This blog explores the contemporary political and cultural trends from a distinct perspective
Why Terrorism doesnot have a religion
Published on July 24, 2011 By Bahu Virupaksha In Current Events

Norway has always regarded it self as the conscience of the civilized world. The self appointed custodian of "western values" was always quick to defend every terrorist group in the world the latest being the LTTE, the terrorist group which was responsible for killing more than 50,000 civilians. Norway was one of the prominent EU countries which followed a split policy on terrorism: condemn the state if it tries to defend the territorial integrity of the country, but always defend sundry terrorist and anarchist groups in the name of human rights. Norway had no qualms about signing up for the War on Terror crafted by the US under the leadership of Bush and Blair. Always following an aggressive policy of promoting Western geo -strategic interests, Norway maintained the "high moral" ground by adopting a hectoring tone when it came to countries like Sri Lanka which faced one of the worst terrorist groups in the world with cynide capsules and human bombs.

The Western media always labels political acts of violence anywhere in the world with a religious tag. Thus we have the well known category of Islamic terrorism. Given this fact can we call the massacre of 94 young people on the island of Uteoya  by Anders Behring Breivik as an act of Christian terrorism just as the world seems to recognize the existence of Islamic terrorism. There is an eerie similarity in the planning and execution of the plot with Timothy McVeigh's Oklahoma Federal Building bombing nearly a decade back. McVeigh too was inspired by fundamentalist Christian values and he too used ammonium nitrate as the explosive charge for  the bomb.

The suggestion that there is a Christian terrorism is just as wrong as the assertion that there is Islamic terrorism. The Moslem countries have certain grievances which must be addressed and they are all of a political nature, By giving a religious complexion to protest and its attendent violence the Western world is basically evading its own responsibility is generating the grievances that lead to violence. Norway with its ruling labour Party has followed a policy of giving shelter to groups that will be labeled terrorist by any definition.

The man who killed 94 young people and blew up the Prime Minister's office in downtown Oslo was a home grown terrorist and I am sure that Norway will be more circumspect while condemning other state for protecting the territorial integrity of the state.

 



 


Comments (Page 2)
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on Jul 27, 2011

The fact that most of the terrorism we see happens in and by Moslems is due to the fact that there are unresolved political grievances in that part of the world.

What unresolved political grievances might that be? And why would they cause terrorism?

There is a place with lots of unresolved political grievances, sub-Sahran Africa. But Africans do not resort to terrorism (except for Muslim Nigerians and Muslim Somalis, apparently).

Terrorists are a product of failed cultures. People believe they are due a higher social status just because they are believers of the "true religion" or true ideology and when physics disagrees, they resort to violence to "rectify" the universe.

This applies to Muslim terrorists and it applies to the Norwegian nutter.

 

The Two State solution for the Palestine-Israle tangle has been suggested evenby the USA but you  know who is stalling. If this issue is settled there is one grievance less.

Yes, we know who is stalling. The Palestinians refuse to talk, they refuse to root out terrorism, they refuse to remain true to the peace treaty. They are, if you want to put it that way, "stalling".

The Israelis are ready to talk and have been waiting for years for the Palestinians to answer. But the Palestinians prefer to talk to everybody else, the Americans, the Europeans, other Arabs, the UN, everyone but the Israelis.

on Jul 27, 2011

As far as the cause of Islamic hatred, violence and terrorist assaults all over the world. one can blame this and one can blame that, but in the end one must believe that terrorism is latent within Islam. It just is.

The funny thing is that everybody knows that. For all the talk about "Christian fundamentalists" and "violent Jews", it is still Muslims that are distrusted by everyone.

Just propose the following thought experiment to those who pretend their views were different.

Dress up as a Christian/Jew/Muslim/atheist and walk through a Christian/Jewish/Muslim/secular city. Which combination would you rather leave to your opponents?

The fact is that no Jew or Muslim fears Christian cities in the US. And no Muslim in Europe feels the need to hide his religion or ethnicity (they walk around in their traditional garb). Everybody knows this.

