All victimization of innocent people is reprehensible. This survey is speaking, rather, about "dislike" of various religions. One may suspect that the widespread "dislike" of Islam comes not from ignorance of it, but from the increasingly common phenomenon of its most devout adherents murdering members of other faiths and justifying those murders by reference to Islamic texts and teachings. See Fort Hood jihadist Nidal Hasan's Power Point presentation for a key example of this.
But of course in this AP article it is all ascribed to "Islamophobia" that will be cured with education about Islam -- that is, smooth deceptions about the violent a
"More Bias In US Against Muslims Than Other Faiths: But Nearly Two-Thirds Say They Have Little, No Knowledge Of Islam," by Rachel Zoll for AP, January 21 (thanks to all who sent this in):
NEW YORK -- Americans are more than twice as likely to express prejudice against Muslims than they are against Christians, Jews or Buddhists, a new survey found. Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they have little or no knowledge of Islam. Still, a majority dislike the faith.The analysis, for release Thursday, is from the Gallup World Religion Survey and is part of a project on finding ways to increase understanding between Americans and Muslims....
In the poll, just over half of Americans said they felt no prejudice against Muslims. However, 43 percent acknowledged at least "a little" prejudice against Muslims, a significantly higher percentage than for the other four faiths in the survey.
About 18 percent of respondents said they had some level of prejudice against Christians, while the figure was 15 percent toward Jews and 14 percent toward Buddhists.
Asked about knowledge of Islam, 63 percent of Americans say they have "very little" or "none at all." A large majority of respondents believe most Muslims want peace. Yet, 53 percent of Americans say their opinion of the faith is "not too favorable" or "not favorable at all." By comparison, 25 percent of Americans say they have unfavorable views of Judaism, while 7 percent say they have "some" or "a great deal" of prejudice toward Jews.
Personally knowing a Muslim is not linked to a lower level of prejudice, although not knowing a Muslim is related to the greatest level of bias. The authors of the report say this finding underscores the need for better education on what Islam teaches.
"What really seems to impact one's perception of a group much more than knowing an individual is having a positive opinion of that group's distinguishing characteristic, which in this case is their faith," said Dalia Mogahed, senior analyst and executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. "That one person being nice enough could simply be explained as that person being an exception."
Respondents who say they attend religious services more than once a week are significantly more likely to have a favorable view of Muslims. Mogahed said people who are more religious generally consider prejudice a moral evil and often have respect for the devout of other faiths....
Mogahed slyly links antisemitism with prejudice against Muslims, smoothly gliding over the inveterate antisemitism found among Muslims and justified by the Qur'an:
Researchers also found a link between prejudice against Jews and Muslims. Americans who acknowledged "a great deal" of bias toward Jews were much more likely to feel the same about Muslims. The survey results could not explain why the two prejudices are linked. Mogahed said bias against both groups should be tracked and studied together to understand the dynamic."Groups working against the two types of prejudices should perhaps form a closer alliance," she said....
"Let's form a closer alliance," said the fox to the hens.
Wow 66% of Americans know little to nothing about Islam. Time to fix that. The most vile and dispicable ideology to ever infect this planet, including communism, needs to have the light of truth shone upon it. Lift up tha rock, and see whats there America.
". . .the report say this finding underscores the need for better education on what Islam teaches."
Does she mean education, or indoctrination?
Islam sucks and for that matter I would certainly be phobic towards a totalitarian ideology whose adherents want to kill and be killed in the name of allah. On top of that worship a screwball pedophile prophet Mohammad.
Americans are more than twice as likely to express prejudice against Muslims than they are against Christians, Jews or Buddhists, a new survey found."
Dislike, suspicion, mistrust, hostility that are not the result of a peculiar mental pathology, nor of ignorance, but as a result of being more and more informed about the texts, tenets, attitudes of Islam, and paying closer attention to the history of Islamic conquest and subjugation of many different non-Muslim peoples over 1350 years, from Spain to the East Indies, and paying special attention to what Muslims are now doing to non-Muslims, when they can get away with it, all over the world, from mass murder (as in the southern Sudan) to mere murder (as in southern Thailand), to sinister attempts to prevent Infidels in their own lands from observing their own freedoms (cf. Kurt Westergaard, Theo van Gogh, and many others), does not constitute "prejudice" nor, to use another term used by the tendentious writers of this tendentious piece, "bias."
It constitutes rather, a refusal to be buffaloed into ignoring the evidence of one's senses, and substituting for that evidence pieties that are, in the present world, dangerous because they blind us to our own reality. Anyone who, as a non-Muslim, is not deeply worried about what Islma inculcates and what Muslims are taught to believe and a great many not only believe, but are prepared to act on, would be not prejudiced, but a fool.
"All victimization of innocent people is reprehensible."
So are you saying that victimizing people is reprehensible or Muslims who self-victimize are reprehensible? Just wondering.
Personally knowing a Muslim is not linked to a lower level of prejudice, although not knowing a Muslim is related to the greatest level of bias. The authors of the report say this finding underscores the need for better education on what Islam teaches.
I wonder where you have to go for this 'better education'...and what makes it 'better'? Better than what?
When some Christians, Jews or Buddhists hijack planes and fly them into buildings, shoot or behead people while shouting "God (or Buddha) is great!", refer to people of other religions as "apes" or "pigs", turn children into suicide bombers, or execute people for adultery, homosexuality or merely leaving their religon, please have Ms. Mogahed inform us.
"On top of that worship a screwball pedophile prophet Mohammad"
Just for the record, savsiv, moslems don't worship the child molesting warmonger, they revere it as the most perfect man. I know, what's the difference? Just so a moslem doesn't pin you on that.
Only something like twice as likely? Damn. Still not there yet. Ten or twenty times as likely would be more like it. It'll come, but not before a lot of people die and are blown to bits because of what a seventh-century Arab impostor affirmed was the way things were.
Past events, including very distant past events, have untold effects down to the present day. Just imagine if the Carthaginians had done to the Romans what the Romans did to them. No Romance languages. No Italian opera. Even pizza would be problematical. Thus is the way of things in this uncertain world.
"All victimization of innocent people is reprehensible."
And muslims are victims of, what??
Are they the victims of terror attacks, death threats, violent mob, barbaric behavior, antisemitism ect., as the rest of us?
Everything upside down. Wilders is on trial for hate speech for pointing out the people calling for his blood, while they, who call for murder, are his victims?
Melanie Phillips really nailed it here (it's an old clip):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKKt8a-uqBM
"Americans are more than twice as likely to express prejudice against Muslims than they are against Christians, Jews or Buddhists, a new survey found."
If by "prejudice," you mean, "distrust, dislike, disdain, uneasiness, distaste, wariness..." -- count me in. I also am "prejudiced" against rabid dogs, serial killers, black widow spiders, the IRS and great white sharks; as opposed to gerbils, kittens, puppies, "Moose Tracks" ice cream, "Old Peculier" English ale, and dry, warm, sunny days.
