. I might add that its my opinion that the extremes on the left and right have gotten far more bat$#@! crazy in the last dozen years or so

[Ransom]

While Islam is always enmeshed in any discussion of ISIS, I think that politics underlies all of the religious rhetoric. There has never been a shortage of young men (and now young women) willing to go to war for a cause however if you scrape off the veneer of religion that only serves to make one's death for a cause more glorious and apparently sanctioned by God, you are left with the far more mundane socioeconomic and political issues in the middle east and other parts of the world which are really attracting soldiers. I would be very much surprised if even a minority of combatants fighting in the cause of ISIS are students of the Quran. I believe and this is just opinion, that the adherents of ISIS are primarily disaffected young people, not just from the ME, but from other parts of the world. They are at war with a crooked poker game where all of the Aces are dealt to a select few and they feel powerless to make a decent life for themselves. JMHO.

Really? Your opinion may do well if it did research. From top to bottom, these terrorists are rather well off, often times well educated, often times successful in the very society they hate and plan to attack. OBL a millionaire and engineer. Khalid Sheik Mohammed well educated, US educated. The Fort Hood Shooter or Mohammed Atta who was a 9-11 pilot highly educated men coming from solid backgrounds. The biggest mistake one can make is thinking this derives from some socio-economic disadvantage. The Boston Bombers welcomed here, even our own terrorists like McVeigh, the Columbine Shooters, the VT shooter, these men weren't disillusioned. They had opportunities elsewhere, these are well educated, well read, skilled individuals.

Remember the British attack some years ago, I believe that individual was a doctor.... cannot remember.

[Mark III]

Really? Your opinion may do well if it did research. From top to bottom, these terrorists are rather well off, often times well educated, often times successful in the very society they hate and plan to attack. OBL a millionaire and engineer. Khalid Sheik Mohammed well educated, US educated. The Fort Hood Shooter or Mohammed Atta who was a 9-11 pilot highly educated men coming from solid backgrounds. The biggest mistake one can make is thinking this derives from some socio-economic disadvantage. The Boston Bombers welcomed here, even our own terrorists like McVeigh, the Columbine Shooters, the VT shooter, these men weren't disillusioned. They had opportunities elsewhere, these are well educated, well read, skilled individuals.

Remember the British attack some years ago, I believe that individual was a doctor.... cannot remember.

The man who started ISIS , Zarqawi, was a petty thief, thug, and drug and alcohol abuser. It is said he found his purpose in life while being held in a US prison in Iraq.

[Mark III]

Islam is not the biggest political issue in the world, if anything, the alienation and disillusionment of exploited peoples, like the "street" in Islamic countries, is.

Why didn't Islam try to conquer the world during the 17th 18th 19th and 20th centuries ? When colonization and economic exploitation of the middle eastern region hit full force in the 20th century is when this supposed "jihadi" impulse began to form. People found a reason to be anti-west and it formed around islamic beliefs.

[Common]

Islam is not the biggest political issue in the world, if anything, the alienation and disillusionment of exploited peoples, like the "street" in Islamic countries, is.

Why didn't Islam try to conquer the world during the 17th 18th 19th and 20th centuries ? When colonization and economic exploitation of the middle eastern region hit full force in the 20th century is when this supposed "jihadi" impulse began to form. People found a reason to be anti-west and it formed around islamic beliefs.

One reason, they didnt have the means and the world wasnt made as small as it is today with technology

[Mister D]

Islam is not the biggest political issue in the world, if anything, the alienation and disillusionment of exploited peoples, like the "street" in Islamic countries, is.

Why didn't Islam try to conquer the world during the 17th 18th 19th and 20th centuries ? When colonization and economic exploitation of the middle eastern region hit full force in the 20th century is when this supposed "jihadi" impulse began to form. People found a reason to be anti-west and it formed around islamic beliefs.

Yeah, no "jihadi impulse" before the 20th Century.

Yep...you give 'em books and they chew on the covers.

[Mark III]

Yeah, no "jihadi impulse" before the 20th Century.

Yep...you give 'em books and they chew on the covers.

Christians have meant to "conquer" the world more than Muslims have. But then they "stopped" . How could they stop if God requires a Christian world ? (which He does).

Why did "jihad" revive with the insertion of western interests into the middle east in the 20th century ? Just a coincidence ?

[Cigar]

I guess it depends on your experience of Muslim people. All the Muslims I met were really nice people and really no different from the C of E people I know. Also European people are used to meeting people from lots of different cultures, not just Americanised immigrants from cultures they left. Like you don't get to know anything about China or Spain from meeting Chinese Americans or Mexicans.

I don't know how true it is, but I have seen on the internet lots of sites which say only 15% of Americans have ever held a passport, and some of those have never left the American continents.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I grew up and went to school in a country where some of my friends were Muslims my age, and while I know about terrorism, I never think about them in that way. Where most Americans experience of Islam is the attacks on the WTC in 2001, and through TV, the fighting in the Middle East. So it's much more an 'us and them' impression, cos 'the enemy' is always shown as demons by the national media.

I could be totally wrong, but with all that, I think it's much harder for Americans to be neutral about Muslims. So when Americans talk about Islam, they are doing that honestly - but just from their own POV (like we all do).

Sorry, but your views will never be seen through the eyes of Racist, especially the ones on this forum.

But nice try ... I feel yea ...