People distrust Muslims more than they must and are willing to admit it less than they should.

 

on Jul 27, 2011

I think many who have jumped into the polemics between "Christian Terrorism" and "Islamic Terrorism" seem to have forgotten the history of the 20th century. The entire philosophy behind the Holocaust was rooted in Christianity. The anti semitism which was sanctioned by both Roman Catholic faith and Lutherern church (Martin Luther was a notorious anti semite) was the outcome of the alleged hand of the Jews in killing the Saviour. Now no one in his right mind will say that Holocaust was a Christian crime and tar the entire community of believers with the same brush. Yet Islam can be tarred and feathered without anyone raising as much as an eyebrow. If one person draws attention to certain inconvenient truths then he is an apologist for terror.

I do not think of the Norwegian as a Christian Terrorist and by the samr token the lateMr Osama Bin Laden, a terrorist he undoubtedly was, happened to be a Muslim'

on Jul 27, 2011

Now no one in his right mind will say that Holocaust was a Christian crime and tar the entire community of believers with the same brush.

The Holocaust was a gigantic failure of the Christian community. And boy would I blame Christians for it if not for the large number of Christians who very vocally speak up against fascism (and Islamism) today and support Jews and Israel with all their heart. Christians, especially American Christians, showed that the Holocaust was not a Christian crime.

Once a large number of Muslims speaks up likewise, without reservations, I will likewise accept that Bin Laden and all the others are not "Islamic terrorists".

Yet Islam can be tarred and feathered without anyone raising as much as an eyebrow.

You are not supporting your position very well by proposing absolutely ludicrous statements. The media are and have been full of articles explaining why terrorism is not Islam and why the terrorists are just "desperate" and "poor" and how Islam means "peace" (It doesn't) and is super-friendly and regards women highly and so on.

To claim that you feel that our society allows Islam to be "tarred and featered" is to admit that you don't read newspapers and never watch the news. It doesn't help your position at all.

 

on Jul 27, 2011

Well, this is a nice way to call attention to an article. Disregard all calls of terrorist attacks based on Islamic religious beliefs and call what is obviously politically motivated, Christian terrorism. They say if you look hard enough you may actually convince yourself that there is really something there, looks like Bahu dug so deep he convinced himself of this.

on Jul 27, 2011

Leauki
You are not supporting your position very well by proposing absolutely ludicrous statements. The media are and have been full of articles explaining why terrorism is not Islam and why the terrorists are just "desperate" and "poor" and how Islam means "peace" (It doesn't) and is super-friendly and regards women highly and so on.

To claim that you feel that our society allows Islam to be "tarred and featered" is to admit that you don't read newspapers and never watch the news. It doesn't help your position at all.

Trying to change history again I see. Lets see some links to these MSM stories of "super-friendly and regards women highly and so on".

I am not to sure what was meant by "tarred and feathered" but I guess killing hundreds of thousands of civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya and Palestine does not fit into that description for you. Almost every day on the news is filled with "civilians killed" stories by drones and bombs and nobody does bat an eye. Almost a hundred civilians in Norway and the MSM freaks out.

http://www.iraqbodycount.org/  102,008 – 111,498 CIVILIANS

http://cursor.org/stories/civilian_deaths.htm

March 2002

When U.S. warplanes strafed [with AC-130 gunships] the farming village of Chowkar-Karez, 25 miles north of Kandahar on October 22-23rd,killing at least 93 civilians, a Pentagon official said, "the people there are dead because we wanted them dead." The reason? They sympathized with the Taliban1. When asked about the Chowkar incident, Rumsfeld replied,"I cannot deal with that particular village."2

93 civilians in 1 raid and not one bit of outrage by anyone, the story did not make the top news every day. Was that pilot a quack or a nut or a wack job? No way, they are heroes. LMFAO

 

on Jul 27, 2011

Bahu Virupaksha
As I have said revealed religions do have a tendency to believe that god is on their side and are therefore expansionist.

