Muslim Cartoon Protests -- Do they really think they're helping their cause?!

I just had a evil thought. If they get so damn worked up over a cartoon, how in the hell could they ever handle the SL forums?

I probably shouldn't think out loud, but oh well. It is meant as a joke.

Why did Americans hate the Soviet Union so badly? Part of it was their agressive actions, but on a more fundamental level it was because communism rejected many of the moral bases that our society was built on.

On strictly logical grounds abortion is completely reasonable. Yet there is much hatered generated about this issues, even to the point of killing. Imagine a society preaching their culture to you when many of its tenents violate your central moral beliefs.

Take for example usery. For hundreds of years it was considered morally unjust in christian society to charge interest when lending money. There was much hatred toward Jews because they were often the only ones willing to loan money (albeit with an interest charge). Well, in the Muslem world, usery is still considered sinful.

Sexual attitudes in the west are scandalous by their standards.

those are only a few examples

the cartoon thing is just one more straw heaped on the camel's back and this time the back broke.

So, yes. I think it is fun to laugh at people getting angry over cartoons like this. At the same time when I consider things from their standpoint I understand how anger like this can build.

Do I think riots and suicide attacks are justified? Hell no! But I do understand what passion can lead people to do and this whole thing wont be over until we all can figure out a way to respect one another's cultures in a meaningful way.

I have NO clue how to go about making this happen. However, by assuming that all those rioters are just stuipid, we will not get any closer to a resolution.

Funny how the comparisons bring us hundreds of years back into history, in order to be able to understand this. I think it's about time they start some progressive movements to modernize their backwards dark ages thinking. And I don't feel at all guilty saying that.

But I'm not laughing at this (maybe the first day or until things got serious), I'm appalled by it.

Here's a thought... since they hate and distrust pretty much the rest of the world, maybe we can convince China to go in and start promoting Democr....err, nevermind. I guess we just have to let things continue, status quo......

this is a MAJOR problem on this subject and many other issues dealing with muslims in the US

it is "we are better and have bigger guns, therefore we are correct" for far too many of these "smart" people

there doesn't seem to be any room for any other point of view but their own (which frequently coincide with talking points and soundbites on Fox News or Talk Radio)

One can't really expect people who believe in gods and governments to act in a sensible manner.

My 2 cents = I don't place the blame on the entire nation of islam. Just the few radicals who used it to raise some hell. Meanwhile, their just giviing the rest of Islam a bad name. Kinda like Pitbulls... not every Pitbull is gonna attack you, yet thats what everyone is led to believe.

IMO you don't see the Muslims in America rioting whether they are offended or not about the cartoon. There may be a few that are literally offended and truly believe they are justified in starting these riots, but I think a lot of the people rioting are just jumping on the bandwagon. For example, the Rodney King riots in '94, a lot of the people looting and starting fires probably didn't care one bit about Rodney King but used his name to be destructive. I know this doesn't compare, but has some of the same elements. While their plight may be justified, the violence isn't. Like I said, this is just my opinion.

As far as saying no other opinion but their own comparable to Fox and Talk Radio, I read CNN.com, MSNBC.com and Foxnews. com, they all have their own opinions and agendas, whether you want to believe that or not. I've seen all three spin stories to get their point of view across. Do you think NPR is fair and balanced?

This argument has been around for hundreds of years too. I can imagine these sentiments being expressed in european colonial outposts in the 1800 and 1900s.



from this thread: /112/6e/73266/1.html

*note that this is supposed to be tongue-in-cheek as well

This entire thing isnt just a few really creepy people. This goes high up. Forinstance:



Wait a minute. A religious leader calling for the MURDER of a few artists that they don't like? Then comparing them to the leaders of a group that got people to fly planes into buildings full of civilians? Personally I think that is complete rubbish.

While the cartoons were kindling for the file, look at the rest of the world's response to it. Americans are bowing down to their censorship. No American paper will print them for you to learn about what is going on. A student newspaper tried in Chicago, printed them in the opinion pages to incite discussion about it. They were next to a long opinion piece describing what is going on. Yet there were protests and the person was fired from the paper. Censorship.

This is another way in which religion fails to do what it is meant to. It is meant to give hope and worth in life which is terrible and harsh. But it just turning people into crazy zealots who hate anyone who believes differently from them. This isn't a new idea and nor does it only happen with one religion. But it's rubbish all the same.