The more I learn about this fascist death cult, the more I distrust, dislike, (et al.) it.
If that be "prejudice," sign me up.
RSI
I did some calculating. It turns out that muslims are more than 1,000 times more likely to kill you for their God than all other religions combined.
Wonder if that tidbit of information is important.
I must admit to being prejudiced against Muslims and this was before I even heard of jihadwatch.
Why the prejudice? because I've had to deal with Muslim businessmen in a commercial setting and it was dreadful. To a one they were dishonest, arrogant and plain ass nasty. As a result to this day I do not do business with any Muslim owned establishment.
Personally I'd rather deal with hardened ex-cons any day over a Muslim.
I am getting more and more nauseated by the continuous bombardment of agencies that are out promoting death and destruction by assisting Muhammadenism. Instead of the Gallup survey results putting the focus on the people that don't like Muhams death and destruction codes, they must go to the Islamic military outposts called Mosques and demand that these preachers of hate revise the terror manuals to meet modern standards of civility.
There is nothing else I need to know. Islam is an (the) enemy of peace, love and harmony. Islam must take over the whole world. I personally do not want Islam to take over even the muhams that are currently in its grip. There is no confusion, Islam must be stopped. The dangerous fiction that it is must be exposed to the light of day and explained in ways that even the most ignorant Muham and/or Non-Muham can understand clearly with out further doubts or indecision.
Because Islam will kill its members for leaving; it is a maximum security prison with no walls, not a religion. Muhammad has entrapped over a billion people in a maximum security prison with only one way out; death. The criminally insane inmates are running buck wild amongst those seeking a better world. Draining our resources to prevent the achievement of this process.
Muham's writings have insured that his followers would not listen to anyone's opinions about anything other than what he labelled 'the word of Allah'. Muham's cannot argue with Allah. They cannot listen to others. They have blinders on. They must obey with blind obedience, or else. We are not only working to keep ourselves and those we care about on the road to a better world, we are also working to free Muham's from their prison.
Islam is a spiritual and mental illness. Muhams are mentally ill or more appropriately criminally insane, therefore they are not capable of knowing what is right in a higher sense. They must be isolated in places where they can only kill themselves or deprogrammed from demonizing hate and suicidal insistence. Of course they want to die, because there is not enough love and joy for them to feel fulfilled. They need lust, hate, conflict, danger, deception, etc. to give them a sense of purpose.
We declare Muhammads source material Unconstitutional and criminal. Then we will show that those who are following these terror manuals are being instructed in the ways of terror. There are basically 3 types of Muhams; ignorant terrorists; ignorant future terrorists; and the simply ignorant. If you believe and follow the Koran, Hadith and Muhammad, you will be or currently are a terrorist to someone who is committed to not altering their beliefs for Muhams moronic attempt to hijack the Judeo-Christian heritage.
Not only do I (we) not need to hear more lies and deceptions from those getting paid to promote their spiritual cancer like tobacco companies but I (we) realize we are in the largest global civil war that this earth has ever known amonst humans.
Because Muhams will not listen to reason or cannot because it would violate what Muham told them to do; and they would rather die than change their minds; we are limited in the options that we have. We can either have half of our brains removed and become a Muham; we can allow them to kill us (subjugation is only a temporary truce that will ultimately end in death); we can deprogram the death and destruction addicts in special treatment centers; we can offer Muhams entrance into paradise.
Why is my dislike of Islam a "prejudice" whereas my dislike of, say, socialism, would be a political opinion? Why am I expected to automatically approve of any belief system grounded in the supernatural? Why is my reliance on reason considered inferior to their "faith" even when that faith orders them to hate and kill all "infidels"?
There are too damn many frightened little children running around this world in grown-up clothes ready to throw a tantrum if someone spoils their favorite fairy tale. The Muslims are by far the outstanding contenders in this category.
I am not "prejudiced" against Islam. I detest it as a matter of conviction.
The authors of the report say this finding underscores the need for better education on what Islam teaches.
I love how they go from simply reporting on the findings of the survey to telling people how they should act. This makes me somewhat suspicious of the survey it self.
Then, to totally show how clueless they are on the subject, they suggest that if people were better educated in the teachings of Islam, they would have less "prejudice".
While some of the "prejudice can be chalked up to good old xenophobia, I think it's mostly because PEOPLE AREN'T STUPID!!! they know of the teachings and they have seen the actions.
You think the numbers are high now wait until the 63% of americans that no nothing or very little about islam wake the hell up and really understand islam. I can't imagine the numbers are going to get any better. You reap what you sow and you are what you are no matter how much people learn about the "peaceful" religion.
Islamic groups need to identify the problem within their own community of this grotesque believe system rather than surveying the hell out of the rest of us.
Putting the shoe on the other foot. Would they think it was hate speech then?
5.51 O ye who believe! take not the Muslims for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.
9.5 But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Muslims wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem; but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
9:14-”Fight them (Muslims), Allah will punish them with your hands and degrade them. He will grant you victory over them and heal the chests of a believing nation
47.4 Therefore, when ye meet the Muslims, smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly: thereafter either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens. Thus: but if it had been Allah's Will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them; but in order to test you, some with others. But those who are slain in the Way of Allah,- He will never let their deeds be lost.
Putting the shoe on the other foot. Would they think it was hate speech then?
5.51 O ye who believe! take not the Muslims for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.
9.5 But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Muslims wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem; but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
9:14-”Fight them (Muslims), Allah will punish them with your hands and degrade them. He will grant you victory over them and heal the chests of a believing nation
47.4 Therefore, when ye meet the Muslims, smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly: thereafter either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens. Thus: but if it had been Allah's Will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them; but in order to test you, some with others. But those who are slain in the Way of Allah,- He will never let their deeds be lost.
I am getting so fed up with Islam I can hardly tolerate the "submit" on the comment sections of forums!!
"gerbils, kittens, puppies, "Moose Tracks" ice cream, "Old Peculier" English ale, and dry, warm, sunny days."
Just wanted to say I love your "good" list!
But, I do find Great White sharks pretty fascinating, and "Jaws" is a favorite movie.
I don't understand how such a large percentage can still be ignorant about Islam. I mean, over 8 years after 9/11? Combined with all the subsequent global jihads, plus the recent 11/5 Ft Hood massacre, and Flight 253.
How can you be ignorant? As RS says, "it's not rocket science."
I can't wait until 99% of all Westerners know about all the finer aspects of Islam, the Koran, The Hadiths, and all of the other ugly aspects of this disgusting cult.
