Interesting article. What are your thoughts?


Quote:

Last week four British Muslims told the BBC’s Panorama why they believe the government is right to identify “non-violent extremism” as the ideology that helps lays the ground for violent extremism. They explained that this non-violent ideology is the politicised version of puritanical Sunni Islam that dominates Saudi Arabia and which has been exported to Britain and around the world over decades. The programme showed how Salafi Wahhabism is wreathed in anti-westernism, contempt for parliamentary democracy, reactionary attitudes to gender equality and gay rights, and disdain for other faiths. Through its UK-based adherents, this puritanical strain of Islam has taken on a life of its own here with a proliferation of Islamic teaching institutions, activist groups and Islamic satellite channels. It “takes young Muslims to the front door of violent extremists” said Sara Khan. [...] Likewise Khan was dismissed as a “feminist” who was “parroting the same rhetoric” as another interviewee Manwar Ali. An ex-Afghan jihadi who has long since renounced violence, Ali explained that dividing the world starkly into “them” and “us” (believers and non-believers) was the first step on the road to violent extremism. Today, Ali counsels Muslims on how to contain anger. “We are quick to judge, quick to condemn, quick to be offended, quick to dismiss. Everybody is shouting” he says.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/the-british-muslims-not-afraid-to-fight-extremism-9985531.html

Annie Anthrax wrote on Jan 19^th, 2015 at 8:47am:

...anti-westernism, contempt for parliamentary democracy, reactionary attitudes to gender equality and gay rights, and disdain for other faiths...

Are you talking about Orthodox Jews or the Christian Brethren?

Julius Abbott wrote on Jan 19^th, 2015 at 9:11am:

Annie Anthrax wrote on Jan 19th, 2015 at 8:47am: ...anti-westernism, contempt for parliamentary democracy, reactionary attitudes to gender equality and gay rights, and disdain for other faiths... Are you talking about Orthodox Jews or the Christian Brethren?

Sometimes I like to discuss potato. You know, talk about how to cook it and stuff. I don't feel like I have to talk about pumpkin just so that potato doesn't feel like it's being singled out.

Annie Anthrax wrote on Jan 19^th, 2015 at 9:16am:

Julius Abbott wrote on Jan 19th, 2015 at 9:11am: Annie Anthrax wrote on Jan 19th, 2015 at 8:47am: ...anti-westernism, contempt for parliamentary democracy, reactionary attitudes to gender equality and gay rights, and disdain for other faiths... Are you talking about Orthodox Jews or the Christian Brethren? Sometimes I like to discuss potato. You know, talk about how to cook it and stuff. I don't feel like I have to talk about pumpkin just so that potato doesn't feel like it's being singled out.

Good answer.

I also think Islamism is a revolt against modernity which is a Western,  post-Christian development that no culture can resist. Here is another great article that takes the necessary longer view of what is happening.
http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2015/01/12/a-rage-against-history/

Annie Anthrax wrote on Jan 19^th, 2015 at 9:16am:

Julius Abbott wrote on Jan 19th, 2015 at 9:11am: Annie Anthrax wrote on Jan 19th, 2015 at 8:47am: ...anti-westernism, contempt for parliamentary democracy, reactionary attitudes to gender equality and gay rights, and disdain for other faiths... Are you talking about Orthodox Jews or the Christian Brethren? Sometimes I like to discuss potato. You know, talk about how to cook it and stuff. I don't feel like I have to talk about pumpkin just so that potato doesn't feel like it's being singled out.

Are you racist?

Since when is wahabbism non-violent?

It strikes me that the Shiite and Sunni divide is something rarely (if ever) explored.

Perhaps they are the proto versions of the Muslim equivalent of Protestants and Catholics so I guess not much violence to worry about there from either side.... Oh wait a minute.

Oh, and you really should try Pumpkin Chips sometime... You might be missing out    :D

I also think that the main point that I glean from that is this.

Extremism (period) is dangerous. It truly does not matter whether it be faith based, ideology based or even fiscally based for that matter. Extremists are a danger and are always at risk of pushing their extreme views with a big stick (by big stick that means, gun, bomb, fist, club, knife, sword etc etc you get the picture...).

Further, extremism, of all things, appears to beget more extremism, I think that is why the arguments back and forth about our current little bogey man under the bed issue is so vehement, vitriolic, disingenuous and divisive. The haters just get hated right back and so it goes - we really are not the cleverest species at times I fear. Just look at the extreme views presented in this tiny little backwater forum as an example.

Islam is not the religion of peace, nope no such thing as a religion of peace, they all wanna get down and dirty to fight for their power base to get control of. That's just organised religion in general for ya!

Then we get people being extreme about it, sheesh.

Lots of circular reasoning here.

freediver wrote on Jan 19^th, 2015 at 9:35pm:

Lots of circular reasoning here.

JFMI ...... Is "Circular Reasoning" considered the same as "Valid Logical Reasoning", or is it intentional, flat out  obfuscation employed solely to avoid facts & truth?   :-?
 

And there we have a false dichotomy.

freediver wrote on Jan 21^st, 2015 at 8:49am:

And there we have a false dichotomy.

Why, yes it is ..... isn't it (that is only if you ignore the third option it is).

bump

Annie Anthrax wrote on Jan 19^th, 2015 at 8:47am:

Interesting article. What are your thoughts?

Rabid nonsense.

The first road to violent extremism is for liberal-progressive politicians to think it's politically sophisticated and 'forward-thinking' to invite millions of non-Western foreigners to come settle in a people's centuries-old homeland, and then legislate for a whole raft of vilification and anti-racism laws that seem only to apply to the generational indigenes.

I would back any civil war in Britain to rid the country of foreigners.

Lord Herbert wrote on Jan 21^st, 2015 at 11:46am:

Annie Anthrax wrote on Jan 19th, 2015 at 8:47am: Interesting article. What are your thoughts? Rabid nonsense. The first road to violent extremism is for liberal-progressive politicians to think it's politically sophisticated and 'forward-thinking' to invite millions of non-Western foreigners to come settle in a people's centuries-old homeland, and then legislate for a whole raft of vilification and anti-racism laws that seem only to apply to the generational indigenes. I would back any civil war in Britain to rid the country of foreigners.

I would too, as long as you travel back there to fight.

Interesting article, quite concise. Extremist and  militant are just words for avoiding the use of Religious Fanatic. If you ever find yourself around a person who claims to know God's will, I suggest you smile, nod pleasantly and look around to see if there are any sharp instruments within their grasp.