The thing I want to know is where are all the Muslims that don't like this? They don't seem to be around this time and that is bothering me. It's a cartoon! Nobody needs to die over a cartoon unless you are 100% sure you don't wanna be apart of society anymore. The whole time this is going on there should be people saying "Woah! Those guys are crazy, we don't want to be apart of them!" but where is the out-cry? Where are the muslims that think this whole thing is silly?

Or is it true?

Maybe it really was a bomb ontop of the prophits head.

That's one opinion on the subject, I suppose.

There is zero evidence that there were "snipers" in NO, and the reports of widespread looting were at best exxagerated by the police state for their own nefarious reasons.

I couldn't agree more, except for one point. Organized religion's purpose has never been to give hope and worth in life. It has always been a tool of tribalism. The hope and worth are simply the bait.

I didn't follow the news accounts closely, but my brother (merchant marine) was on his ship in dry dock in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Because his ship was behind guarded gates, and had electricity, to say nothing of a large supply of diesel fuel, they ended up being a staging area for the National Guard. (they also ended up with several critical hospital patients who required power).

They were able to watch both the flooding and a great deal of the aftermath from where they were. They watched the local merchants get stripped bare, and armed groups roaming the neighborhoods, and fires. A few days into the disaster he was allowed to travel with an armed convoy and to stop briefly at his apartment. He lives on Bourbon Street and personally escaped looting (top floor of a dump ) but many of his neighbors were looted and a couple burned out.

I trust his eyewitness account. I know my brother, he's calm and not given to hyperbole. If he described New Orleans as a war zone, then it was bad.

As was my "China" comment. -2 points for me for lack of originality.

Finaly! I agree totally with this sane point of view.

The original post completely misrepresents the situation in the first place by saying that the rioters are killing people "over a cartoon."

Even on the topmost level and regardless of the back history involved, the Muslims are rioting over an almost unilateral decision by several European countries/newspapers to *re-publish* material that they knew was going to cause offense to a large part of their own citizens, let alone the Muslim countries of the world. This was a total slap in the face for millions of people. Sure they are overreacting, but it's not over a triviality and not without cause.

PS - Aaron, it's a good sign that you are in trouble when even the people who like the kind of posts you make are saying you have gone "over the edge" lately.

Wow, a not so thinly veiled dig at me. Bravo!

Where did they get the notion that they can expect to go through life unoffended?

That's your opinion.

No, it wasn't a slap in the face... unless you have sympathy for the idea that followers of a particular religion have a god given right to force everyone else to adhere to their religious laws. If they believe that there's supernatural retribution for blasphemy then the punishment for the crime is god's the mete out. The offender will get their's in the end. If, on the other hand, they believe they're holy warriors charged by god with some kind of holy mandate to mete out punishment themselves and smite the unbelievers then they're undeserving of sympathy. They've crossed the line to fanaticism.

Yeah, sorry about that. But now I know why. The lab that handles my bloodwork for my Doctor called him and said they misreported by Lithium levels last time I was checked. Turns out for the last three weeks I've been taking almost lethal levels of lithium carbonate for bipolar disorder. Lithium can either hype me up or drug me out, depending on the other meds in my system. In this case, it got me (and still has me) on edge. No wonder my wife has been staying in the other room more often lately.

So, I apologize to anyone who I may have rubbed the wrong way, or event sent mean IMs to, I don't remember all I did. I'm was glad to see this topic got back on topic though. All is well, but I'm still going to take a break from the forums while my Dr. and I get everything "fixed" in my brain, whatever that's worth.

Chip I didn't say Organized . Although I do agree with you, the fundamental parellels of all religions (except maybe a few) have been the ideas of hope in a horrible life. I should have said people get stuck on religion based on the promise of hope and worth in life. Tho I do know quite a few religious people whom did oddly find it while sorting out the junk.

And Aaron - Good to see you are getting things sorted. You have been one of the only voices of reason around here.

Aaron, it's good to know that you are getting that back under control. I know it's tough and it's really scary to get overdosed or even mis-medicated for bipolar disorder - like just taking anti-depressants for it. I hope all goes well for you

Do we think we're helping our cause by invading other nations? ......