As we all know here, there are so many "forces" out there making sure we *don't find out* those finer aspects of Islam. Eventually Westerners will know, and those forces that work against us Westerners know they are playing a losing game. It will happen, probably sooner than everyone thinks.......
"The analysis, for release Thursday, is from the Gallup World Religion Survey and is part of a project on finding ways to increase understanding between Americans and Muslims...."
The more we increase the understanding between Americans and Muhams, the more likely we will be able to amend our Constitution to have them removed from within our borders as enemies of the state. The more people know about Muhammadenism the more they will be revolted.
An educated American is the best defense against Muhammaden deception and tolerance of its existence in the midst of peace loving humans.
Prejudice and bias. What are they, really? How do we practically define those terms? I myslef feel very prejudiced toward cancer, it has killed quite a few members of my family. I am also predjudiced toward heart disease, as it has also killed people I love. And although bronchitis may indeed kill me if left untreated, I am merely biased towards it, as I am toward the common cold. I don't like those maladies very much but it's not a downright scorn or hatred. Now you may say that prejudice is an unreasonable feeling aforethought, without knowlege, but I might disagree with you. I lost my father to cancer when I was seven and really hadn't had time to bone up on the disease before he died so nope, I didn't know anything about cancer, only that it was very bad and that I hated it. Hated it without knowing anything about it! What else did a seven year old need to know? It killed my dad, and that was enough. "Bias?" I like and respect Mormons even though I don't enjoy them coming to the door all the time, but I have no real antipathy toward them- I would just rather they not keep coming to the door. I don't fear that the Mormons will try to take over society and will ultimately try and kill me and others who are unbelievers of their particular creed, so I suppose that might fall into the "bias" category? LOL "Biased against them for bugging me by coming to the door all the time!" -kinda funny. Muslims, however, are very, very different. Over the past five years or so I've learned a lot about Islam wheras before I was definitely in that "66% don't know much" category. Any fairly intelligent and literate person who has a desire to can find out whether or not Robert is lying and hatemongering. Open your mind, open a book or 96 and find out whether or not Hugh is just an inculcated, bigoted nutcase. I assure you, neither are doing anything but telling the absolute, ugly truth about Islam. And EVERYTHING I see from Islam is UGLY. There is not one positive aspect of it that I can point to. So I guess I am just as prejudiced toward Islam as I am toward colon cancer and cardiopathy. Is there a cure for Islam? Knowledge is surely a very limited and imperfect treatment, but sadly I think it's all we got. I don't see an antidote on the horizon, and I doubt Islam can ever be effectively "reformed" to the point where you might just be biased in that you don't like Muslims coming to your door all the time spreading their (truly) peaceful message. God, but imagine that!
I'm sorry this is so long and rambling, this kid just had way too much Starbuck's- yikes!
Good post and point..Gonna up ya one..I hate islam and all that it implies and professes.All the little girls who have been RAPED by the attempt to JUSTIFY this BLOT on MODERN humanity as a religion.
So YES! On that basis alone I HATE all muslims. All of them.And All that they deny,and all that they stand for.
They should be hating themselves for their crimes and self delusion. It is their disregard of that that makes me hate them the most.
"The analysis, for release Thursday, is from the Gallup World Religion Survey and is part of a project on finding ways to increase understanding between Americans and Muslims...."
There it is, folks. There are Americans, and then there are Muslims.
GEE GOLLY!! DO YOU REALLY THINK AMERICANS ARE LIKE THAT?
AFTER 9-11-01, THE SHOE BOMBER, THE X MAS BOMBER, THE VIRGINIA SERIAL KILLER, THE CRAZY MAJOR IN TEXAS, THE ARKANSAS KILLER, THE FORT DIX SIX- THE SAUDI ARABIAN CONTROL OVER THIS COUNTRY THROUGH BUSH AND FOX NEWS, THE INHUMAN MURDER OF LITTLE GIRLS AND THREATS TO LITTLE GIRLS LIKE RIFQA?
YA THINK?!?
WE HAVE EVERY FUCKIN' RIGHT TO BE!
Man, I love reading the comments. Its comic relief. Hilarious!
The MSM tries so hard to obfuscate the truth about Islam, but the sociopathic, barbaric muslims do their best to keep us informed of the truth!
"...part of a project on finding ways to increase understanding between Americans and Muslims...."
That's part of what this site does. It tries to find ways to "increase understanding between Americans and Muslims" as well as trying to "increase understanding" between non-Muslims of other nationalities and Muslims.
Christians, Jews or Buddhists don't fly jets into buildings and don't call for the killing of unbelievers.
Christians, Jews or Buddhists don't teach their children to blow themselves up among infidels to go to Moe's bordello in the sky.
Dislike, suspicion, mistrust, and hostility should come down like a ton of bricks on every Musulman who propagates his poisonous cult in the dar al harb.
EXACTLY!!!
musselmen always feel superior and above the fray thus they remain detached and aloof of our society. Don't want em, don't need em. They offer nothing to a modern society except obfuscation.
Why is there a "project on finding ways to increase understanding between Americans and Muslims", and who is behind it? My intense contempt for islam is borne of my knowledge and understanding of it, and I am not prejudiced or biased against muslims beyond my profound distrust of all of them. They are who they are and there can be no meeting of the minds, no common ground, no shared values, and certainly no blind and unquestioning tolerance of islam simply because it's called a religion.
A pious muslim is comparable to an incorrigible sociopath who has no conscience and is incapable of love or compassion. He might not kill you himself but he wouldn't stop a fellow muslim from sacrificing an infidel for allah. He might not participate in militant jihad but he generously donates at the mosque to fund propaganda and jihad campaigns. He might be the nice, quiet guy next door who always waves and smiles and behaves like a "law-abiding, tax-paying, patriotic American", but his persona completely changes when he steps inside the mosque.
I would venture to say that this "project" is aimed at misleading Americans about islam and is probably a big da'wa campaign. The last thing muslims want is for people to really understand islam; that's why they're so desperate to disseminate the lies before Americans stumble across the truth. Why should any American have a positive opinion of islam? Every week another muslim or group of muslims attempt to blow something else up and eventually they will succeed. When they do, we won't hear any outrage or apologies from the islamic "community", just demands that muslims be protected from backlash. The dhimmis in the media, academia, and politics will apologize to the umma for whatever we did to deserve the attack while simultaneously condemning anyone who dares to connect islam to terrorism.
The politically correct response to islamic terrorism has been firmly established. Muslims are not culpable for islamic terrorism and islamic terrorism will not be blamed on islam or muslims. Everyone will ignore the cognitive dissonance except the muslims, who will be laughing their asses off as they plot the next big one.
Let's see, a Labrador retriever comes up, tail wagging, and licks my hand, while a Pit Bull attacks and tries to tear off my face. Even without knowing a thing about pedigrees and all that stuff, which one of these dogs am I likely to be prejudiced against? And I'm not about to waste time overintellectualizing the situation to try to see if I can find some empathy for the dog and his point of view. I'm gonna grab a gun and protect myself.
livingengine :
You are as foolish as i am.
