hip hop bunny hop

The problems with Islam extend beyond the "militant" variety. Even the supposedly moderate regimes have laws which go harshly against the Western tradition - the regime which Americans are dying for in Afghanistan, for example, has outlawed apostasy & punishes it with the death penalty. link

The problem being that when people emigrate from countries where such a practice is widely accepted to the West the only friction isn't the potential for Islamic Terrorism. Rather, we will, more than likely, end up with more dysfunctional neighborhoods and an increasingly vacuous national culture as the only commonality between these radically different world views and life experiences is the dominate market function. Meaning, the "culture wars" will won't simply be a dialogue between the "Christian" Right & the "Secular" Left, but will have added voices from the Islamic tradition which is antagonistic to both of these. As is the case when people can't agree on moral issue, they are left with agreeing only on market issues - e.g., "i want me a mercedes-benz".

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Have mercy on the poor.

The Batlord

As much as I hate far right Islamaphobia you haven't really shown a balanced point of view on this thread. Fundamentalist Christians might have shot an abortion clinic doctor or two but for the most part the days of Christian insanity such as the Inquisition are over. Fundamentalist Christians are generally only a threat with their political policies. They don't bomb subways. They don't strap bombs to themselves. They don't fly planes into buildings.

Multiculturalism and knowing the West's part in the current situation in the Middle East is all well and good, but they don't erase the reality of Islamism and Islamic terrorism. The quote that most atheists use against religion, "Keep an open mind, but not so open that your brain falls out," can apply to multiculturalism as well.

I remember that utter ****. That happening years ago is what finally turned me against the wars in the Middle East. If some people would like to live in the middle ages then let them. I'll be happy to ignore them, stop supporting Israel, pull all of our troops out of the area and let them do what they would like to themselves.

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Sansa Stark

So, miscarriages being criminalised isn't insane? Birth control for horses but not for women is cool by Republicans, how is that not insane? Religion isn't the point in what makes a terrorist.

The Batlord

Are they bombing subways, strapping bombs onto themselves, or flying planes into buildings because of it? No. As ridiculous as their beliefs might be I'd take a fundamentalist Christian over a Wahhabist any day of the week. This just sounds like knee-jerk, self indulgent, anti-Americanism to me. I'm as disgusted by our treatment of Native Americans, treating Latin America as a colony, or any of the other assorted bull**** America is guilty of as anyone but that doesn't mean that I'm gonna deify it's enemies just to make me feel better about my Western guilt.

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Sansa Stark

Are you gonna finish those Freedom Fries? I have a salt craving that needs to be satisfied.

Deify is a strong word to use, especially when I'm hardly exalting them as superior beings.

Why you taking this so personally? Did they take yer jerbs?

The Batlord

I'm not taking it personally. And I could give a **** about American patriotism. I just think that you're ready to jump on America at a moment's notice while you go out of your way to apply understanding to everything else. And now you're trying to say, even if you're not saying it explicitly you're definitely saying it tacitly, that fundamentalist Christianity is just as big a threat as fundamentalist Islam. You're just carrying water for Islam because you feel bad about it being bullied by right wingers. It's all well and good to stand up against prejudice but it's clouding your thinking right now.

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Sansa Stark

Extremism is extremism. That's elementary, my dear Watson.

The Batlord

Political douchebaggery is political douchebaggery. Flying planes into buildings is flying planes into buildings. Opposing abortion is opposing abortion. Executing people for converting from Islam is executing people for converting from Islam. Apart from their motivations being religious, I don't see the comparison.

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Sansa Stark

Really? Wow.

The Batlord

I could say the same to you. If you're just gonna argue with tautologies and sarcastic two word posts then this isn't really a discussion worth keeping up.

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