Hard_Rom
Northumbrian Skald
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2014
- Posts
- 13,623
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...tes-a-superficial_us_59220505e4b0b28a33f62d6a
First, why go to Saudi Arabia to “unify” Muslims? The idea that Muslims need Trump, of all people, to unify us is insulting. Moreover, the Saudis are not “leaders of the Muslim world.” They constitute less than 2% of the Muslim population worldwide, and they are extreme on the spectrum of Muslim interpretation. Most Muslims in the world do not like Saudi policies or their state religion, which is a combination of the conservative, misogynistic culture of the Arabian Peninsula and a narrow interpretation of Islam.
Nobody likes to be lectured at, particularly by someone who consistently makes prejudiced and racist statements about those he’s lecturing. Nonsensical Islamophobic statements have been a hallmark of Trump’s rhetoric.
Religion is not what motivates the vast majority of Muslim terrorists. Terrorists themselves repeatedly assert that they acted because of political grievances, not religion. Didier Francois spent ten months with ISIS and said he never saw a Qur’an or had a talk about religion; rather, he and ISIS members talked about politics. Lydia Wilson at Oxford interviewed Iraqi ISIS fighters and found that they knew little of Islam and had joined ISIS because ISIS paid them – after the US invasion of Iraq, they couldn’t find means to support their families.
The United States and other European nations have supported Muslim dictators for decades, even against democratically elected governments. In fact, the United States has helped overthrow democratic governments in Muslim-majority countries. ISIS was born from the chaos the United States caused in Iraq. Al-Qaeda and ISIS target the United States because they resent U.S. foreign policy: U.S. support of authoritarian governments in their countries, U.S. military bases in their countries, the treatment of Palestinians, and the relentless Western demonization of Muslims.
Want to reduce terrorism, President Trump? Then address those political problems. Pressure the Iraqi government to stop oppressing Sunni Muslims. Pressure Israel to stop building illegal settlements. Stop supporting repressive governments, like that in Egypt. Support the many numerous democratic and progressive movements in Muslim-majority countries, including in Iran. And stop demonizing Muslims.
First, why go to Saudi Arabia to “unify” Muslims? The idea that Muslims need Trump, of all people, to unify us is insulting. Moreover, the Saudis are not “leaders of the Muslim world.” They constitute less than 2% of the Muslim population worldwide, and they are extreme on the spectrum of Muslim interpretation. Most Muslims in the world do not like Saudi policies or their state religion, which is a combination of the conservative, misogynistic culture of the Arabian Peninsula and a narrow interpretation of Islam.
Nobody likes to be lectured at, particularly by someone who consistently makes prejudiced and racist statements about those he’s lecturing. Nonsensical Islamophobic statements have been a hallmark of Trump’s rhetoric.
Religion is not what motivates the vast majority of Muslim terrorists. Terrorists themselves repeatedly assert that they acted because of political grievances, not religion. Didier Francois spent ten months with ISIS and said he never saw a Qur’an or had a talk about religion; rather, he and ISIS members talked about politics. Lydia Wilson at Oxford interviewed Iraqi ISIS fighters and found that they knew little of Islam and had joined ISIS because ISIS paid them – after the US invasion of Iraq, they couldn’t find means to support their families.
The United States and other European nations have supported Muslim dictators for decades, even against democratically elected governments. In fact, the United States has helped overthrow democratic governments in Muslim-majority countries. ISIS was born from the chaos the United States caused in Iraq. Al-Qaeda and ISIS target the United States because they resent U.S. foreign policy: U.S. support of authoritarian governments in their countries, U.S. military bases in their countries, the treatment of Palestinians, and the relentless Western demonization of Muslims.
Want to reduce terrorism, President Trump? Then address those political problems. Pressure the Iraqi government to stop oppressing Sunni Muslims. Pressure Israel to stop building illegal settlements. Stop supporting repressive governments, like that in Egypt. Support the many numerous democratic and progressive movements in Muslim-majority countries, including in Iran. And stop demonizing Muslims.