Wise Rachel has spoken and clearly put us in our place. Furthermore we are too stupid to have a grasp of reality let alone an understanding of religion.
So perhaps working for myself, employing over 20 people through 18 difficult years (solvent and no lay-off's) it could have been made all the easier if i could have enjoyed the likes of Rachel's wisdom from (where else?) the public sector.
I'm retired now, but not senile yet. We never tollerated this crap that's going on now, sure we paid taxes on the nail and of course there was the McCarthy era which you don't forget, but life didn't have those horrible distractions otherwise known as religious charactersisation (mumbo jumbo as was).
Nowadays this is merely a job of procurement for the PC bureaucrats in these deliciously enlightened times.
But back in the days of black and white you either went to church, or you did not. Which one you attended did not matter. You also went to work and when the Draught came, you did your Uncle Sam's tour.
Those at home remained resolte and upon reunification with loved ones the family hunkered down and moved gracefuly forwards.
Not all families were as lucky, husbands,wives,sons,daughters -lost- lost for ever.
However,the back bone of a Western Democracy is that it offers up freedom of speech to those who will gladly try to deny that very right.
Islam is no different to anybody else's opinion of what faith is. It is welcome here and everywhere else.
As a Christian i look in horror at the slow motion Train Wreck that is the faith of Islam, sliding as it is into the abyss of fundamentalism aided and abetted by the over excitable Jihadist extremists and with a little help from the West :
"What you did (pay attention Rachel) was to become a left-wing loser with no chance of real work, therefore taking the first government job that came along and piss all over those who pay your salary by siding up with religious fanatics who hate your forebears very existance.
Rachel, you may or may not have a strong family background, but if you and your likes carry on in this manner, you are indeed going to require what little ties you have left.
You see Rachel, the majority of us have had quite enough !"
So there you have it Rachel, can you begin to understand how poorly you rated in front of my friends this evening ? I don't know if you care what they think, but here's the rub : Jane, Robert and Sandra (who co-wrote the above paragraph) reside next door but one to an improvised Mosque.So what you might say ? Well perhaps as the brilliant Zoll that you are, a little investagtive journalism on what is happening outside in the car park (drugs) as opposed to what's happeningon the inside (rhetoric) you could well embark on a career in joined up writing if your not careful.
"More Bias In US Against Muslims Than Other Faiths: But Nearly Two-Thirds Say They Have Little, No Knowledge Of Islam."
In other words they slyly imply or sell the false notion that the bias is based on American ignorance of islam.
Is not the average person, no more or less ignorant of Hinduism, Buddhism or other non-Christian faiths?. If so then how come these other faiths fair better in this opinion poll.? Therefore could there be another explanation for this "bias",can it have to do with murdered Americans, koran quoting terrorists bombings, the obvious deplorable conditions of islamic countries and culture?.
"More Bias In US Against Muslims Than Other Faiths: But Nearly Two-Thirds Say They Have Little, No Knowledge Of Islam."
In other words they slyly imply or sell the false notion that the bias is based on American ignorance of islam.
Is not the average person, no more or less ignorant of Hinduism, Buddhism or other non-Christian faiths?. If so then how come these other faiths fair better in this opinion poll.? Therefore could there be another explanation for this "bias",can it have to do with murdered Americans, koran quoting terrorists bombings, the obvious deplorable conditions of islamic countries and culture?.
Do those who did this "study" really think education will help islam to a better position in our western culture?
Hate directed at Muslims is not the answer. Keep a close watch on followers of islam. The more they are true believers, the more the threat and the hate grows against us.
Islam requires a heavy price to follow it, and to reject it as well.
An especially poignant, brutally clear assessment made by patric , ie:6:29 comment, worthy of praise.
Wow. Great comments, everyone, one and all! It's a pleasure to know that I am not alone, in my loathing of Islam and especially its progressive enablers.
As for the 66% of Americans who 'don't know much about history -- er, Islam' I have only two things to say:
1. They sure didn't ask me!
2. What on Earth is wrong with you people?
Yemen clerics recently announced "JIHAD IS INEVITABLE" if US interferes in its affairs, Muslims are not considered minority but they the leaders want to remain a minority so that they can hold foreign countries accountable for whatever happens to them and if someone tries to help, then its against ISLAM and JIHAD becomes mandatory.
watch dis video of what Yemen clerics have to say about JIHAD http://www.videocrux.com/video/18556/Yemen-clerics-urge-jihad-in-case-of-foreign-intervention
Y'know, there are periods where I find myself doing alot of cooking of primarily southern delicacies. When you take on the role of the cook - or the chef - you are ideally suited to truly know and understand an entree or a dessert because you have first hand knowledge of the ingredients, their preparation and origins. A good cook understands a dish or dessert better than anyone because they know how all of the ingredients work together to present the final product.
I encourage the visitors at large of this forum to review our in-depth and intelligent assessment of islam's primary ingredients at theonlytruth.blogspot.com.
"Americans are more than twice as likely to express prejudice against Muslims than they are against Christians, Jews or Buddhists"
I know I am. I'm an American and I can't stand them. When Christians, Jews, and Buddhists start flying planes into buildings, then I'll take this whiny argument seriously.
It's funny how Muslims have so much bravado in their cause, yet are the biggest pussies when it comes to standing up in the defense of humanity and common sense. That speaks volumes. Muslims can cry all they want about how poorly they are treated, and if that's the case, to them I say: "Adversity doesn't build character -- it reveals it."
Islam's greatest gift to the world: the ability to blame others for its own inadequacy.
Fibbie Hooper to the rescue:
Although the majority of Americans polled said they have an unfavorable view of Islam, Mogahed says the poll highlights an improvement from previous surveys. She also notes that other recent polls have found that Muslim majority nations have begun to express more positive feelings toward the United States. Mogahed says that U.S. President Barack Obama's efforts to increase understanding between Americans and Muslims around the world have likely improved cross-cultural tolerance.
Ibrahim Hooper of the Center for American-Islamic Relations says his organization is also working to improve perceptions of Muslims by educating Americans about their faith.
"The Koran is the foundational document of Islam," said Ibrahim Hooper. "If people have it in their hands, can read it for themselves, they're going to have less misinformation about Islam and Muslims."
Hooper says his group is working on a campaign to distribute 100,000 copies of the holy Koran to local, state and national U.S. leaders to increase their knowledge of Islam and, he hopes, to decrease negative views of the religion.
There you go. If we would only read the Koran we would all understand it and work on a zebiba just like he does!
