Double Standards on Religious Violence

[Sundance]

The Holocaust was not the start of anti-semitism.

I know. Rather, 'twas the other way 'round.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I know. Rather, 'twas the other way 'round.

And much of Hitler's inspiration for the Holocaust was Martin Luther's book "On the Jews and their Lies", which drew heavily from the anti-semitism in the New Testament.

 

[Ingledsva]

Ah, well then. Allow me to swing it around to the topic discussed. In any case, the verses often quoted by both Christians and Muslims as justifying violence are the product of misinterpretation. So, in the end one side shouldn't condemn the other, agreed?

Actually there is no misinterpretation of the verses I posted.

These are both ancient warring patriarchal cultures.

They actually wrote these horrific verses and laws.

Now terrorists and other groups are using them for their own propaganda purposes.

*

 

[GoodbyeDave]

You're certainly welcome to feel how you feel about it, but I don't find the term to be a misnomer at all. When someone has arachnophobia for example, they have a broad-spectrum fear of spiders regardless of the spider they're looking at. There are some dangerous, poisonous spiders out there. Similarly, someone with Islamophobia has a broad-spectrum fear of Islam/Muslims regardless of the person they're looking at. There are some dangerous Muslims out there. In both cases, the solid majority of spiders and Muslims are not dangerous, and wanting to exterminate or suppress either group without regard for the group's heterogenaity is... well... if we don't want to call it a form of phobia, we could use words like prejudiced, bigoted, or genocidal? Do you like those words better?

There are no dangerous spiders here! That's precisely why my reaction to them is a phobia.

As for the majority of Muslims not being dangerous, one of the things we've learned in Britain is that you cannot predict whether any Muslim will turn to extremism because you cannot predict how any Muslim will take certain Quranic passages. Many time we hear of their friend and family astonished that some-one has turned to terrorism.

Islam has been at war with "unbelievers" since Muhammad led his troops to conquer Mecca. The peacefulness of the last two centuries has been a result of the disparity in strength during that period.

*EDIT*

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

You're certainly welcome to feel how you feel about it, but I don't find the term to be a misnomer at all. When someone has arachnophobia for example, they have a broad-spectrum fear of spiders regardless of the spider they're looking at. There are some dangerous, poisonous spiders out there. Similarly, someone with Islamophobia has a broad-spectrum fear of Islam/Muslims regardless of the person they're looking at. There are some dangerous Muslims out there. In both cases, the solid majority of spiders and Muslims are not dangerous, and wanting to exterminate or suppress either group without regard for the group's heterogenaity is... well... if we don't want to call it a form of phobia, we could use words like prejudiced, bigoted, or genocidal? Do you like those words better?

I'm not sure how it works with your analogy, but my ex-wife was once hospitalized for a bite from a normal, non-poisonous spider. The bite got infected, which turned into a blood infection.

 

[loverofhumanity]

Most early writers who brought Islam to the west wrote negatively about Muhammad so the west never ever got to know the truth. That remains today. Most of what people are getting comes from terrorist attacks. Anything evil comes from Islam and anything good comes from the west. It's the same old demonisation tactic. Call it psychological warfare but I'm not hating on Islam or 1.6!billion people because Muslims and Muhammad and the Quran are GOOD not evil. Only a tiny number are extremists but seem to get a lot of press from the west I wonder why?