Liberal mantra?Is that the best refute you can come up with?
Go on then, explain why exactly Islam is not a peaceful religion....
While you're at it, why not point out exacty which bit of my post said I was 'siding with the terrorists'.
Just because people do terrible things in the name of a religion, that does not mean the religion is evil. And saying 'well they're a bit nastier than us so there's no need for us to try to be nicer because we're still slightly better than them' is hardly the zenith of logical debate.
If the best you can manage is 'either you're with us or against us' and can't see any possible shades of grey in this big, complex world of ours then just go back to reading your Rush Limbaugh book.
(Go on then, explain why exactly Islam is not a peaceful religion....
While you're at it, why not point out exacty which bit of my post said I was 'siding with the terrorists'.
Just because people do terrible things in the name of a religion, that does not mean the religion is evil. And saying 'well they're a bit nastier than us so there's no need for us to try to be nicer because we're still slightly better than them' is hardly the zenith of logical debate.
If the best you can manage is 'either you're with us or against us' and can't see any possible shades of grey in this big, complex world of ours then just go back to reading your Rush Limbaugh book.
Afinkawan Yes I can hear you Clem Fandango,
Thu 7 Jul 2005, 16:54,
archived)
The 'with us or with them' attitude is exactly what I'm trying to refute.It seems to me that a lot of Western liberals (and I consider myself a liberal in most important senses) have rushed to defend Islam in general, ignoring some of the more unsavoury points of *some* Islamic cultures, simply because they're now the sworn enemy of the American establishment. My own attitude is that no cultures a perfect, but that it's wrong to suggest that they're all 'as good as each other'.
As far as I am aware, and please correct me if I'm wrong, the Qu'ran says that every true Muslim (male) should "be able to ride a horse and fight with a bow and a sword" - something like that, anyway. I've already mentioned the early military success of the culture. Go to Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and much of the Arabian peninsular and all the men carry guns. I'm certainly not claiming Christianity or any other religion (OK, maybe Buddhism) is any more inherently peaceful.
(As far as I am aware, and please correct me if I'm wrong, the Qu'ran says that every true Muslim (male) should "be able to ride a horse and fight with a bow and a sword" - something like that, anyway. I've already mentioned the early military success of the culture. Go to Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and much of the Arabian peninsular and all the men carry guns. I'm certainly not claiming Christianity or any other religion (OK, maybe Buddhism) is any more inherently peaceful.
Mr. Tea dole-nonce-amuser extraordinaire,
Thu 7 Jul 2005, 17:01,
archived)