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/religion/Survey-US-Religious-Prejudice-Strongest-Against-Muslims-82302372.html
I wrote about related issue (hate crimes) just recently and showed that while Islamic Terrorist attacks were up around 285% in the years 2002 to 2009, in the same period (though to 2008), the figures for anti-Islam hate crimes (in the US) had fallen 32%.
Figures from ROP.com and FBI, respectively and more detail at the site below.
The figures on annual basis are Terrorist attacks UP 21% pa. Hate crimes against Muslims DOWN 6% pa.
Moreover, the hate crimes against Jews are almost TEN times as many as hate crimes against Muslims in total and 27 times more per capita.
Of course, these are not the same as "prejudice", but we're not seeing the headline: "Hate crimes against Muslims down while Islamic attacks triple" are we?
See figures and graphs at: http://thebattleoftours.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post.html
Cheers,
Meeker (aka PF), from Hong Kong
Gallup World Religion Survey
Interesting how that survey was spun.
From the original article:
"President Barack Obama and his administration want to improve America's image in the Muslim world. Many analysts who study extremism also say that U.S. Muslims who feel alienated from broader society resist integrating, potentially becoming more vulnerable to radical ideas."
************************
So because a lot of American people are responsible for jihadist acts, because Americans have negative opinions of Islam, due to the behavior of its followers, and ideology of hate spoken by them.
Americans who are not Muslim are the ones who are the reason Muslims refuse to integrate into our society and culture.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Asked about knowledge of Islam, 63 percent of Americans say they have "very little" or "none at all." A large majority of respondents believe most Muslims want peace. Yet, 53 percent of Americans say their opinion of the faith is "not too favorable" or "not favorable at all."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Perhaps this is because of the behavior of Muslims toward us Kuffar. The rude behavior, comments, scorn for our culture,Constitution, laws,not to mention the shootings, bomb plots, and parallel societies.
Americans are not stupid, they don't have to wade through the sewer/Quran to understand it is a book of hate.
Funny how more devout a Muslim becomes, the more likely that individual yells "Allahu akbar!" and goes BOOM!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"The authors of the report say this finding underscores the need for better education on what Islam teaches."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The spin once again. Who exactly needs this "education"?
Muslims? So they start to see Islam as a "Religion of peace" and not a totalitarian ideology?
Do they need to be educated about Islam so they understand that they can all get along in a plural society and Islam is NOT the "One True Religion".
What kind of education do American non Muslims need? Perhaps it is time Mr. Spencer's books become text books for high schools. Mrs. Sultan, Aayan Hirsi Ali, Ibn Warrak,could all be guest speakers at colleges...
Oh yeah they do that under armed guard, here in the USA. I wonder why...(Sarc)
Here is the link to the whole article.
http://www.channel3000.com/family/22298329/detail.html?treets=c3k&tid=2655996590813&tml=c3k_9am&tmi=c3k_9am_1_09000201212010&ts=H
So, in the US, but also in the rest of world, what's better for Islam? What helps it more? Ignorance or Information? I certainly think it is ignorance that helps Islam much more!
With information about Islam people, both "Kuffars" and Muslims, do learn that Islam at best is very ambiguous, open to a broad variety of interpretations. And I personally believe many Muslims give it an additional twist that it not even possesses!
These are the peaceful, genuinely likable Muslims who confuse me whenever they tell me about the virtues of Islam and Muhammad. They do seem to think, but should be corrected about that opinion, that their interpretation and twist of Islam is the only correct one. And that the Islamist/ Jihadist/ mysoginist etc. interpretations of Islam are misunderstandings!
This is also what many ignorant, but not much well-informed people outside Islam think, if they care to be bothered at all.
Furthermore it has always been the habit of Muslims to limit freedom of speech about Islam, only now that they no longer can do that, they try to inform the outside world of favourable interpretations and twists of Islam.
They're certainly all victims of a massive recto-cranial inversion.
It has become very sexy among Europeans these days to compare and/or link anti-Semitism to Islamophobia. Even the French president Nicolas Sarkozy did it recently.
I reviewed a German book "Anti-semitism and Islamophobia - a comparison" by an inveterate apologist. I see it as Cyrano, the editor-in-chief of RiposteLaique does, this comparison is an obscenity. Mohammedans and their apologists want to make us believe that Muslims are the new Jews. That's rubbish. But what we've got to do in Europe is to enlighten people about Islam, about its fascist ideology and supremacism. Most people are really ignorant about the basic facts of Islam. The mainstream media only reports favourably and lots of people buy that. We've got a lot to do in Europe to change this trend. I'm afraid lots of politicians and journalists who talk so favourably about Islam are on the Saudi payroll.
I think ongoing information about Islam is a light, that it is bad for Islam. Which wants to dominate, which believes in simple tenets, like "The quran is the literal message of God, without any flaws". Which wants people to believe, obey, instead of think rationally for themselves. To me it's a religion of sheep. (I like goats more, they have a more intelligent reputation).
Information about Islam must be balanced, so given by both Muslims and opponents of Islam. And about both it's real teachings, what it's religious authorities maintain, and the behavior of all of it's followers, all over the world, especially where Islam is dominant and practised.
It will bring a lot tu quoque about other religions/ cultures, culture-relativist-arguments too. It brings and requires a lot of ambiguity, uncertainty, uncomfortable long and hard thinking, for both Muslims and "Kuffars". But I think mankind as a whole has to work this issue out in this era and move beyond it. Or else get more dictatorial, or stuck, and less free, happy.
For good reason. Prejudice is good and useful, if aquired through personal experience and investigation.
Looks like people are getting to understand Islam. Nice.
Theodore Dalrymple has written a very good treatise on the value of prejudice titled "In Praise of Prejudice: The Necessity of Preconceived Ideas"
"I know I'm prejudiced in this matter," Mark Twain once announced, quickly adding, "But I'd be ashamed of myself if I weren't."
For those who would like a copy, this is a link: http://www.amazon.com/Praise-Prejudice-Necessity-Preconceived-Encounters/dp/1594032025/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264162613&sr=1-1
maybe there should be a study in a ME muslim country about what muslims feel about Jews or Christians.
http://www.avraidire.eu/2009/12/robert-spencer-demonte-lislam-sous-titres-francais-1/
Robert Spencer demonte l’Islam-Sous-titres francais 1
http://www.avraidire.eu/2009/12/robert-spencer-demonte-lislam-sous-titres-francais-1/
Robert Spencer demonte l’Islam-Sous-titres francais 1
http://www.avraidire.eu/2009/12/robert-spencer-demonte-lislam-sous-titres-francais-1/
Robert Spencer demonte l’Islam-Sous-titres francais 1
http://www.avraidire.eu/2009/12/le-troisieme-jihad-video-en-francais/
Le troisieme Jihad video- En francais
http://www.avraidire.eu/2009/12/lhorrible-realite-de-lislam/
L’horrible realite de l’Islam
Dites-moi si de tels actes sont perpetres sur notre planete au nom de Jesus. Quand va-t-on enfin se reveiller? Le politiquement correct m’ecoeure. Y a un moment il faut savoir dire ca suffit. Je ne voulais pas en arriver la mais pourquoi se voiler la face. Cette video vous mettra mal a l’aise. Et pourtant vous pouvez voir des films d’horreur. Mais cette horreur est bien reelle. Pour ceux qui croient que l’Islam est modere, jetez un coup d’oeil. Nos societes occidentales ne semblent pas se rendre compte de ce qui se passe a nos portes. Et pourtant ce meme Islam commence a prendre racine sur nos terres. Dieu nous epargne de voir de tels crimes sur notre continent, mais ce n’est pas une possibilte a exclure.
