Reza Aslan Slams 'Bigoted' Media For Generalisation about Muslims

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
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It's okay lolz guy.

I'm agnostic so I'll foregive you for that little mistake.
 

Goober

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Jan 23, 2009
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I am going on the assumption that not all Islamic states are problematic and not we every Muslim is a terrorist.

Are you seriously saying I'm wrong on both counts?
That would be like saying all Muslims are terrorists.
Now you are wavering with new and improved additions.
Now Turkey- have you followed the news in turkey?
I have.
As to problematic- define problematic. Clear and concise, and list one aside from turkey who is trying to enter the EU.
Read the EU reports on Turkey.Good place to start
 

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
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That would be like saying all Muslims are terrorists.
Now you are wavering with new and improved additions.
Now Turkey- have you followed the news in turkey?
I have.
As to problematic- define problematic. Clear and concise, and list one aside from turkey who is trying to enter the EU.
Read the EU reports on Turkey.Good place to start

I'm no expert.

I'm just going by what I've been told in this story assuming this guy is correct about 'good' Islamic states existing.


You tell me what you think are the good ones, or a rationale for why none exist at all.
 

mentalfloss

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Jun 28, 2010
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Yes, those of us that aren't curmudgeons don't automatically attack anyone who is not an expert on the subject.

It's one of those things you'll never learn before you bite the dust.
 

Goober

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Jan 23, 2009
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I'm no expert.

I'm just going by what I've been told in this story assuming this guy is correct about 'good' Islamic states existing.


You tell me what you think are the good ones, or a rationale for why none exist at all.

So 1 story has affirmed your belief.
MF I like ya but Google is your friend.

As to good, by western European- NA standards I know of none.
Each Islamic country has a host of human rights abuses from show trials with death sentence, genital mutilations, to honor killings, to no right to a fair trial.
That is a very short list.
Kuwait- minor example- revokes citizenship for those that criticize the Govt. If I recall correctly, a country cannot make a citizen stateless, some UN convention or something like that.

How many UN Human Rights conventions have Islamic States signed on to and ignore completely?

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Here is the list of signatories.
Human Rights in the World
 
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CDNBear

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So 1 story has affirmed your belief.
Don't be silly, it simply supports his preconceived belief.

Anything, including the charade that is Turkish secularism, no matter how strong the evidence, not that he'll actually read it, will be ignored.

Flossy's mind is already made up on the matter.
 

Colpy

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I agree with his comment about generalizing all Muslims based on the extremists.

On that point he is irrefutably correct and you guys know it.

I know this may be weird for people like Colpy who live in a trailer packed with shotguns, but peaceful muslims exist.

They don't go home scheming about the next kill lol

First of all, I generalize Muslims not based on the "extremists", but on the basic tenets of Islam itself, and on the performance of Islam in the world. (see my post below). You can't expect much when the prime example to be emulated is a thief, a murderer, a rapist, and a pedophile. And I really don't understand how you can make excuses for that.

He is absolutely WRONG.

And I do not live in a trailer, but in a nice house built in 1887, and I only have 3 decent shotguns, my gun safes are packed with rifles and handguns. :)

BTW, it is obvious that you would like to pigeonhole me as an ignorant redneck simply because you have neither the intellect nor the knowledge to counter what I post.

How about dealing with the debate??
 

damngrumpy

Executive Branch Member
Mar 16, 2005
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It is true there are many peaceful Muslims who are collectively gutless and do not speak
up. It is also true that the nations in the Middle East behave like tribal war leaders and
they are not in tune with the modern world. How many violent Presbyterians do you see
cutting off peoples heads or planting bombs in shopping malls? Nope these people have
pushed their way onto the world stage and we should shove them back into the darkest
recesses of the worlds outhouse. If the innocent want to be silent they can continue to
condone the actions of madness. Or they can collectively speak out and put an end to the
minority antics of murder and mayhem. I have little respect for those who won't stand up
look at Hong Kong the young people their may end up dying but they are willing to fight
for their freedom. In the Middle East all to many are willing to hide behind the pages of a book
and pretend God intended for anarchy to reign supreme. We are at the milepost where we
either condone their madness or kick them where it hurts. We are at War and we must
defend ourselves accordingly. Those who engage in activities that help the enemy should be
charged with crimes against the state
 

mentalfloss

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Jun 28, 2010
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How CNN — and Others — Could Make the National Conversation About Islam Less Dumb

Since 9/11, Americans love to talk Islam. Unfortunately, this has not tended to be an intelligent debate, and Bill Maher is often one of the worst offenders when it comes to sweeping over-generalizations and misunderstandings of the complicated ways religious membership, belief, and behavior interact.

