What’s More Dangerous?

Muslims or Islamophobia?

Balatarin
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What’s More Dangerous?
by Melody Moezzi
16-Jan-2011
 

When you hear the word “terrorist,” who comes to mind? Basque separatists in white hoods? Anarchists wearing bandanas with five-pointed stars? Or perhaps some right- or left-wing outcasts building bombs in basements?

My guess is that none of these characters wins top billing in the minds of most people when they think of terrorists. Why? Mainly because we don’t generally hear about these kinds of terrorists in the news, and when we do, they aren’t typically called “terrorists.” They’re just called murderers, thugs or lunatics. These days, when we read or hear the term “terrorist” in the news, it’s almost always accompanied by some reference to “Islamic extremism” or worse yet, to Islam itself.

So, it must be that most terrorists are in fact Islamists, right? Not so much.

According to the 2010 EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report: “294 failed, foiled, or successfully executed attacks” occurred in 2009 in six European countries—down almost 50 percent from 2007. The breakdown of attacks with respect to responsibility was thus: 237 by separatist groups; 40 by left-wing and anarchist groups; four by rightists; ten with no clear affiliation; two by single-issue groups, and one by so-called Islamists.

And yet, the report points out: “Islamist terrorism is still perceived as the biggest threat to most [EU] Member States, despite the fact that only one Islamist terrorist attack—a bomb attack in Italy—took place in the EU in 2009.”

So, why is this? Why is it that according to a poll of 1,600 French and German citizens recently published in Le Monde, 40 percent of them consider Islam to be a “threat”? Why is it that the Swiss felt compelled to outlaw minarets? Why is it that so many Americans are up in arms about the building of an Islamic community center in downtown Manhattan?

Clearly, many people—particularly in Europe and the U.S.—feel threatened by the amorphous group of over a billion people worldwide known collectively as “Muslims.”

As a member of this collective, I have a few things to say to those who feel threatened by me and my kind:

First, it’s not your fault. Members of the media, including myself, need to start choosing our words more carefully. If individuals within any given community employ violence against a particular group or nation in an effort to evoke widespread fear and panic, then those individuals are terrorists. Period. Their religion is irrelevant. Even if they do claim to be murdering an abortionist in service to Christianity or an Israeli in service to Islam or a Palestinian in service to Judaism, they are not legitimate representatives of any of the faiths they claim to be following and they, in fact, do them all a disservice.

Secondly, your fear is irrational. Look at the statistics above; go meet your Muslim neighbors, and get over it.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, your fears are counterproductive. Islamophobia is far more threatening than any Muslim could ever be, for it breeds ignorance and bigotry. It also only further alienates Muslims, and if you’ve ever been alienated or outcast, you know how vulnerable it makes you to radicalization. It’s why people join gangs; it’s why people form garage bands, and it’s why people become terrorists. Nothing is more threatening than hating and fearing another person for no good reason.

First published in theglobalexperts.org

Balatarin
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Veiled Prophet of Khorasan

Getting to point

by Veiled Prophet of Khorasan on Mon Jan 17, 2011 03:13 AM PST

 

I think the danger is in Islam not in Islamophobia. I see Islamophobia as 100% justified. I have given the reasons before but here we go again:

  • Islam imposes itself on people regardless of what they want.
  • Islam punishes anyone who leaves it by death.
  • Islam imposes Sharia the most barbaric system on ALL people like it or not.
  • Islam gives vast power of "Fatwah" to uneducated Mollahs. They often use it to silence voices they do not agree with. Example: Kasravi; Razmara; Rushdi {not successful} ...
  • Islam is totally intolerant of people NOT of the book. What right does one group have to tell others how to think?
  • Islam at least Shia condones lying through Tagiyeh. How would I ever trust someone whose religion openly condones lyiing?

