$100,000 for the head of an old cartoonist?

[MaddLlama]

So, what? Please explain what this has to do with the topic.

I'm just saying the influential is subjective, and showing that saying that Al-Queda supports something doesn't mean much.

 

[YmirGF]

I'm just saying the influential is subjective, and showing that saying that Al-Queda supports something doesn't mean much.

I'd be rather surprised if they didn't support it.

 

[jonny]

Google Zogby.

Thanks. I was actually expecting to find out that the influence of Al Qaeda was minor. The stuff I read on Zogby seems to indicate otherwise:

[FONT=georgia,new york,times,serif]As for attitudes about al-Qaeda itself, an average of 15 percent of respondents said they supported the group's attacks on U.S. targets; while 23 percent said they oppose such attacks but share the group's attitudes toward the United States. Another 26 percent said they oppose both its attacks and its attitudes towards the U.S., while 37 percent (including two-thirds of all Pakistanis) declined to answer. Support for attacks on U.S. targets was highest in the two Arab states, Egypt (25 percent) and Indonesia (15 percent).[/FONT]
[FONT=georgia,new york,times,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=georgia,new york,times,serif]But respondents made a clear distinction between what kinds of attacks they considered permissible. While an average of about half of all respondents (and much higher percentages in the two Arab states) said they either "strongly" or "somewhat" approved of attacks against U.S. soldiers in Iraq and elsewhere in the region, only a tiny fraction -- well under 10 percent -- said they approved of attacks against civilians, either in the region or in the United States.[/FONT]
[FONT=georgia,new york,times,serif][/FONT]
[FONT=georgia,new york,times,serif]At the same time, the survey found more ambiguous responses to questions about al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Small pluralities in Egypt (40 percent), and Pakistan and Morocco (27 percent) said they had generally "positive" impressions of him, as opposed to "mixed" or "negative" views. In Indonesia, views were more evenly split. [/FONT]

Zogby International

I was actually having a hard time finding a study to look at. Do you have something more helpful?

 

[jonny]

I'm just saying the influential is subjective, and showing that saying that Al-Queda supports something doesn't mean much.

Doesn't it?

Five percent of America’s 2.35 million Muslims declared that they hold a favorable view of al Qaeda, but 27% of the Muslims surveyed refused to answer that question.

The 32% that expressed support for al Qaeda, or declined to condemn them, represents more than 600,000 Muslims in the United States.

Good News: More than 100,000 American Muslims Support Al-Qaeda - HUMAN EVENTS

 

[Booko]

I was actually having a hard time finding a study to look at. Do you have something more helpful?

Try Pew Research. They have some really good studies on the subject of attitudes of Muslims the world over, broken down by country even.

 

[jonny]

Osama bin Laden

The Muslim publics surveyed hold mixed views of Osama bin Laden. In Lebanon, only 2% report even some confidence in the Al Qaeda leader and in Turkey only 7% do so. In Morocco, just 26% now say they have a lot or some confidence in bin Laden, down from 49% two years ago.
In Indonesia, the public is now about evenly split with 35% saying they place at least some confidence in bin Laden and 37% saying they have little or none, a major loss of confidence from the 58% to 36% split recorded in May 2003. Among Indonesians, confidence in the Al Qaeda leader is lower among older citizens but is higher among the more affluent. Among those ages 18-34, 39% express a lot or some confidence in bin Laden compared with less than a third of those 35 and over. However, while only 32% of people in the bottom income tier have confidence in bin Laden, 37% of middle-income and 42% of higher-income people do so.


In only two countries, Pakistan and Jordan, has support for the Al Qaeda leader increased. In Pakistan, slightly more than half now place a lot or some confidence in bin Laden, an increase from the 45% who said so in 2003. Among Pakistanis, gender is a significant dividing line with nearly two-in-three men (65%) reporting a lot or some confidence in bin Laden, compared with 36% of women.


In Jordan, support for bin Laden has risen slightly, although the percentage saying they have a lot of confidence in him has declined to 25% from 38% in May 2003. In Jordan, both age and income patterns are the reverse of those in Indonesia: Confidence in bin Laden rises among older age groups – 56% of those under age 35 trust bin Laden compared with 64% of their older countrymen – and falls (as does support for terrorism generally) among higher income groups – 67% of the lowest-income Jordanians have confidence in bin Laden, compared with 63% of those with middle incomes and 47% of the highest income group.


In Turkey and Lebanon, the numbers expressing any degree of confidence in bin Laden are too low to reveal any significant demographic variations.

Pew Global Attitudes Project: IV. How Muslims View Relations with the World: Islamic Extremism: Common Concern for Muslim and Western Publics

It looks like the level of support differs from country to country.

 

[TashaN]

A Ramadan Letter to Osama bin Laden.

Sheikh Salman b. Fahd al-Oadah, the general supervisor of IslamToday.net, delivered the following address to Osama bin Laden live on NBC television on 14 September, 2007, which corresponds to the second say of Ramadan in Saudi Arabia:

Brother Osama:

How much blood has been spilled? How many innocent children, women, and old people have been killed, maimed, and expelled from their homes in the name of “al-Qaeda”?

Are you happy to meet Allah with this heavy burden on your shoulders? It is a weighty burden indeed – at least hundreds of thousands of innocent people, if not millions.

How could you wish for that? – after knowing that Allah’s Messenger said: “Whoever as much as kills a sparrow in vain will find it crying before Allah on the Day of Judgment: ‘My Lord! That person killed me in vain. He did not kill me for needful sustenance.”