On Monday, CNN Tonight chimed in on this conversation in what was seemingly the correct way: The producers invited on Reza Aslan, a bona fide religion scholar, to respond to some of Maher’s recent comments and discuss the broader issues. Unfortunately, what followed wasn’t the intelligent conversation it should have been, but rather a stale regurgitation of the same silly loaded questions hosts have been asking for more than a decade:

Perhaps the most telling moment comes at 4:50, when, following Aslan’s eloquent points about how silly it is to broadly generalize about 1.5 billion people given that Bangladesh is not Turkey is not Saudi Arabia, Don Lemon — perhaps sensing the conversation is getting slightly too nuanced — asks Aslan point-blank to respond to the question on the screen: Does Islam promote violence? (Aslan responds, smartly, that Islam doesn’t inherently “promote” anything — “Like every religion in the world, it depends on what you bring to it.”)

It’s not worth rehashing the rest of the segment. Instead, it should be seen as an opportunity to point out the sorts of interesting, productive questions hosts should be asking the Reza Aslans (Rezas Aslan?) of the world.

Here are some questions the hosts could have asked to make the segment a bit more intelligent and watchable:

1. If female genital mutilation is about local cultural practices rather than Islam, why do some fringe Muslim figures defend it?

2. What do we know about why people join ISIS and how they differ from other Muslims with similar levels of religiosity?

3. In the age of ISIS, how do efforts to sway vulnerable young Muslims away from violence vary from country to country, given the huge cultural differences at work?

4. What are some specific examples of local efforts — successful and unsuccessful alike — to do so?

5. Maher is harsh on religious fundamentalism, but there are other forms of ideological extremism too. Do we have firm evidence on whether religious extremism is more likely to lead to violence than other forms of it?

The silver lining here is that Americans are curious about Islam, both for obvious reasons pertaining to the news and because Muslims are an increasingly visible part of American civic life. CNN and other outlets should use this curiosity to illuminate useful questions, which certainly isn't what happened Monday night.

How to Make the Islam Conversation Less Dumb -- Science of Us
 

Colpy

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How CNN — and Others — Could Make the National Conversation About Islam Less Dumb

Since 9/11, Americans love to talk Islam. Unfortunately, this has not tended to be an intelligent debate, and Bill Maher is often one of the worst offenders when it comes to sweeping over-generalizations and misunderstandings of the complicated ways religious membership, belief, and behavior interact.

On Monday, CNN Tonight chimed in on this conversation in what was seemingly the correct way: The producers invited on Reza Aslan, a bona fide religion scholar, to respond to some of Maher’s recent comments and discuss the broader issues. Unfortunately, what followed wasn’t the intelligent conversation it should have been, but rather a stale regurgitation of the same silly loaded questions hosts have been asking for more than a decade:

Perhaps the most telling moment comes at 4:50, when, following Aslan’s eloquent points about how silly it is to broadly generalize about 1.5 billion people given that Bangladesh is not Turkey is not Saudi Arabia, Don Lemon — perhaps sensing the conversation is getting slightly too nuanced — asks Aslan point-blank to respond to the question on the screen: Does Islam promote violence? (Aslan responds, smartly, that Islam doesn’t inherently “promote” anything — “Like every religion in the world, it depends on what you bring to it.”)

It’s not worth rehashing the rest of the segment. Instead, it should be seen as an opportunity to point out the sorts of interesting, productive questions hosts should be asking the Reza Aslans (Rezas Aslan?) of the world.

Here are some questions the hosts could have asked to make the segment a bit more intelligent and watchable:

1. If female genital mutilation is about local cultural practices rather than Islam, why do some fringe Muslim figures defend it?

2. What do we know about why people join ISIS and how they differ from other Muslims with similar levels of religiosity?

3. In the age of ISIS, how do efforts to sway vulnerable young Muslims away from violence vary from country to country, given the huge cultural differences at work?

4. What are some specific examples of local efforts — successful and unsuccessful alike — to do so?

5. Maher is harsh on religious fundamentalism, but there are other forms of ideological extremism too. Do we have firm evidence on whether religious extremism is more likely to lead to violence than other forms of it?

The silver lining here is that Americans are curious about Islam, both for obvious reasons pertaining to the news and because Muslims are an increasingly visible part of American civic life. CNN and other outlets should use this curiosity to illuminate useful questions, which certainly isn't what happened Monday night.

How to Make the Islam Conversation Less Dumb -- Science of Us

OF COURSE not all Muslims a violent lunatics.

But that is completely irrelevant. The non-violent Muslims are not the problem. What IS the problem is those Muslims that are radicalized.

Pew Research (2011): 5% of American Muslims have a favorable view of al-Qaeda (14% can’t make up their minds).
Muslim Americans: No Signs of Growth in Alienation or Support for Extremism | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press


That means over THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND US Muslims support al Queda, and another 840,000 "can't make up their minds". In the USA.

Secondary to that is the failure of the Muslim community at large to deal with radicalism in their midst......and that is being generous.
That is why Mubin Shaikh is an outcast in the Muslim community...........he informed on the Toronto 18. He should, of course, be a hero to ALL Canadians........he is not.

Idiot apologists are just that. We are at war with Islam. We have been so for 1300 years. The fact that only a minority of Muslims are willing to actually fight in that war is completely irrelevant.

And yes, Judeo-Christian society and culture is VASTLY superior.

