Iranian president declared "we don't have homosexulas like in your country. We don't have that in our country. We don't have this phenomenon; I don't know who's told you we have it
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Re: So what is the solution?madisonmassageOctober 11 2007, 12:46:39 UTC
You are correct; however, the social evolution of democratic countries and that of theocratic dictatorships may not be analogous. In the west you can protest, challenge repressive laws in court and work to elect leaders who share your vision. In a totalitarian state you get imprisoned or simply disapear for challanging the government. There is a substaintial difference in the course of social and political change in the two systems.
as for a policy of apeasement I'll let you check out wiki for it. :)
"Seems to me that there are more important changes in the Wests atitudes toward muslim countries than changes in muslim countries toward this minority interest subject."
interesting point of view, so if the west suddenly dropped support of isreal and removed their troops from the middle east muslim countries would suddenly become less religiously intolerant and violent. Interesting, you don't think they would think "Allah be praised bombings and beheadings achieved our goals lets continue to reestablish the caliphate" If you research the doctrine of the islamic fundemtalist starting with some of the leaders of the muslim brotherhood you will find they repeatedly state their goal of a one world under sharia law.
I think if people are worried about the republican christian right they should be much more concerned about the islamic right. In a comparison its like taking about table wine and vodka. Personally any form of fanaticism distasteful and dangerous. The more fanatical the more dangerous.
Re: So what is the solution?rainonlevsOctober 11 2007, 19:27:16 UTC
The "interesting" point of view you describe is based on the fact that many of the regimes in rule now are there because Western countries put them there or gave them the support necessary to allow them to take power. Iran is a perfect example. There were rising and successful democratic factions in Iran that were destroyed by the US throwing the rule of law out the window and attacking Mid-Eastern countries. Once the US demonstrated that diplomacy, law, even reason would not prevent the US from attacking anyone that its leader decided to attack, the forces of diplomacy, international law, and reason lost power.
Perhaps the reverse is not true. Perhaps if the US approached the Middle East in a fair and reasonable manner, in keeping with international law and respect, perhaps the US would not promote democracy and freedom. Since it's never actually happened, I do have to agree that this is just a theory.
Re: So what is the solution?madisonmassageOctober 18 2007, 04:37:24 UTC
hmmm so international law was working great until the us destroyed it. O.k. Dafur was just kickin, what was that other place rawanda...oh yeah tibet international law was causing those chinese to flee by the thousands..
sorry I guess again i think its more complex than...its all the fault of the U.S.
Yup there was definately no spread of democracy after WWI or WWII. Perhaps if we had approached Japan in a fair an reasonable manner there would not have been any war between us...
Some times there are other unreasonable organizations and governments other than the U.S.
sorry Rain its getting late and sometimes I have a little difficulty with every answer being "its the fault of the US". So I apologize if I got a bit snarky...
Re: So what is the solution?woopflyingOctober 11 2007, 21:19:50 UTC
Muslim fundamentalists are a minority but you speak as though they are the majority, there membership has inreased due only to the indiscriminate slaughter of muslims in the Middle East.
Israel is the spark that ignited the muslim world which fails to see why a homeland for the jews had to be created by bloodshed. If you look at the Balfour Agreement you will see a part that has been totally ignored.
"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
If Israel returns to the 1967 border and returns the land to its original inhabitants it will be a beginning towards peace.
Re: So what is the solution?madisonmassageOctober 12 2007, 12:53:44 UTC
" if Isreal returns to the 1967 border and returns the lad to its orginal inhabitants it will be the beginning towards peace"...
I actually support the withrawl of u.s. foreign aid to isreal and working towards a self sufficient palastinian state. If it were politically feasable I would also support a return to 1967 borders.
This being said we disagree about the reaction of the mulsim world to such a move. I don't think it would reduce the violent extremism in the least. When extremists achieve their goals they do not moderate themselves, they tend to expand their goals. The export of the revolution talked about by the Iranian government is one example.
Re: So what is the solution?rainonlevsOctober 12 2007, 20:01:29 UTC
But the 'extremists' are not the ones in charge. People will follow extremists or help support them when they feel there is no alternative, but when viable alternatives are demonstrated and/or the extremist's are shown to not to be viable, then people pull away and the extremists are left with little ability to affect anything on a national level.
Note that Osama bin Laden does not use only religious rhetoric in his statements, but intelligent economic and political opinions. This links him in with intelligent and aware moderates that see no other alternative to help their people.
Re: So what is the solution?madisonmassageOctober 12 2007, 20:19:15 UTC
So a few questions.
Who is "in charge"?
Are the statements and actions of muslim extremists supposed to be ignored as simply a valid response to western economic imperialism?
What would you advocate a muslim in the middle east should do to improve their situation? Do you think that joining al qaeda, hezzbulah, hammas or one of the iraqi militias is what a moral muslim should do? Would you?
Re: So what is the solution?rainonlevsOctober 15 2007, 13:43:13 UTC
Who is "in charge"?
In general, the ones in charge of Middle East countries are those that the US and other western nations have either put in charge or are helping keep in charge by supporting their rule (Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia..., etc.). In Iran, one of the failed US dictatorships, there is the seeming of a representative government, but like the United States, they are mostly conservatives and some extremists who do not represent the majority of citizens.
