[Rhodes22-list] Terrorism vs. Radical Islam

[Steve Alm]

Hi Brad, comments below:

On 9/27/04 5:37 PM, "brad haslett" <flybrad at yahoo.com> wrote:

but when your religion
> tells you to kill all who don't believe as you,
> there's a problem.

Throughout Western history, no group has done this more than the Christians.

 
(I used to train with the Saudi Air
> pilots, Americans, and have heard all their stories
> about the flights to LAX to re-whore the harem.

I know more than a few American rock and rollers who do the same thing.


The Shah of Iran, despite his
> faults, oversaw rapidly improving conditions for his
> population. 

Brad, "..despite his faults..." is just not enough syllables.  It glosses
over the atrocities committed, even sanctioned by the US.


Taking a
> chance on dying and perhaps the 40 to 60 virgins
> (whatever) not being there won't seem nearly as
> attractive when you can enjoy some of the comforts the
> 21st century, running water for example.

So it's come down to running water now vs. virgins in the hereafter?  Aren't
there any other choices?


You'll notice France
> isn't taking any chances with them.  Have you followed
> the news on how they are treating their own
> substantial Muslim population?

By far, the most substantial religion in France is Catholicism, and they're
playing that down as well.  The French have always been very secular.

Slim

> 
>> Guys, I hear what you are saying about the attitudes
>> of Muslims on the street towards the United States.
>> But, I have a hard time declaring this a war against
>> Islam.
>> 
>> We're talking about the Fertile Crescent here, the
>> cradle of civilization.  The folks in this area of
>> the world were building great engineering marvels
>> like the Ziggurat Pyramids, aqueducts, the Hanging
>> Gardens of Babylon, & living in big cities when my
>> ancestors in northern Europe were barely out of the
>> stone age living in thatched huts.  These folks have
>> a culture that goes back several millennia & gave us
>> some of the 1st known written languages, the legal
>> code of Hamurabi, as well as great literature such
>> as the epic of Gilgamish.  To think that these
>> people with their long tradition of engineering
>> excellence, creativity, & scholarship would not be
>> able to produce their own chemical & biological
>> weapons given the amount of time & resources
>> available is ridiculous at the very least & tends to
>> smell like some sort of racial bias.  Anyone who
>> discounts their capability does so at their own
>> peril.
>> 
>> I think a lot of our problems with the Muslim world
>> stem from our relationship with Israel & with a
>> general frustration with the continuing bloodshed &
>> chaos in the region.  Whether it's fixable is not
>> clear at this point.
>> 
>> Roger Pihlaja
>> S/V Dynamic Equilbrium
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> 
> 
> 
> 
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