If NOT, why this??

Countries

Please notice that the top 20 countries include exactly ONE majority Muslim nation (surprisingly, the UAE, at number 14)

And that an aberration, as the NEXT Muslim nation does not appear until number 69, Morocco.

Please note that 12 of the 20 WORST nations are majority Muslim.

And the vast majority of the worst 50 nations on earth are majority Muslim.

Of course, you would rather just close your eyes and yell "Redneck" rather than deal with the facts.
 

Colpy

Hall of Fame Member
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Mentalfloss....while we are at it....from your post below:

Perhaps the most telling moment comes at 4:50, when, following Aslan’s eloquent points about how silly it is to broadly generalize about 1.5 billion people given that Bangladesh is not Turkey is not Saudi Arabia, Don Lemon — perhaps sensing the conversation is getting slightly too nuanced — asks Aslan point-blank to respond to the question on the screen: Does Islam promote violence? (Aslan responds, smartly, that Islam doesn’t inherently “promote” anything — “Like every religion in the world, it depends on what you bring to it.”)

Bullshyte, quite frankly....absolute BS. The EXAMPLE for all Muslims was a robber, a murderer, and a rapist.

Oh, and then there is this:

Violence in Defense of Islam
40% of Indonesians approve of violence in defense of Islam.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailweekly.asp?fileid=20060728.@03
Pew Global: 68% of Palestinian Muslims say suicide attacks against civilians in defense of Islam are justified.
43% of Nigerian Muslims say suicide attacks against civilians in defense of Islam are justified.
38% of Lebanese Muslims say suicide attacks against civilians in defense of Islam are justified.
15% of Egyptian Muslims say suicide attacks against civilians in defense of Islam are justified.
13% of Indonesian Muslims say suicide attacks against civilians in defense of Islam are justified.
12% of Jordanian Muslims say suicide attacks against civilians in defense of Islam are justified.
7% of Muslim Israelis say suicide attacks against civilians in defense of Islam are justified.
Support for Suicide Bombings and Bin Laden Still High Among Some Muslims | CNS News (Pew Global Attitudes Project September, 2009)
Center for Social Cohesion: One Third of British Muslim students support killing for Islam
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340599/WikiLeaks-1-3-British-Muslim-students-killing-Islam-40-want-Sharia-law.html
http://www.socialcohesion.co.uk/pdf/IslamonCampus.pdf
Policy Exchange: One third of British Muslims believe anyone who leaves Islam should be killed
http://www.civitas.org.uk/pdf/ShariaLawOrOneLawForAll.pdf
NOP Research: 78% of British Muslims support punishing the publishers of Muhammad cartoons;
Many British Muslims Put Islam First - CBS News
WebCite query result
NOP Research: Hardcore Islamists comprise 9% of Britain's Muslim population;
Another 29% would "aggressively defend" Islam;
Many British Muslims Put Islam First - CBS News
WebCite query result
Pew Research (2010): 84% of Egyptian Muslims support the death penalty for leaving Islam
86% of Jordanian Muslims support the death penalty for leaving Islam
30% of Indonesian Muslims support the death penalty for leaving Islam
76% of Pakistanis support death the penalty for leaving Islam
51% of Nigerian Muslims support the death penalty for leaving Islam
Muslim Publics Divided on Hamas and Hezbollah | Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project
ICM Poll: 11% of British Muslims find violence for religious or political ends acceptable.
http://www.icmresearch.co.uk/reviews/2004/Guardian%20Muslims%20Poll%20Nov%2004/Guardian%20Muslims%20Nov04.asp
More Survey Research from a British Islamist Hell :: Daniel Pipes
Terrorism Research Institute Study: 51% of mosques in the U.S. have texts on site rated as severely advocating violence; 30% have texts rated as moderately advocating violence; and 19% have no violent texts at all.
Sharia Adherence Mosque Survey: Correlations between Sharia Adherence and Violent Dogma in U.S. Mosques | Kedar | Perspectives on Terrorism
Pew Research (2013): 76% of South Asian Muslims and 56% of Egyptians advocate killing anyone who leaves the Islamic religion.
http://www.pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Religious_Affiliation/Muslim/worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-full-report.pdf
Pew Research (2013): 19% of Muslim Americans believe suicide bombings in defense of Islam are at least partially justified (global average is 28% in countries surveyed).
http://www.pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Religious_Affiliation/Muslim/worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-full-report.pdf
Pew Research (2013): 39% of Muslims in Malaysia say suicide bombings "justified" in defense of Islam (only 58% say 'never').
Extremism in the name of Islam and Malaysian Muslims – Joshua Woo - The Malaysian Insider
Die Presse (2013): 1 in 5 Muslims in Austria believe that anyone wanting to leave Islam should be killed.
18% of Muslims support death sentence for apostasy, 21.9% oppose democracy – Austrian Survey | Muslim Statistics


Muslim Opinion Polls - Challenging the 'Tiny Minority of Extremists' Myth

PLEASE explain in light of your posts......