Coran. Sourate 8.12 : Et ton Seigneur révéla aux Anges : “Je suis avec vous : affermissez donc les croyants. Je vais jeter l’effroi dans les coeurs des mécréants. Frappez donc au-dessus des cous et frappez-les sur tous les bouts des doigts.
Coran 5.33 : . La récompense de ceux qui font la guerre contre Allah et Son messager, et qui s’efforcent de semer la corruption sur la terre, c’est qu’ils soient tués, ou crucifiés, ou que soient coupées leur main et leur jambe opposées, ou qu’ils soient expulsés du pays. Ce sera pour eux l’ignominie ici-bas; et dans l’au-delà, il y aura pour eux un énorme châtiment,
**AVERTISSEMENT** CETTE VIDEO CONTIENT DES IMAGES INSOUTENABLES, SI VOUS SAVEZ QUE CES FAITS EXISTENT DANS LE MONDE NE PRENEZ PAS LA PEINE DE LA REGARDER, SI VOUS N’EN AVEZ AUCUNE IDEE ALORS NE FERMEZ PAS LES YEUX.
http://www.avraidire.eu/2009/12/lhorrible-realite-de-lislam/
Apparently, the "stupid" people have a better understanding than the "smart" ones. Just don't equate the "smart" as being informed.
This is just one more in a long line of articles telling us how bad White Anglo Christians are. It has become so tired and old that I wonder when they will find a new angle. The entire history of conquest and slavery amoung Muslims is ALWAYS IGNORED! If you talk about it to Black/Liberal America you are looked at as on the fringe. If Sharpton, Jackson, Farakan, or Obama Been Rotten doesn't talk about it, then it didn't happen.
It can't be said enough:
"A conflict of values is NOT a misunderstanding."
That's because Muslims are killing people now, today. I laugh everytime I hear BS about the bogus "threat" of Global Warming when we know what's killing people today.
We (Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus) do NOT need to be educated on Islam. We need to educate those Americans (and Europeans)who don't know much about this ghastly religion and its proponents and demonstrate clearly and concisely just what an evil religion it is and how stupid and limited its followers really are. They chose to come and live amongst us. We certainly didn't encourage or want them and their filthy habits (spitting in the streets anyone?) and their huge Mosques.The reasons they are arriving in droves are varied, but the main one seems to be to convert us all by pain or torture (or both) and they will succeed if we continue to be such cissies and appeasers (educated, PC elite please take note). THEY fly planes into buildings, THEY try and explode bombs on our airliners, THEY go on murderous shooting sprees, THEY kill women on dubious whims like honour (honour, oh please!), THEY marry child brides - what further education on THEIR religion do WE need?
Yes, by all means let's educate the majority who are still unaware, but not in the way the PC brigade intends.
I am from India. I know more about islam than most of my Western friends. I have read the Koran . Let me say that knowing and understanding are two different things.My knoledge of the koran may be inadequate. yet , I understand what Islam means to other relegions.
No other nation has bent over backward for Islam as India has. India was partitioned by the muslims and they got Pakistan. Yet,In our partitioned India, Muslims have affirmative action laws favoring them .They have the right to set up and run educational institutions without governmental control.They have special grants and funds for the development of Muslim majority districts.Policies meant for appeasement and 'minority' votes.
..still..still India is one of the worst victims of ISLAMIC TERROR, third to only Iraq and Afghanistan. I may not know about Islam . But i understand muslims. Their demands keep on piling up .It does not matter how you treat them. Their violence needs no excuse.
Believe it or not, I was 19 years old (some years ago) when I regularly spouted off to anyone and everyone that, it was not Communism or anything else we had to fear, but Islam. Naturally, people looked at me like I had a screw loose. In the meantime, I began learning everything I could about this violent, evil, perverse religion with its false god, false book, and false prophet. We keep letting them in through the gates, and with numerous sleeper cells, and jihadist training camps within our own borders, it will be our own naivete and stupidity that will cause us much more sorrow to come. It is not right to hate Muslims; however, it is right to hate their perverse, violent way of life, which is called Islam. America had better wake up p.d.q., befor political correctness does us all in.
Dion,
Thanks for sharing that info about muslims in India.
Just wondering, when India was partitioned, why were some muslims allowed to stay in India? They all should have been forced to live in Pakistan.
Correct. Our leaders made that mistake ( and they continue to do so ).Hindus are divided. Muslims are united.The meia is liberal.
On the other hand America has an opportunity to learn from these mistakes.
ImNoDhimmi, Hindis and Muslims were living quite mixed before the partition of India. The division was needed, yet brutal. I don't remember exactly how many were killed, but it was a staggering number.
Afterwards, Britain was hesitant to confront Pakistan, for instance in Kashmir. Big mistake.
BTW, I think it would be good if Pakistan was to be dissolved.
Dion,
I recently had the opportunity to visit India, and actually met with Zakir Naik and had an extended conversation with him. I'm assuming you know of him.
How are Muslims given special privileges compared to others, if this is what's being said? Don't all non-Hindu minority religions have special rights in India? So is it that Muslims are more aggressively seeking to use these compared with Jains, Buddhists, and Christians, or are they actually, solely, seeking and being given special rights alone?
Naik certainly does not support or condone any kind of terrorism, including any that is committed by Muslims, though, admittedly, he may not be willing, it seems, to acknowledge Muslims as the attackers where that is commonly recognized. What is your assessment as to what portion of India's Muslims are involved in or in some way supporting attacks?
Interested in hearing more of your views and insights.
> Americans who acknowledged "a great deal" of bias toward Jews were
> much more likely to feel the same about Muslims. The survey results
> could not explain why the two prejudices are linked.
I would venture to guess that some Americans from the above category:
1. read about moslems and Jews always fighting in the ME, and
2. do not care to understand the intricate dynamics of such fighting.
So they find it easier to lump both moslems and Jews in the same boat and condemn the whole thing without further ado.
Yes, with proper education these Americans can be informed that it's consistently the moslems who are terrorizing everyone else, especially Jews, in the ME whereas the latter are just [forever] protecting themselves.
