Is Mainstream Islam Doing Enough To Stop Radicals?

[phrenzy]

Sometimes, it appears to me that Muslims are just sitting back and letting this shit happen and just kind of shrugging their shoulders.

But, then I realized, there is a pretty close equivalent for Christians.. That is, when some nut goes out and bombs an abortion clinic or gay bar you have a large contingent of fundies who kind of just sit there and don't actively 'condone' it - but 'understand' why it was done or whatever. I think that in parts of the world where Islam is particularly radicalized this is a prevailing attitude.

Then you have your biggest slice of the pie on both sides. Christian and Muslim moderates. I think the moderates feel so far removed from the whack-o fundies that they really don't feel any responsibility to 'denounce' the actions of the nuts because they are so obviously screwed up.

The one problem that seems apparent in Islam right now though is that the blood-lust of the radicals scares the shit out of the 'moderates'.

Moderate Christians generally don't have to worry about being executed for not towing the fundie line, whereas in the Islamic world I would imagine it feels much more dangerous to seem like anything but a 'true believer'

I don't know - just wondering if any DUers that are Muslim or know many Muslims know what is truly going on internally in the Islamic community.

[Captain Hilts]

1. No. nt

[Erika]

2. Did the fundies do enough to stop McVeigh?

We really need to weigh these issues about control of radicals. Thanks for the post.

[phrenzy]

6. Exactly

That's what I'm wondering - is it equivalent? I'm not sure there was a rash of McVeigh type attacks though - So, I'm not sure it is equivalent. Also, McVeigh was more of a 'militia' type nut right? I think the closer equivalent is the abortion clinic bombers, they are more closely related to a religious cause.

[The Straight Story]

7. Did we push mcveigh into doing it, was he 'justified'?

That seems to be what I hear here at times in relation to islam and the ME. We made em do it because of how we treated them.

If obl and crew were justified in retaliation because of how bad we were, wasn't McVeigh also absolved based on his take on things?

[VioletLake]

3. Which is it?

"...Just sitting back and letting this shit happen and just kind of shrugging their shoulders."

or

"The one problem that seems apparent in Islam right now though is that the blood-lust of the radicals scares the shit out of the 'moderates'."

"...in the Islamic world I would imagine it feels much more dangerous to seem like anything but a 'true believer'"

How about if I tell you that Christians are better people than Muslims and Muslims deserve to be dominated by Christians? Would that make you happy?

[phrenzy]

4. Huh?

What the fuck are you talking about?

[VioletLake]

8. LOL

That's what I was going to respond to your post.

Which part are you having trouble understanding?

[phrenzy]

11. Which Part?

The part where you insinuate by my pontificating on the nature of the dynamic between the radical and mainstream religion that I would only be made happy by concluding 'Christians are better than Muslims'?

[VioletLake]

12. I insinuated all that about your pontificating?

LOL

Good night.

[phrenzy]

13. You need sleep.

Or did you not type:

"How about if I tell you that Christians are better people than Muslims and Muslims deserve to be dominated by Christians? Would that make you happy?"

[azurnoir]

18. Did you forget the

:sarcasm:? Hopefully? If so don't feel too bad most here have probably done that, I have.

[alittlelark]

5. I'm wondering if you've had too much to

:smoke: :smoke: :silly: :crazy: :smoke: :smoke: :silly: :crazy: :smoke: :smoke:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. First of all, countless imams have denounced violence and terrorism

although the right-wing press keeps pretending that they haven't and keeps echoing the OP's question as a way of promoting bigotry.

In addition, Islam has no central authority who could control or even influence the behavior of Muslim's worldwide. There is no Muslim counterpart to the Pope.

Expecting ordinary Muslims to stop the suicide bombers is like expecting the ordinary mainstream Christians to stop backwoods fundamentalists from practicing snake handling.

[Hatalles]

17. You hit the nail on the head.

[WilliamPitt]

10. No

[Tenseiga]

14. NOT.EVEN.CLOSE.

nt

[Selatius]

15. Relgion generally fails to curb its excesses in the heat of the moment

Only long after the events have passed do people generally make amends. Just look at how long it took for the people convicted of witchcraft in Salem to be pardoned.

[Nikki Stone 1]

16. What did Irish Catholics do to stop the IRA?

Irish American Catholics actually sent money to the organization.

[azurnoir]

19. Thank you for the post

Not nearly enough has been written about this. I've read over and over how worldwide moderate Muslim are not "doing" enough to stop radicals, or in this country how American Muslim's did not decry or apologize!!!! for 9/11, why the f*** should they. Even worse lately that there are no moderate Muslim's and that American Muslims are Muslim first and American second, so of course never trust them. This shit has got to be stopped, it has always been in the backround but after 9/11 became acceptable in the mainstreAM.

[phrenzy]

21. Thanks

Yeah, that's why I wrote it. Because I realized I am vulnerable to those feelings. I think it is human nature to collectively judge groups of people (or even things) because it is easier to process during your busy day.

Today, I really was feeling like "Fuck all Muslims" when hearing about this Pope uproar, but I realized - the radicals get by far the most attention and by extension become the face of ALL Islam in my mind- which is not remotely accurate.

That said, I generally have a negative view on organized religion as a whole and as such view Islam as a potentially destructive superstition just the same way I view Christianity.

[JCMach1]

20. Islam is even more de-centralized than Christianity

Imams and such are basically irrelevant to a personal relationship with God that follows the guidlines laid out in the Koran. You can choose to listen to an Imam, or not.

Radicals operate like separate cells, with separate teachers.

How would you sanitize a religion that is centered on personal belief?

Governments have tried... it doesn't usually work so well.

That ultimately takes us back to politics. This is where argument are made, lost and won in the Middle-East.

The solution in the Middle-East has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with politics.

However, step into that mine-field lightly as you will find the two inter-twined here.