Interesting article. It relates to gs folks a lot I would say. Just my personal view.
*Is this the way to win the battle for Muslim hearts and minds? *
Pundits and leader writers in the West appear genuinely perplexed by the stunning Muslim response to Quran desecration reports. They don’t say it in so many words but it’s clear that the intensity of expressions of outrage across the Muslim world from Morocco to Malaysia has really left the West bewildered and wondering: What’s wrong with this community? How can a passing reference to a small incident involving the Book make it so angry? Trouble is the secular West can never truly understand or empathize with the Muslim approach to faith. The majority of Muslims continues to believe that their all-encompassing faith should and must guide in all aspects of their life as it’s sent by Allah Almighty for the benefit of all mankind and to serve as the eternal source of guidance for all times to come.
On the other hand, the West or Christendom has developed a robust skepticism, or contempt if you please, for all things religious. Nothing viewed as sacred by the rest of the world is sacred anymore in Western eyes.
If the majority of the Christian West has over the centuries developed a disconcerting disillusionment with their faith and today sees faith in general as the private affair of an individual which at best should remain restricted to the four walls of local church, the Church itself is to blame.
But even assuming the brave American soldiers at the Guantanamo Bay were not aware of the Muslim sensitivities, it is hard to interpret the Quran desecration as a careless act of ignorant GIs. I mean how callous and how indifferent can you get? And how many times the US authorities will blame such outrageous acts on a 'few rotten apples'? From Afghanistan to Abu Ghraib to Guantanamo Bay - there is an endless trail of rotten apples. The whole basket, it seems, is affected by the rot.
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MQ, these same rotten apples are the mod-Muslim's apple of the eyes...They wish to see them come to their lands and do the same...Liberty, freedom and democracy...
Remember the book burning day during the Nazis? When every non-Aryan literature was burned...
"And how many times muslims will blame terrorist acts on a 'few rotten apples'? From 9-11 to Mecca to Spain - there is an endless trail of rotten apples. The whole basket, it seems, is affected by the rot. "
The battle for hearts and minds has been lost forever the dirty amerikans shot themselves in the foot with their failed blueprints and missions.
What they have done in the last 2 years islamic groups could not achieve in i would say 50 years. The yanks have done the biggest favour for islamists and they still don’t know what they have done for us
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Pundits and leader writers in the West appear genuinely perplexed by the stunning Muslim response to Quran desecration reports. They don't say it in so many words but it's clear that the intensity of expressions of outrage across the Muslim world from Morocco to Malaysia has really left the West bewildered and wondering: What's wrong with this community? How can a passing reference to a small incident involving the Book make it so angry?
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Too tired to read the rest, going to take a nap. This is so totally written without rancor and without being confrontational. Purely for discussion and to give another viewpoint and feeling.
M_Q - It may be that the same people (like myself sometimes) who listen and watch while Muslim kills Muslim in Mosque's and in the streets on an almost daily basis in different self-proclaimed Islamic countries are truly amazed that they so carelessly can take a life and rationalize taking lives but not tolerate someone marring a page of the Quran (AND will kill in protest of this). It is simply a misplacement of priorities to us and truthfully extremely hard to comprehend.
Not because we have lost respect for relgion and religious values, but that the reaction to the Quran incident borders on idolatry and hypocrisy since lives are deemed far less important (in the eyes of people who see no protests over Muslims being killed daily not to mention seeing the justifications for killing other Muslims).
Again, an opinion and some POV from a fight I have with my husband at times over who deserves to be killed and who doesn't.
lostsoul - this is one area where our (my husband and I) religions clash and it is not a pretty sight at all. Especially when we speak about Iraq and the citizens (not the soldiers) who die at the hands of their own people. He thinks not that this is acceptable really, but understandable and tolerable and a part of pride, I guess. AND he got very upset about the Quran being desecrated right after defending the actions of the insurgent forces and I'm just blown away.
I have mentioned before that in some areas my husband and I really don't see eye to eye and those areas are two of the ones where we get hot.
I don't know, I guess I understand the need for defending yourself and pride but I don't understand the silence about death if at the hands of another Muslim. Not just in those instances but in cases like Saddam while he was ruling, Edi Amin, Darfur, etc. But a book (more than a book, I understand, but in context with what I am saying) is flushed down a tiolet and the response is ridiculous in comparison and people are, surprise, surprise, killed.
Ok - yeah, venting a bit, our last arguement about this was last night, so it is still fresh.
Who is silent when saddam insane killed civillains the same saddam who was CIA employee for decades rumsfield best chum in the middle east.
The only ones that where silent where the ones gassed to death by amerikan chemical weapons and bombs sold to saddam. Where you get this muslims where silent if your media is not interested then obviously you not going to hear nothing about what is going on other side of the world
I’ve answered people with this sentiment repeatedly before..but here goes again..it’s question of context..what goes on within a country is treated differently too an invasion. If we were to use your logic the Allied powers in WW 2 were hypocritical in saying Hitler and co were genocidal maniacs while Stalin was not. Stalin killed more people in his time then Hitler did but was a steadfast ally of the Allied powers till 1948. Why the difference? Hitler invaded sovereign countries Stalin did not (as much the Baltic and Poland were forgotten after WW 2). Similarly in the US more Americans died in the US civil war then in any subsequent wars.
As far as people being killed in response to the NEWSWEEK story, again a crucial lack of insight is missing in your comments. People were killed in one demo in Kabul, whereas there have been hundreds of demos across the Muslim world and outside it which went on harmlessly..whats going on in Kabul is because of multiple factors..the story was just a trigger..
The factor that is missing from your statements is..a lack of understanding of how protest demonstrations work..a lack of understanding of how multiple grivenaces against the US are starting to accumulate..a lack of understanding of the different dynamics between invasion of nation states and civil wars.
Lastly, i think the fighting between Iraqis is also bothering you..again the targetting of “collaborators” is a very common aspect of any insurgency. Whether the insurgents are justfied or not is another issue…and another discussion
if your media is not interested then obviously you not going to hear nothing about what is going on other side of the world