I've noticed that Hugh is considerably more optimistic about the general Western populace (when excepting those dastardly Elites) than seems warranted. Consider the description of this survey:
"In the poll, just over half of Americans said they felt no prejudice against Muslims. However, 43 percent acknowledged at least "a little" prejudice against Muslims..."
Nearly a decade after 911, and after innumerable other atrocities perpetrated and/or plotted by Muslims in various parts of the world including the U.S.A. and Canada since 911, and after innumerable public expressions (whether of riots, threats or outrageously intolerant speech), for over half of Americans to feel no prejudice against Muslims -- and for the 43 percent we are supposed to be encouraged about only acknowledging "a little" prejudice -- is still not tolerable; let alone should we be taking comfort in it as Hugh suggests. It is in fact strongly indicative of the glass being still much less than half empty.
Nota bene: I, and anyone else of elementary intelligence, should know that "prejudice" in this survey and report is a tendentious term for a healthy instinctive antipathy at worst, and an educated antipathy at best; for we know that the detectors of the dominant PC MC are calibrated on extreme hypersensitivity to regard any antipathy at all against Muslims -- even when it is not prejudice at all, not pre-judgment -- but learned judgment -- as "prejudice".
The prejudice against Jews is against the 75% of 'progressive' American Jews who gave us Obama and the dream of a third-world America bowing to its Islamic masters. Hell, I'm Jewish and I share the prejudice too.
With more education the prejudice will become postjudice.
Moving from suspecting deceit to recognizing its reality.
Where ever Mohammedans go and reproduce they bring with them the scourge of Islam. That pestilence called Islam, destroys all life like their "perfect man" who they revere, Mohammad the rapist, pedophile, mass murdering lowlife. Mohammedans have no value for human life to them it is blood letting and violence to appease their barbaric and perverted god allah. They are the masters of raping, pillaging, murdering, bombing, slaughter and kidnapping young non Muslims girls at a wholesale rate.
> Americans who acknowledged "a great deal" of bias toward Jews were
> much more likely to feel the same about Muslims. The survey results
> could not explain why the two prejudices are linked.
I would venture to guess that some Americans from the above category:
1. read about moslems and Jews always fighting in the ME, and
2. do not care to understand the intricate dynamics of such fighting.
So they find it easier to lump both moslems and Jews in the same boat and abhor the whole thing without further ado.
Yes, with better education these Americans can be told the truth: that it's consistently the moslems who are terrorizing everyone else, especially Jews, in the ME whereas the latter are just [forever] protecting themselves.
What astonishes me is that 53 percent of the Americans who participated in the survey either "get it", or at the very least smell the rat stinking in the walls of Islam.
I'm a dyed-in-the-wool pessimist, and have been since I was a zygote. That I see the glass as being half-full is unlike me. Still, maybe people are really starting to notice the incompatibility of Muslims and Islam with Americans and America.
Many of us read and post here, but how many read and decline to post, but nevertheless spread the word and recommend Jihad Watch to their friends and family?
Kudos to our lurkers!
Gee, I can't imagine why there would be any prejudice against them. Maybe if they stopped murdering/maiming/threatening/demanding/hating/pedophilia/beheading/whining/disrupting....you get the drift.
My comment at the link:
Islam makes the attainment of political goals a religious duty; in Islam politics-law-religion are inseparable. Islam's express ambition is to bring the world into a state of submission to 'allah' and 'divine' sharia law. Therefore, any promotion of sharia in any non-islamic nation is an act of sedition - it is incitement to insurrection, the over throw of that nation's government and its replacement with islamic sharia law. Sharia condemns liberty and forbids equality. Sharia violates the US Constitution. My dislike of the ideology of islam/sharia is rational, intelligent and sound. Your continued promotion of the proposition that islam is a religion of peace is biased, uninformed and suicidal.
All victimization of innocent people is reprehensible.
As an Islamophobe, lemme point out here that the adjective innocent disincludes Moslems, each and every one of them.
*** 33:21 ***
Adherence to Islam is a crime, or at least it should be. And a felony crime at that.
Speaking as an unabashed fundamentalist Christian, I don't think Americans are prejudiced at all when it comes to Muslims. It's not prejudice when you mistrust people whose loudest and most noteworthy spokesmen not only call you names, but declare it a religious duty to kill you.
Sure, the Jews deny the Messiah. Too bad. Yet how many Jews have tried to blow me up?
Sure, the Buddhists are benighted heathens. But, since the Boxer Rebellion in China, I haven't heard their spokesmen calling for my head.
Sure, the handful of demonstrators in Detroit who braved a midwestern winter to demand their own Muslim community's action against terrorism and a blogger who writes "The Mesopotamian" lead me to reconsider whether I shouldn't cut at least a few people some slack. But, just as the Crusaders' behavior in the Holy Land wasn't calculated to win long-lasting Muslim trust, neither are the various jihadi movements of today calculated to win Christian trust.
Speaking as an unabashed fundamentalist Christian, I don't think Americans are prejudiced at all when it comes to Muslims. It's not prejudice when you mistrust people whose loudest and most noteworthy spokesmen not only call you names, but declare it a religious duty to kill you.
Sure, the Jews deny the Messiah. Too bad. Yet how many Jews have tried to blow me up?
Sure, the Buddhists are benighted heathens. But, since the Boxer Rebellion in China, I haven't heard their spokesmen calling for my head.
Sure, the handful of demonstrators in Detroit who braved a midwestern winter to demand their own Muslim community's action against terrorism and a blogger who writes "The Mesopotamian" lead me to reconsider whether I shouldn't cut at least a few people some slack. But, just as the Crusaders' behavior in the Holy Land wasn't calculated to win long-lasting Muslim trust, neither are the various jihadi movements of today calculated to win Christian trust.
Question is.Do the respondents who have a favourable view
of Muslims more informed about Islam than the ones whose
views aren't favourable? Maybe the view that Islam is a
benign faith is based on the perception that the term
"religion" stands for peace and good moral values.
Interestingly, nobody here mentioned their parents, or even opinions formed before 9/11. Was no-one told by their parents about Islam? Did anyone read history books pre-9/11 which led to "prejudice"?
Or has all the "prejudice" come about since the attacks began and/or since the arrival in large numbers of members of "the religion of peace"?
If our parents had said anything, would we have listened anyway? We have grown up in an era which has taught us to consider our parents ignorant; of all my peers, for instance, I was the only one I knew of who actually asked my mother for advice when I had babies: everyone else consulted new "experts". My parents didn't mention Islam specifically, I don't think, but they did talk about the East and agreed with Kipling ("East is East and West is West..."), so I grew up with a Weltanshauung which made me doubtful about multiculturalism from the outset. (This was tempered somewhat by the glee of my peers who felt that MC brought sophistication, and yes, in some ways it did.)