You keep saying "revealed religions" as though there is more than one. 

Here is something for you to think about.

Granted there are many organized religions of the world, but only one religion can be the true religion of Almighty God. 

There is but one Infinite Holy God, hence there cannot be more than one religion of God's making. The very existence of two or three or two hundred are inferentially a denial of the Oneness of God. God is Absolute, Eternal and Truth Eternal and does not contradict Himself as do the varying religions claiming to be of God.

The world has only had one religion of God's making, That revealed religion was ancient Hebraic Judaism which contained the Promise, Christ, Who revealed Christianity. Therefore Catholics hold their religion with its Christ instituted priesthood and sacrifice to be anceint Judaism full blossomed.

 

 

on Jul 27, 2011


Bahu Virupaksha
As I have said revealed religions do have a tendency to believe that god is on their side and are therefore expansionist. Salvation and Empire perhaps are two sides of the same coin.

Salvation and empire may be two sides of the same coin for those who practice Islam but they aren't for those practicing Christianity.

In Almighty God's salvation plan, we see salvation in convenantal terms which reveal a consistent pattern of how God deals with people of every age and the empires they build.

Before the end of the world, many empires will end. The Babylonian world ended. So did the world of Pharoahs. The ancient Hebraic Israelite empire ended as did the Second Temple Jews. The Roman Empire ended as did the Byzantine. All these great empires ended as will those in our present world come to an end.

Empires come and go however, salvation is all about Christ and His commands and He taught His everlasting Kingdom is not of this world.   

 

on Jul 27, 2011

myfist0
93 civilians in 1 raid and not one bit of outrage by anyone, the story did not make the top news every day. Was that pilot a quack or a nut or a wack job? No way, they are heroes. LMFAO

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/world/asia/10afghanistan.html

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-07-14-United-Nations-Afghanistan-Ban-Ki-Moon-Taliban-civilian-deaths_n.htm

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/01/15/taliban-cause-most-civilian-deaths-but-u-s-gets-the-blame/

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/07/14/501364/main20079401.shtml

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/09/afghanistan-insurgents-civilian-victims

http://www.conflictmonitors.org/countries/afghanistan/facts-and-figures/casualties/civilians

Of course it's a payday if the coalition can be held accountable for civilian deaths. The Taliban might send a sympathy card. The same held/holds true for Iraq and Pakistan. What don't people understand about war? How many tens of thousands were killed in individual bombing raids in WWII? If you ask me it's the lack of brutality that has these wars lasting longer than they should. The kinder gentler war that fails to horrify the enemy into demanding it's leaders to capitulate, prolongs the slow bleed and minimizes the urge to end the "terrible" conflict. Lack of sacrifice breeds apathy. People carry on their daily lives oblivious to a "war" in progress with exception of a few mentions on the news or in the paper. 

on Jul 27, 2011

 

lulapilgrim
Islam defines the entire non-Muslim world as the House of War (dar al-harb). It is acceptable to always lie and deceive non-Muslims.

Bahu Virupaksha
Concepts like darul-ul-Islam and Darul-ul-harb are rooted in the context , historical and intellectual in which they arise and hence have to be viewed aginst that horizon.

It's not difficult to understand Islam's traditional division of the human world into two houses. Here Islamic theology blends with political expectations. The "House of Islam,  is the God hallowed realm that embodies God's purpose on earth, and the "House of War" is composed of all those who have not yet submitted to Allah and his prophet, Mohammed. 

From there it's a small step to the Muslim conviction that as Bernard Lewis writes in Muslim Discovery of Europe, "The Islamic state [is] the only truly legitimate power on earth and the Islamic community the sole repository of truth and enlightenment, surrounded on all sides by an outer darkness of barbarism and unbelief."

 

Bahu Virupaksha
But today's violence cannot be laid at the doorstep of Islam because even if we grant the extreme violence with which the religion spread, there is also the injunction of theProphet, do not convert by force.

