World events

Demetris wrote
What's happening ffs...don't you agree that EU must do something quick or else it would entirely turn into a war zone ? i mean it's already half-there...

Timmer wrote
has it been claimed by the religious nut-jobs yet? ISIS is a key for socio-psychopathic miserable low life everywhere.

Martijn wrote
Well, whether it was in the name of Allah or in the name of Allah at this point matters little to the likes of IS. As long as the common goal (destruction of anything not connected to Islam) is furthered.
Although of course once htat's done it's a given that they'll continue the destruction inward for whatever bloodthirsty theological reason they can dream up. Thy are the classic example of an apocalyptic movement.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there.
There are still so many different accounts floating around about what happened that I'll reserve judgement.
It's even still likely it was someone who was bullied horribly and snapped.

These are times when destruction keeps insinuating itself as a solution.

PawelStroinski wrote
Maybe it's, basically, counterpropaganda?

PawelStroinski wrote
So I am asking a genuine question here:

How do we stop obfuscating from the idea that Islam has a set of threatening ideas (I'd rather put it this way) while keeping the counterpropaganda we need to have in the battle of wills as David Ignatius, one of the best journalists dealing with the matter, put it 10 years ago?

Take the idea that homosexuality is immoral and that gay people deserve to be punished for it. Now imagine, on top of this, it comes from a book widely believed to be written by an infallible omniscient creator. Clearly a recipe for disaster. But of course, even in light of the infallibility, there are degrees of adherence that make all the difference: You can ignore it; you can reinterpret it (somehow); you can believe it and still think your gay friend is a good person (cognitive dissonance); you can believe and not act on it (moral dissonance); or, worse, you can believe it and act on it (theocracy).

The fact that the idea is believed and acted on to several different degrees does not make the idea itself any less dangerous or any less worthy of contempt, nor does it prevent it from becoming an ideology. But it's an idea that's believed by enough people for it to cause problems, and that's why it's especially important to criticise these ideas, recognise where they come from, understand why they're so popular, and not worry about offending people in the process.

Islam is not a racial identity that one is born into, despite its survival through child indoctrination. It is a set of IDEAS, ideas which you can disagree with and most of which are appalling, and many that are still believed by the majority of Muslims. Some of these ideas are taken so seriously that we get groups like ISIS and the Taliban -- but clearly not all Muslims are bad because of them. In fact, some are Muslim only in name. Ali Rizvi, a die-hard critic of Islam, considers himself an atheist Muslim! He can appreciate the culture without believing the bullshit. Alas, there aren't enough people like this in my opinion. Still, this is the crucial difference between bigotry and criticism, and why apologising for Islam ('apologetics' meaning 'in defense of') does not get us anywhere. It sweeps the problem under the rug.

I admit, I get highly irritated, perhaps unfairly, whenever I see the false-but-well-intentioned narrative that terrorism has 'nothing' or 'little' do with Islam, and that terrorists aren't 'real' Muslims. It often comes from a genuine desire to protect decent Muslims from bigotry, which I don't deny exists, and it's a highly admirable intention -- but it comes at the cost of the truth. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, as it's said. By failing to recognise the difference between ideas and people, by conflating reasoned criticism with bigotry towards individuals, the 'sin' of homosexuality is the sort of idea you are giving a free pass... which is as about as ironic as it gets. The left, whatever that means anymore, has failed to protect us from bad ideas, all in the name of fairness, equality and political correctness. All good things in principle, but when applied in practise, have the potential to be disastrous.

Trust me, I'm right there with you. I want us all to live in peace and harmony, and for us to all agree to the same rules. But unfortunately there are people out there that really want to destroy us, for reasons that stand against everything we believe in. No amount of love and peace, no amount of solidarity, as important as those things are, will convince these thugs to put down their swords.

If you want to stand up for liberal Muslims, as do I (as I want to stand up for any innocent person), pay them the courtesy of admitting the bad stuff in their religion and recognise that they have used their own morals and intelligence to overcome them. Better yet, question them about their beliefs in a friendly manner before labeling them. Perhaps they hold some progressive ideas, perhaps they don't. Labels are useful, but they can also be a hindrance. The world would be a much better place if religion, or any topic, could be discussed without fear of reprisal, where a person's beliefs are not sacrosanct. Even better if liberal Muslims and 'lefties' could admit where Islamic terrorists get their ideologies from. But, for the most part, unfortunately we don't live in that world (yet).

Obfuscating the bad stuff will not help in the long run, because it will be like trying to pin jelly to a tree; we will be perpetually confused about Islamic terrorism. Let's just have an honest discussion, sans political correctness. (And if you're still uneasy about the connection between Islam and terror, ask yourself why we aren't talking about the Mormons, Jains or Buddhists. And if THAT still doesn't hit home, compare Islam's holy books and central message with just about any other religion.)

Captain Future wrote
Those potential attackers that are not directed but inspired by IS seem to be the most imminent danger right now.