In any case, the "prejudice" now being used by people such as Dalia Mogahed - paid with American people's taxes to rebuke and castigate them - has occurred AFTER Muslims began to behave badly on US soil. Why not ask respondents next time what led to their "prejudice"? Then categorise the replies. And keep surveying often.
THEN ask Miss Mogahed to put THAT information in her pipe and smoke it!
After 9/11 and Fort Hood, Americans shouldn't be just twice as likely to express prejudice against Muslims as against other religions, it should be more like 100 times as likely. All Muslims contribute to humanity is death and destruction on an epic scale. The US has had 9/11 and Fort Hood. The Spaniards have had Madrid. We in Britain 7/7. India has had Mumbai, and Israel countless atrocities. Muslim heathens murder infidels because they're infidels. Luxor back in 1997 opened my eyes for good. Islam is an evil cult and Muslims are evil. End of. They've got a 1,400 years track record of evil and that won't change regardless of how much we subsidise them to the hilt. They're not grateful for anything we do for them, because Allah willed it. So it is time we stoppesd subsidising them and giving them aid, and more to the point stopped letting them into the West, although that should have been done 30 or more years ago. Enoch Powell was right 42 years ago, with his Rivers of Blood speech, and Muslims have certainly brought rivers of blood to the West.
Here's a thot...and it happens to be a fact.
Mohammad was neither Black nor African. When he raised up his arms, his armpits were white.
I have documentation on this fact...but, won't be able to share it until early Feb.
But, folks here at JW probably know all this, but I think it's interesting. So many people think Mohammad was a black man. Nope, he wasn't.
PG - I knew a few things about Islam before 9/11.
1. I knew about the 'apostasy law', from reading two little paperbacks containing the testimony of two Pakistani Muslim women of good family - from wealthy, somewhat westernised, 'moderate' Muslim families - who had apostasised from Islam to Christianity and had, as a result, been threatened with death by their nearest-and-dearest, and indeed, forced to flee Pakistan to save their lives. The first was 'The Torn Veil' by Gulshan Esther; the second was 'I Dared to Call Him [i.e. God - dda] Father', by Bilquis Sheikh. These books also included a good deal of incidental information about what Muslim societies are like.
2. I had the information of a missionary couple from our church who had spent most of their career in Pakistan with the Anglican Church there. Speaking of Islam, the husband said to me one day, "This kind cometh not out save by prayer and fasting". In other words, he equated Islam with the worst kind of demonic force.
3. I had read a historical novel by Dorothy Dunnett, 'Pawn in Frankincense". It contains a non-PC account of a dhimmi society - Greece, under the Ottoman Muslims, 16th century - and I learnt a LOT about the devshirme, and about Muslim sexual abuse of young children.
4. I had read the Koran in the N Dawood translation, and noticed the way that it appropriated and distorted (indeed, reversed) Biblical figures and stories and had picked up on the all-pervasiveness of violence. It felt to me like a dangerous, violent 'cult text'.
As a result, I was not in the least surprised by the news that Muslims had perpetrated the 9/11 attack.
Dda: Neither was I: but I was shocked by the nasty response here. Mind you, I was on my way to Melbourne Uni the day of the attack, but still I was shocked. Most of the people I met were actually gloating. A Chinese woman I talked to said,"We are glad; Chinese people hate Americans." It was a lonely day for me, the beginning of a long period when distant writers, mostly American and writing on the Internet, were my only "friends."
PG, in response to your question about how many commenters here knew anything about Islam before 9/11 based on what they picked up from their parents. The simple answer in my case is - absolutely nothing, nada, zilch. My parents were not knowledgeable about the world outside of their Midwestern farming community, and were distrustful of even Catholics, more so of Jews, still more of blacks - even though there weren't actually any of these in our community - and other minorities didn't register enough to elicit an opinion. They would have been hard pressed to explain the differences among various countries and cultures, for the simple reason that they had never personally met people from them, but they would certainly have viewed them with extreme suspicion and mistrust if they had. All religions that were even slightly at variance with their's were products of the Devil and their adherents were destined to spend eternity in Hell. It was a world where kids attended summer vacation bible school and competed to see who could recite the names of the sixty-six books of the bible - in reverse order - and where tent revivals were still popular. It was a simple world, and probably gone forever.
As for me, I had visited the ME and had started learning about Islam well before 9/11. I was at that time only sketchily aware of Islamic history, but enough to catch and understand Bin Laden's allusion to the abolition of the caliphate by Ataturk after WWI in his statements immediately following 9/11. Same with Al-Zarqawi's bitter denunciations of the rafadite dogs and the Shi'ite traitor who delivered Baghdad to Hulagu Khan in 1258 (too bad Z's wonderful tirades were abruptly brought to a halt when he was introduced to his 72 virgins with the help of a 500 lb precision guided bomb. They were packed with nuggets of Islamic history, and I was rather starting to enjoy reading them and tracking down their obscure references when they stopped). Ayman Al-Zawahiri has been trying to take up the slack, but he's no Al-Zarqawi, let me tell you. I previously knew of Al-Zawahiri's connetions to the Muslim Brotherhood, the reasons behind Sadat's assassination, and had read Sayeed Qutb's "Milestones." I had not yet read the Qur'an, however. It was Robert Spencer who introduced me to this mysterious document, thereby opening up a whole new world wherein lies the key to understanding many of the events that are otherwise reported by the MSM as occurring without apparent cause.
Islamic history may be an old subject for the citizens of the ME, but it obviously is not for most in the West, especially in the U.S. Before 9/11, there were two diametrically opposed faces presented by Muslims to the West, neither of them in good focus. There was the exotic face of Ali Baba, replete with flying carpets and exotic belly dancers and magic lamps. Then there was another, menacing face partially hidden in the shadows, one that made the hair rise on the back of one's neck for reasons that weren't really understood, but menacing nevertheless and apparently connected to violence. No one really seemed to know quite what the connection was, but there were all these incidents around the world, the 1972 Olympics, the Achille Lauro, embassy bombings - and even though all the perpetrators for some reason always seemed to be Muslim, the connection between their actions and Islam was never made clear. Robert's books and this web site have gone a long way toward helping to make the connection clear and to dispell the fog that has shrouded the subject.
More and more Westerners are beginning to understand what our leaders have been trying to cover up or hide from us, ironically even while the Jihadists themselves have been killing themselves, along with us, trying to tell us of their motives. This is why JihadWatch is so important, as a source, available to all, that connects otherwise unconnected dots in reports from the MSM and the blather coming from our politicians. Where else would we get this information besides at these wonderful sites by Robert, and Pamela, and Brigitte, and others?
Request for Robert: JW used to have a SiteMeter link that showed how many hits the blog received. It no longer seems to be there. How about putting it back up?