As a former Muslim Islam demands my head. So I be crazy not to be afraid of it. Basque or Left Wingers do not want to kill me. Radical Islamisrts do. So of course I am afraid of them. That makes me an Islamophobe. Or simply a sane person. As for other reasons I may go on for hours; this is just a small sample. Now you all pick your path. But if anyone puts a price on my head they should not be surprised if I don't like them.


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Veiled Prophet of Khorasan

The problem

by Veiled Prophet of Khorasan on Mon Jan 17, 2011 03:04 AM PST

 

with Islam is that it directly affects "us" Iranian people. I don't worry about Basque too much. I do worry a bit about right wing idiots in USA. However I worry most about Islamism in Iran.

In fact if not for Islamism I would be in Iran. Then I would not have to worry about American right. I have mentioned terrorism comes in many flavors. But Islam is the one that most hurts us so we have to deal with it.

In many ways I agree with Fesenjoon. The part I disagree with is that I make a distinction with Iran. To me Iranians are victims of Islamism not the perpetrators.


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Freemasons Exposed

Just Another ISM

by Freemasons Exposed on Mon Jan 17, 2011 02:15 AM PST

The Hidden Agenda of the new world order is exposed trough this piece, terrorisim is another ism just like marxism,communisim,faceisim. a fake enemy of the west


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bluishskin

Thank you

by bluishskin on Sun Jan 16, 2011 10:54 PM PST

Salamualeykom, 

Reading this article is such a great relief. Thank you so much. People should also watch the movie "My Name is Khan". Not sure if the movie is based on a true story or not, but there are a lot of good points worth taken into account there.

Every Muslim is a different individual. Stop generalising.

Wassalamualeykom. 


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Fesenjoon

Muslims have always been a danger to humanity!

by Fesenjoon on Sun Jan 16, 2011 09:17 PM PST

There's not even a comparison. Islam brainwashes people into chopping off hands and stoning people, and calling for war against jews and Israel and whomever they dont agree with.

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction" --Blaise Pascal

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-yJp4EcZJA


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Fesenjoon

Muslims are an abomination to progress and peace

by Fesenjoon on Sun Jan 16, 2011 09:31 PM PST

Thank God Muhammad and Ali beheaded hundreds of Bani Quraizah jews on day one to prove Islam means violence and destruction.

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction" --Blaise Pascal


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Jonny Dollar

The first thing comes to my mind is ISRAEL!

by Jonny Dollar on Sun Jan 16, 2011 08:57 PM PST

They are the real deal since they not only are terrorizing the whole ME and palesitinians, and beyond, they have control of many governmanets including the US to achieve their goal. Let's not forget they have money, power, and media as well, and they consider the moslems as their enemies and that is why they use the media to demonize the moslems while they try very hard to justify their own terroist activities. After all, the whole state of israel was created through terrorism.

With Communists mostly gone, the military complex needed to create another enemy to replace them. Obviously, religious bias and having a billion people as one's enemy is a better justification for building more weapons than a few hundred white terrorsits who are not moslems.

When they target and demonize the moslems, they help to radicalize many moslems, and this is exactly what they want. After all, if those moslems don't react by doing crazy stuff like NY bombing, how can they validate the arificial fear they are trying to create in people's minds? So those radical moslems are playing in to the hands evil minds.

There always have been radical moslems, christians, jews, sikhs, etc, but they have been insignificat with no world coverage, but US helped the Afghan rag-tag Mojahedin obtain weapons to fight the soviets making them powerful. US trained them and still is doing the same. So the so called terrorist moslem are the direct results of the US and israeli actions and actions. Let's not forget the UK fox.

This is a well planned by evil minds who are bigots against the moslems and "non-whites."  Let's not fool yourself that this is jewish/christian crusade against the brown moslems! So unfortunate that we still live in a world of warmonguring, hate and bigotry! 

Peace! Peace! Shanti! Namaste!

 "God is love!"


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J.S.

Very well put for the most part

by J.S. on Sun Jan 16, 2011 08:22 PM PST

and many great points.


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