Today's Boston Globe has a column by one of their in-house twits, the impermeable-to-clues H. D. S. Greenway. In it, Mr. Greenway discusses how Islamist terrorists are moving up in social and economic strata -- it isn't just the poor and oppressed that are turning to terrorism.
But this is the Boston Globe, remember. Owned and operated by the New York Times. If they get something right, it's either inadvertent or merely a prelude to getting something horribly wrong.
In this case, Mr. Greenway is touting this grand development as something new, when it's been around for some time.
Further, he repeats a lot of canards that are just not supported by the slightest shred of evidence.
A couple of quotes:
Most Muslims in Europe are as horrified and disturbed by terrorism as the Christian majority.
On the contrary -- there is remarkable evidence that what we call "terrorism" actually has a great deal of support from the rank-and-file Muslims. I have yet to see any significant evidence that "most Muslims" reject or condemn terrorism -- unless it's defined just right, as in "deeds conducted by Israel or the United States." By the standard Muslim definition, "terrorism" is defined as defending oneself against Muslims, or retaliating against Muslims for "martyrdom operations" or "acts of legitimate resistance" or "Islamic justice."
A Muslim community leader in Manchester, England, once told me that if you turn on the evening news a bit late, it sometimes takes a moment to figure out whether smoke, and flames, and gunfire on the screen are in Lebanon, Gaza, Afghanistan, Somalia, or Iraq. He said this had a big effect on the Muslim young.
Hmm... perhaps they should show some violence that doesn't involve Muslims, just to balance them out. The only problem I can see is that most of the violence in the world today involves Muslims on one side or another.
I guess reality itself is Islamophobic.
A tiny minority turns to extremism, and today's young terrorists are self-starting.
Again, I would question the "tiny majority."
Take a look at this article over at Wikipedia. Go down the list of current conflicts going on in the world, and see how many do NOT involve Muslims. Of the 28 listed, I guesstimate that 20 of those involve Muslims on one side -- or both.
Then look at the map, and compare it with the one shown in this article. The Muslim world, indeed, has "bloody borders."
Mr. Greenway and his fellow overeducated, vapid ivory tower-dwellers can continue to live in their little fantasy world, where "Islam is a religion of peace" and the real root cause of all terrorism in the world is George W. Bush and his war-mongering ways. They're not the ones who will have to pay the price when the bill comes due, and the harsh reality of the current nature of Islam reasserts itself.
(Update: Link to current conflicts added. My apologies, and my thanks to "reality check" for pointing out my oversight.)
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Comments (13)
"Take a look at this articl... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Reality Check | July 10, 2007 3:57 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
"Take a look at this article over at Wikipedia. Go down the list of current conflicts going on in the world, and see how many do NOT involve Muslims."
Jay, you got a link for the Wiki article listing the current conflicts?
Love your stuff by the way.
1. Posted by Reality Check | July 10, 2007 3:57 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 10, 2007 15:57
2. Posted by nogo war | July 10, 2007 4:17 PM | Score: -5 (5 votes cast)
Jay...when you say "The only problem I can see is that most of the violence in the world today involves Muslims on one side or another."
To my knowledge..the terror in Uganda does not involve Muslims...and there has certainly been death there http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HRW/5a2bd8ebcb522240cb941b8799fbf353.htm
There are two War theaters, Iraq and Afghanistan. As these are predominantly Muslim of course one side or both are Muslim.. As for other violence probably few of the
14,860 homicides in the United States during 2005 (Latest year I could find)involved Muslims.
I would think that almost 15,000 violent deaths in a non-war nation might be significant.
2. Posted by nogo war | July 10, 2007 4:17 PM |
Score: -5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on July 10, 2007 16:17
3. Posted by brainy435 | July 10, 2007 4:18 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Uh..... RealityCheck? It helps if you keep reading.
"Go down the list of current conflicts...
The bolded line is the link to the Wiki.
3. Posted by brainy435 | July 10, 2007 4:18 PM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on July 10, 2007 16:18
4. Posted by brainy435 | July 10, 2007 4:22 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Nice try at delfection, nogo. Iraq and Afganistan were started directly due to muslim violence. Muslims are also responsible for violence in Isreal, Palestinian territories, Darfur, Thiland, Phillipines, UK, Spain, France... it keeps going.