This religion of ours comes to defense of the life of a sparrow. It can never accept the murder of innocent people, regardless of what supposed justification is given for it.

Didn’t you read where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “One of the prophets once sat under a tree and was bitten by an ant. Because of this, he burnt the ant’s nest. Thereupon, Allah inspired to him: ‘Why not only the one ant?’ ” [Sahîh Muslim]

Allah revealed to that prophet: “What? Just because one ant had bitten you, you have set fire to an entire nation that extols Allah’s glory!” [Sahîh Muslim (2241)]

If this is the case for a nest of ants, consider how much worse it must be to visit harm upon human beings.

You can read the whole letter in this link below:
Islamtoday.com: A Ramadan Letter to Osama bin Laden


Peace be upon you,
TT

 

[jonny]

Thanks. That's all I was looking for.

 

[LumpHammer]

That letter, although welcome does not suddenly make everything all right.

 

[Hema]

I think the letter that Truth has provided shows the true meaning of Islam. I have even heard Muslims in my own country speak out against the 9/11 attacks.

 

[MdmSzdWhtGuy]

Al-Qaeda does not speak for all Muslims. Bad angry Atheist!

Understood. All Al-Qaeda are Muslims, but not all Muslims are Al-Qaeda. I am aware of that. I just cannot imagine being a member of an organization when any substantial portion of the other members would support such a thing. If I was a member of the Lion's Club or Jaycee's, or the Elk's Lodge, and 10% of them vocally indicated they were interested in paying a bounty on somebody's head who wrote a book or drew a cartoon, I would no longer be a Lion's, Jaycee, or Elk's member. But maybe that's just me.

I guess we are supposed to say only politically correct things, rather than factually correct things, even if those things are uncomfortable or politically unpopular.

B.

 

[jonny]

I think the letter that Truth has provided shows the true meaning of Islam. I have even heard Muslims in my own country speak out against the 9/11 attacks.

I agree. I believe that seeing letters like this is helpful because it helps us understand what the real Muslim teachings are.

 

[Buttercup]

Here's today's update on this story......

Swedish artist displays prophet cartoon - Yahoo! News

 

[TashaN]

If anyone is interested in what the MAJORITY muslims want to say, s/he can check my siganture and also the link below:

Declaration of Fatwa by World islamic Scholars about Danish Cartoons

This is about the Danish cartoon, and the same can be said for the current incident.


Peace.

 

[Darkness]

I just cannot imagine being a member of an organization when any substantial portion of the other members would support such a thing. If I was a member of the Lion's Club or Jaycee's, or the Elk's Lodge, and 10% of them vocally indicated they were interested in paying a bounty on somebody's head who wrote a book or drew a cartoon, I would no longer be a Lion's, Jaycee, or Elk's member. But maybe that's just me.

Islam is not comparable to a Club. It is a belief about the very fabric of our Universe. Consider a more proper example. If ten percent of Atheists wanted a cartoonist's head, would you abandon Atheism?

 

[rocka21]

Islam is not comparable to a Club. It is a belief about the very fabric of our Universe. Consider a more proper example. If ten percent of Atheists wanted a cartoonist's head, would you abandon Atheism?

yes , but its like the KKK over here. If the KKK comes to one of our towns, there are people in the streets telling them they are wrong. Most christians will pubilcly go out of there way to say that they are wrong.

it seems like these radical Islamic groups just blend in and when they march, why don't you see the other muslims on the other side of the street yelling and telling them to be quiet? If they would crack down hard on these groups , then we wouldn't have to.

 

[LumpHammer]

Islam is not comparable to a Club. It is a belief about the very fabric of our Universe. Consider a more proper example. If ten percent of Atheists wanted a cartoonist's head, would you abandon Atheism?

er. no. Not comparable to a club. More like a huge cult.
And before you complain, I believe the word 'cult' and 'religion' to be for the most part interchangeable.
And to compare to an Atheist, which for the most part is a non-belief, is quite ludicrous. Thats like saying everyone who is not in the 'club of fantasy beings' feels the same way about everything else in life...
I am an atheist, and I live a very moral life.
I know many atheists who live a more immoral, and usually criminal life... So you cannot POSSIBLY group atheists in that way. You CAN however GROUP together a bunch of religious people who act in a certain way BECAUSE OF THEIR RELIGION

 

[Sunstone]

You CAN however GROUP together a bunch of religious people who act in a certain way BECAUSE OF THEIR RELIGION

How can you be sure people are acting a certain way because of their religion? I happen to think religion doesn't so much cause people to act a certain way as it facilitates their acting in a certain way. And religions tend to facilitate people to do both good and evil. A person who wishes to do good will usually find religion can help them do good. And a person who wishes to do evil will usually find religion can help them do evil. Do you have any reason to believe otherwise? That is, to believe that religion turns people into good or evil people?

 

[SoyLeche]

And before you complain, I believe the word 'cult' and 'religion' to be for the most part interchangeable.

Here's a hint - if two words are "interchangeable", it is probably a good idea to use the one that is less likely to be taken as an insult. Unless, of course, you want it to be taken as an insult

 

[LumpHammer]

Here's a hint - if two words are "interchangeable", it is probably a good idea to use the one that is less likely to be taken as an insult. Unless, of course, you want it to be taken as an insult

There is a point being made. I rarely (for the reason you laid out) use the word cult.
Also I did say 'for the most part' - which is not always!