More demands from Islam

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by shinerbock

Nobody is acting like that.

I just cannot comprehend why people go to such lengths to avoid saying who is responsible for the the threats we face. Unbelievable.

Fair enough, but I won't associate a whole religion with terrorism because of it. Every Catholic does not support child molestors, AND it's not what the religion stands for. Same with Islam, not only does every Muslim not support terrorism, but it's NOT what Islam stands for and that's the problem I have when people try to pinpoint terror.

[shinerbock]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Fair enough, but I won't associate a whole religion with terrorism because of it. Every Catholic does not support child molestors, AND it's not what the religion stands for. Same with Islam, not only does every Muslim not support terrorism, but it's NOT what Islam stands for and that's the problem I have when people try to pinpoint terror.

You're right, but Islamic fundamentalism is the the biggest source of terrorism with regard to the United States. The huge majority of people acknowledge that most Muslims are the same as the rest of us, but certain entities still refuse to acknowledge the threat.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by shinerbock

You're right, but Islamic fundamentalism is the the biggest source of terrorism with regard to the United States. The huge majority of people acknowledge that most Muslims are the same as the rest of us, but certain entities still refuse to acknowledge the threat.

I agree. My only complaint is titles like "More demands from Islam" and the idea that we're in a war on Islam. And we have to understand that to Joe Muslim in the Middle East when we say "War on Islamic Terrorism" that sounds like a "War on Islam." Those are the situations when "political correctness" is actually warranted because we have political allies who we can ostracize if we're not careful.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

I agree. My only complaint is titles like "More demands from Islam" and the idea that we're in a war on Islam. And we have to understand that to Joe Muslim in the Middle East when we say "War on Islamic Terrorism" that sounds like a "War on Islam." Those are the situations when "political correctness" is actually warranted because we have political allies who we can ostracize if we're not careful.

I agree that the government and government officials should work to be precise in the terms they use to describe the overall effort for the reason that you mean.

But in any cases in which theology is tied to the aims of a group that engages in terrorism or a group that opposed the US generally or even freedom generally, then I don't think that members of the public or the press are obligated to ignore the religion of the members of the group.

And to be honest, even in cases where the behavior of the group, like Danish or French "youths" who rioted in the last few years, may not be directly tied to their religious views, it's still probably worth reporting the religion of the group so that when people try to address the long term causes of problems, they don't neglect an aspect fundamental to the problem. (If your religion contributed to your failure to assimilate into the culture fully and you face economic problems as a result of this, we're not going to get any place without addressing religion one way or another, even if it's just to address the failure of truly multicultural thinking to take hold with employers.)

Full disclosure: I didn't even watch the original linked video. Just like it embarrasses me when I run into conservatives who think Obama is a Muslim, it embarrasses me when people fail to appreciate the complexity of religion in public life. The desire to practice your religion freely may not best be described as a "demand" in most cases.

People who are working to be sensitive to the interests of Muslims but have no problem with suppressing the desires of members of other faiths to publicly declare or practice their faith drive me nuts too.

(I know people who would feel like a Christian wearing a cross or having a religious calendar on her desk would be pressing her faith on others in an unconstitutional way if she happened to work for the government, but that a similarly employed women who wanted to wear a full burqa should be accommodated. )