4. Posted by brainy435 | July 10, 2007 4:22 PM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on July 10, 2007 16:22
5. Posted by Reality Check | July 10, 2007 4:52 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
"(Update: Link to current conflicts added. My apologies, and my thanks to "reality check" for pointing out my oversight.)"
You're welcome, Jay.
"Uh..... RealityCheck? It helps if you keep reading."
Brainy, it had been updated by the time you read it. I always read to the bottom of Jay's stuff!
5. Posted by Reality Check | July 10, 2007 4:52 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 10, 2007 16:52
6. Posted by Don | July 10, 2007 4:59 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
brainy435
Vrey good, yet I would have started the list with The United States of America. The World Trade Center in 1993 and again 9/11 etc.
6. Posted by Don | July 10, 2007 4:59 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on July 10, 2007 16:59
7. Posted by Jay Tea | July 10, 2007 5:18 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Brainy, reality check was correct -- when first published, I had forgotten to include the actual link. It was a brain fart on my behalf, and I am grateful for his catching -- and even more for not being a jerk about it, as is often the case when others spot my errors.
I also appreciate you sticking up for me, but truly in this case it is utterly unnecessary. reality check's comment was entirely appropriate and welcomed.
Well, maybe not "welcomed," but certainly ruefully appreciated.
J.
7. Posted by Jay Tea | July 10, 2007 5:18 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on July 10, 2007 17:18
8. Posted by Oyster | July 10, 2007 6:16 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
As far as the "tiny minority" goes I always have to remind myself, if not others, that the constant mantra that "only about 2%" or "5%" or "X%" of Muslims advocate terrorism is misleading when one considers that approximately 1.2 billion people in the world are Muslim. 2% = 24 million. 5% = 60 million. 60 million sounds a whole lot different than 5%, doesn't it? That's 20% of the US population. That's the population of two entire countries - Iraq and Afghanistan. Every man, woman and child.
And when that "tiny minority" is so extreme as to be totally crazy you can probably multiply the danger by other factors.
Put one insane man with an AK47 in a room of 100 people and see how much damage he can do before he's brought down. And if he's got one or two supporters who didn't actually take an active role in the killing but gave him the bullets and helped to keep the doors locked, he's all the more successful.
So this "tiny minority" is just crap. The actual terrorists in Iraq are a "tiny minority" and they've kept the entire country in abject fear and terror.
8. Posted by Oyster | July 10, 2007 6:16 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on July 10, 2007 18:16
9. Posted by pudge | July 10, 2007 7:18 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
This is a good column for two reasons:1)It is correct.2)It gives one hope that such plainly spoken truths are not far away from being a part of the mainstream conversation in America.
Could that conversation only follow the next successful, islamo-nazi mass murder, operation? Probably so,I fear.
9. Posted by pudge | July 10, 2007 7:18 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 10, 2007 19:18
10. Posted by Reality Check | July 10, 2007 7:24 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
I think if 95% of Muslims do not condone violence against the infidels, they should be more vocal about it than the 5% doing the killing in the name of a peaceful religion.
SO far, I'm just not seeing that.
10. Posted by Reality Check | July 10, 2007 7:24 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on July 10, 2007 19:24
11. Posted by steak111111 | July 10, 2007 10:54 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
"I guess reality itself is Islamophobic."
LOL I think i can hear the liberals claim that we just need to change reality.
11. Posted by steak111111 | July 10, 2007 10:54 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 10, 2007 22:54
12. Posted by brainy435 | July 11, 2007 9:01 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Sorry, reality. I thought you got confused by the link not being in the sentance about the Wiki itself.
I'm too used to dealing with Barney...
12. Posted by brainy435 | July 11, 2007 9:01 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 11, 2007 09:01
13. Posted by David M | July 11, 2007 11:10 AM | Score: -2 (2 votes cast)
Trackbacked by The Thunder Run - Web Reconnaissance for 07/11/2007
A short recon of what's out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day...so check back often.
13. Posted by David M | July 11, 2007 11:10 AM |
Score: -2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on July 11, 2007 11:10