Are you forgetting that prophet produced the Qur'an which is filled with commands to use violence in the service of Islam and Islamic nations?

The Qur'an says: Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and his messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of truth, from among the people of the book [the Bible], until they pay the jizyah [tribute], with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

In other words, violence is to be used against Jews and Christians unless they are willing to pay a special tax and live in  subjection to Muslims. For them the choice is convert, die or live in subjection.

When we hear Islam is a religion of peace that means the peace that will come when everyone is Muslim or at least subject to the Islamic state. And to establish that peace Muslims must wage war.

 

on Jul 27, 2011

myfist0
93 civilians in 1 raid and not one bit of outrage by anyone,

Your comment and Nitro's response made me think of another point. That of war what is reported as far as the casualities depends on who is President. When a Republican is president then the war stories, the numbers killed, etc. abound as do the protestors but we seldom hear a report when a liberal is commander in chief. 

 

 

on Jul 27, 2011

[quote

]From there it's a small step to the Muslim conviction that as Bernard Lewis writes in Muslim Discovery of Europe, "The Islamic state [is] the only truly legitimate power on earth and the Islamic community the sole repository of truth and enlightenment, surrounded on all sides by an outer darkness of barbarism and unbelief." [/quote]

You keep saying "revealed religions" as though there is more than one.

This is a matter of individual choice.

As Prof Bernard Lewis himself state in severl of his works, Islam arose at a time when 3 empires were located at the fringes of the Arabian Peninsula--the Sasanian Empire in Persia, the Byzantine Empire and the decaying Roman Empire. There is a recent book covering all this well: Pocock's Barbarism and Religion vol iii. So warfare was necessary right from the very beginning and left its imprint on the prectice of Islamic statecraft. In anycase even in the worst excesses ofIslam, and there were a few, there is nothing compared to the excesses of the West marching under the "civilised" banner of Christianity. The Holocaust is only the most recent. If you tote up the nember of human being being killed everday by US and their NATO allies the number is staggering around 90-100. Let us not demonise Islam because it serves our political purposes

on Jul 28, 2011

Nitro Cruiser, I asked for links to your assertions that the media makes about Muslims

The media are and have been full of articles explaining why terrorism is not Islam and why the terrorists are just "desperate" and "poor" and how Islam means "peace" (It doesn't) and is super-friendly and regards women highly and so on.

I have seen the media in Canada show that all Islam are not terrorists and I have also seen that the KKK does not represent all Christians and not all Jews are Zionists. Sounds reasonable to me. You can't lump the actions of a few to the whole group. That would make every cop a thug and every priest a pedo and every human being a greedy sadistic psychopath.

The kinder gentler war that fails to horrify the enemy into demanding it's leaders to capitulate

Wow, do you actually read what you type? I guess you're not horrifying them enough yet.
I do agree with you somewhat here. That is the exact reason the Americans made it law about filming soldiers coffins because if dead soldiers are not on American TV, Americans believe that no Americans die. In Canada, every station turned to the "Highway of Heros" when our fallen returned and most Canadians stopped what they were doing and paid their respects. We don't need brainwashing.

on Jul 28, 2011

Enough about the Frickin' Crusades, already.  Deal with present reality, Bahu, instead of rehashing bullshit justifications & excuses for barbarism.  Which will never go away, BTW - history is history.  I, for one, prefer the 21st century to the 12th.

on Jul 28, 2011

[quote]Enough about the Frickin' Crusades, already. Deal with present reality, Bahu, instead of rehashing bullshit justifications & excuses for barbarism. Which will never go away, BTW - history is history. I, for one, prefer the 21st century to the 12th.[/quo

I have not referred to the Crusades at all. I am referring to the people who are getting killed by NATO/US bombs everyday. If killing Iraqis in large numbers as the US has done and now the Libyans will it not provoke a backlash. You cannot escape from the burden of history try as you maight.

And I will also say that the Norwegian example will become more contageous.

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