The Pew research was first brought up by me.

freediver wrote on Aug 30^th, 2014 at 6:13pm:


No worries, FD. Just cut and paste the bit where you linked the Pew survey.

Thanks.

freediver wrote on Aug 30^th, 2014 at 6:15pm:


Don’t bother, old boy. FD’s already onto this.

freediver wrote on Aug 29^th, 2014 at 6:24pm:

Given quelling Christianity's quest for power took hundreds of years of protracted decline, there's no reason to imagine that Islamism is going to collapse by next week.

Its easy to forget that in 1979, the release of 'The Life of Brian' saw protests and accusations of blasphemy. While it was nothing like on an Islamist scale, it indicates that there was still some energy for 'defending the honour of Christianity' even only 35 years ago, with some parts of the UK lifting a ban on its screening less than 10 years ago.

The Satanic Verses affair gives a revealing insight, not only into a then nascent Islamism, but that Islamism is politically motivated as much as religiously, with Khomeini only issuing his fatwa when it became politically expedient for him to do so... Before that, Iran had little interest in the novel or Salman Rushdie.

As far as Islam is concerned, it will, like Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism (and even Scientology!) remain with us for a long time (if not a good time!).

A cautionary tale (with regards to the eruption of 'Islamic State' terror) is the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with its roots in the overthrow of Mosaddegh and the installation of the Shah by British and American forces.

Its impossible to know whether Iran would have evolved into a modern democratic state had Mosaddegh's government been left to serve out its time, or whether Islamism was always destined to rise up drive it back to the religious dark ages, but it does indicate that Islamist 'sleeping dragon' is no more easily woken badly than when done so by foreigners to the region and the culture.

NorthOfNorth wrote on Sep 1^st, 2014 at 6:35am:



I suppose we should arm the kurds.
its similar to a pig shoot really on a big station in the NT.
send in the choppers to find the targets and knock a few off.  co ordinate the ground crews to do a bit of mopping up.

I almost feel sorry for these ISIS clowns.

I love to flick on the nightly news and watch the feed from a smart bomb turning one of their convoys into a puff of smoke.
i'd put it in  the sports section of the news.

it is a bit like watching black caviar race or watching the hawks play greater western Sydney. you know your going to witness a champion giving the opposition a thrashing but its still makes you smile.

could we please have a facebook page and some you tube feeds of these armoured vehicles full of charred ISIS bodies to post on the ISIS homepage and on a new twitter feed.

we could call it

"cop this ISIS"  and then Abdullah Abdullah from the Brisbane mosque could look at his daddy's charred corpse and go
"geez daddy, what were you thinking, I think you won the Darwin award for australias biggest idiot"

anyway, i'm enjoying this contest and I would now rate ISIS chances of victory at 1000-1.

Blahahahaha  cant wait for tonights instalment

I have a good sense of justice and I think i'm a fair minded person.
if ISIS want to use youtube to promote and glorify their success, I really hope the kurds are able to post some "propaganda ' of their own.
and yes, I have no problems with them posting the effects of a US drone strike on the "losing side"

You see North, what attracts the disaffected youth of Sydney and Brisbane and Bradford and paris to join ISIS is that they seem to be winners.
the west needs to post, in a very matter of fact, non emotional way, propaganda of its own.

disaffected, badly fathered youth are drawn to strength.

these youth will not be drawn to old men in mosques wringing their hands or to david Cameron lexturing them
they understand what winning is and ISIS understand their mentality. western politicians don't.
so you will win them over by showing your toys are better then the ISIS toys.
and , lets face it, THEY ARE.

ISIS are no match for apache gunships and they are about to enter a whole world of pain.
they wont seem so attractive to foreign fighters when they are scurrying off to cellars like scared rabbits