The statements and actions of muslim extremists should not be ignored; they should be dealt with completely on their merits. Statements by radical extremists should not be painted as majority opinion. Illegal actions should be dealt with as any illegal actions should, by the agents and courts with jurisdiction and, if necessary, by diplomatic and interagency cooperation to deal with jurisdictional issues.
I would advocate that a Muslim in the Middle East work towards creating a representative government in their country. As to joining one of the groups you mention, that depends on the group and the situation. The groups you present have a wide range of purposes, origins and ideals. For example, joining Hamas after they attempted to join the political process in Palestine and worked to create a peace in legal ways seems perfectly moral to me. But I have not been making a point that joining an extremist group to combat western economic imperialism is a moral choice, only that it can be a reasonable one when all other choices appear to have been removed; i.e., that a man joining Al Qaeda does not have to be an insane immoral person bent on the destruction of the US as the greatest evil in the world, he can merely be a man who has seen all other moral options to be ineffective.
as for a policy of apeasement I'll let you check out wiki for it. :)
"Seems to me that there are more important changes in the Wests atitudes toward muslim countries than changes in muslim countries toward this minority interest subject."
interesting point of view, so if the west suddenly dropped support of isreal and removed their troops from the middle east muslim countries would suddenly become less religiously intolerant and violent. Interesting, you don't think they would think "Allah be praised bombings and beheadings achieved our goals lets continue to reestablish the caliphate" If you research the doctrine of the islamic fundemtalist starting with some of the leaders of the muslim brotherhood you will find they repeatedly state their goal of a one world under sharia law.
I think if people are worried about the republican christian right they should be much more concerned about the islamic right. In a comparison its like taking about table wine and vodka. Personally any form of fanaticism distasteful and dangerous. The more fanatical the more dangerous.
Reply
Perhaps the reverse is not true. Perhaps if the US approached the Middle East in a fair and reasonable manner, in keeping with international law and respect, perhaps the US would not promote democracy and freedom. Since it's never actually happened, I do have to agree that this is just a theory.
Reply
Dafur was just kickin, what was that other place rawanda...oh yeah tibet international law was causing those chinese to flee by the thousands..
sorry I guess again i think its more complex than...its all the fault of the U.S.
Yup there was definately no spread of democracy after WWI or WWII. Perhaps if we had approached Japan in a fair an reasonable manner there would not have been any war between us...
Some times there are other unreasonable organizations and governments other than the U.S.
sorry Rain its getting late and sometimes I have a little difficulty with every answer being "its the fault of the US". So I apologize if I got a bit snarky...
Reply
Muslim fundamentalists are a minority but you speak as though they are the majority, there membership has inreased due only to the indiscriminate slaughter of muslims in the Middle East.
Israel is the spark that ignited the muslim world which fails to see why a homeland for the jews had to be created by bloodshed.
If you look at the Balfour Agreement you will see a part that has been totally ignored.
"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
If Israel returns to the 1967 border and returns the land to its original inhabitants it will be a beginning towards peace.
Reply
I actually support the withrawl of u.s. foreign aid to isreal and working towards a self sufficient palastinian state. If it were politically feasable I would also support a return to 1967 borders.
This being said we disagree about the reaction of the mulsim world to such a move. I don't think it would reduce the violent extremism in the least. When extremists achieve their goals they do not moderate themselves, they tend to expand their goals. The export of the revolution talked about by the Iranian government is one example.
Reply
Note that Osama bin Laden does not use only religious rhetoric in his statements, but intelligent economic and political opinions. This links him in with intelligent and aware moderates that see no other alternative to help their people.
Reply
Who is "in charge"?
Are the statements and actions of muslim extremists supposed to be ignored as simply a valid response to western economic imperialism?
What would you advocate a muslim in the middle east should do to improve their situation? Do you think that joining al qaeda, hezzbulah, hammas or one of the iraqi militias is what a moral muslim should do? Would you?
Reply
In general, the ones in charge of Middle East countries are those that the US and other western nations have either put in charge or are helping keep in charge by supporting their rule (Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia..., etc.). In Iran, one of the failed US dictatorships, there is the seeming of a representative government, but like the United States, they are mostly conservatives and some extremists who do not represent the majority of citizens.
The statements and actions of muslim extremists should not be ignored; they should be dealt with completely on their merits. Statements by radical extremists should not be painted as majority opinion. Illegal actions should be dealt with as any illegal actions should, by the agents and courts with jurisdiction and, if necessary, by diplomatic and interagency cooperation to deal with jurisdictional issues.
I would advocate that a Muslim in the Middle East work towards creating a representative government in their country. As to joining one of the groups you mention, that depends on the group and the situation. The groups you present have a wide range of purposes, origins and ideals. For example, joining Hamas after they attempted to join the political process in Palestine and worked to create a peace in legal ways seems perfectly moral to me. But I have not been making a point that joining an extremist group to combat western economic imperialism is a moral choice, only that it can be a reasonable one when all other choices appear to have been removed; i.e., that a man joining Al Qaeda does not have to be an insane immoral person bent on the destruction of the US as the greatest evil in the world, he can merely be a man who has seen all other moral options to be ineffective.
Reply
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