The Vegas tragedy

[sayak83]

Let me see. this guy purchased what over 20 weapons......He used an assault rifle out the window killing 59 people....I don't know, I think anyone with some damn sense would claim the act itself is terrorism. Tell me why is it that ever mass shooter that is white is considered a lone wolf and is always considered mentally unstable? As opposed to a person of color? Check this article by CNN out:

Suspect charged in Edmonton attacks that injured five

"A Somali refugee charged with five counts of attempted murder is accused of stabbing a police officer in Edmonton, Canada, after hitting him with a car and later plowing a truck into pedestrians on a busy street, injuring four.

Abdulahi Hasan Sharif, 30, also faces charges of dangerous driving, criminal flight causing bodily harm, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Superintendent Stacey Talbot said at a press conference Monday.
While authorities were investigating the incidents as acts of terrorism, no terrorism charges have been filed against Sharif at this time."

Although in the article he will not be charged with terrorism, and is suspected to act alone, the article highlights two important things: Somalia, and Immigrant.. What I'm saying is the media has a narrative to dehumanize the person to feed into the prejudices of society. The same thing about the Somalian cop that shot the white woman:

"
The report stoked fear among Somalis in the Twin Cities, who have worked for decades to become part of the city’s fabric. There are now Somalis on the police force, the city council and in the Minnesota House of Representatives. But the largely Muslim population of Somali Americans in the region still face Islamophobia and innuendo about terrorism.

“They fear this will be just another event used to create animosity toward the Somali community,” Mohamud Noor, executive director at the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota, told The Post.

Already, hateful posts criticizing Islam and sharia law are filling social media in response to the police shooting. Several far-right blogs featured sensational headlines that blamed the officer’s ethnicity for the deadly use of force."

Source:After Minneapolis officer in police shooting is named, Somali community braces for backlash

The person was a Somali refugee. The media was quite correct to highlight his identity as well as the fact that the authorities do not believe that it was an act of terror. Everybody similarly knows that the Las Vegas shooting was caused by a retired white American man who led an individualistic life and was a semi-professional gambler. I don't see how the excerpt of the report you quoted was inaccurate or biased in any way.

 

[sayak83]

We should as the Harvard research paper I linked stated that we must make an equal standard definition of crimes of this magnitude so that the media coverage can have an equal label on such actions thereby maintaining a balance whether these acts are foreign or domestic.

As others said, make a new term then. In English terrorism means the following

terrorism | Definition of terrorism in English by Oxford Dictionaries


The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

 

[sayak83]

It is a different case and if so, it's completely wrong in your country's legal system. Since Roof matches completely the definition of terrorist.

Here is a case of non-white mass shooter in the US, whom you may remember, who like Paddock is not a terrorist according to the definitions of the term:

Seung-Hui Cho - Wikipedia

Dylan Roof was a white terrorist. But there were severe risks of mistrial if the authorities prosecuted the case as such. That is why he was not prosecuted ad such. Details here,
The Reasons Why Dylann Roof Wasn’t Charged With Terrorism

 

[Jumi]

Dylan Roof was a white terrorist. But there were severe risks of mistrial if the authorities prosecuted the case as such. That is why he was not prosecuted ad such. Details here,
The Reasons Why Dylann Roof Wasn’t Charged With Terrorism

I won't pretend to understand US laws and it's intricacies with mistrials, but I understand the anger that he was not prosecuted as what he was.

 

[Epic Beard Man]

Then we'll also need to invent a new word for what is conventionally called "terrorism" today.

Why not?

 

[Epic Beard Man]

As others said, make a new term then. In English terrorism means the following

terrorism | Definition of terrorism in English by Oxford Dictionaries


The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

I understand definitions. My argument (in case you intentionally overlooked) is to refine the term which includes mischief of the magnitude as we have recently seen in the Las Vega shooting.

 

[Epic Beard Man]

The person was a Somali refugee. The media was quite correct to highlight his identity as well as the fact that the authorities do not believe that it was an act of terror. Everybody similarly knows that the Las Vegas shooting was caused by a retired white American man who led an individualistic life and was a semi-professional gambler. I don't see how the excerpt of the report you quoted was inaccurate or biased in any way.

Have you not read this entire thread? Okay....@Sunstone seems to be the only one that actually gets it, the more I repeat myself the more irritated I get. It's almost like you guys skim through what I write. I've supported my argument. (Hint: such as the media labeling of mass shooters who are white as "long wolf, mental ill, etc versus mass shootings done by people of dark or middle eastern culture). If you cannot see the bias in reporting and the wording then we shall go no further in discussion. I've shown several links.

 

[Jumi]

I understand definitions. My argument (in case you intentionally overlooked) is to refine the term which includes mischief of the magnitude as we have recently seen in the Las Vega shooting.

It sounds like a lot of work for one event, changing all the history books and dictionaries.

What is the scope that you propose adding in to it and at what point in history should we start applying it to? My country was force converted at one point, should that, as well as all similar events be added as terrorist events? This would include many major religions in other areas.

Do you think we should remove more minor in scope terrorist events where no one died or where there were only a few casualties as not terrorism?

 

[sayak83]

I understand definitions. My argument (in case you intentionally overlooked) is to refine the term which includes mischief of the magnitude as we have recently seen in the Las Vega shooting.

And I am perfectly happy with how the term is defined today.

 

[sayak83]

Have you not read this entire thread? Okay....@Sunstone seems to be the only one that actually gets it, the more I repeat myself the more irritated I get. It's almost like you guys skim through what I write. I've supported my argument. (Hint: such as the media labeling of mass shooters who are white as "long wolf, mental ill, etc versus mass shootings done by people of dark or middle eastern culture). If you cannot see the bias in reporting and the wording then we shall go no further in discussion. I've shown several links.

You are getting irritated as nobody is getting convinced by your arguments.
Hint: they are not convinced as the arguments are not good.

 

[Epic Beard Man]

It sounds like a lot of work for one event, changing all the history books and dictionaries.

What is the scope that you propose adding in to it and at what point in history should we start applying it to? My country was force converted at one point, should that, as well as all similar events be added as terrorist events? This would include many major religions in other areas.

Do you think we should remove more minor in scope terrorist events where no one died or where there were only a few casualties as not terrorism?

I think we ought to examine crimes of this magnitude such as mass shootings and we need to demonstrate equally that these crimes are punishable as terrorist crimes. I would even go as far as to make these crimes punishable by death.

 

[sayak83]

I think we ought to examine crimes of this magnitude such as mass shootings and we need to demonstrate equally that these crimes are punishable as terrorist crimes. I would even go as far as to make these crimes punishable by death.

They Are punishable by death even now. Dylan Roof has gotten death penalty FYI.

 

[Jumi]

I think we ought to examine crimes of this magnitude such as mass shootings and we need to demonstrate equally that these crimes are punishable as terrorist crimes. I would even go as far as to make these crimes punishable by death.

I think the US has the death penalty for those events regardless if they are of the real terrorism type or mass shooting. Besides, like with most mass shootings, the shooter is already a rotting corpse.

 

[Akivah]

"We have a double standard in the United States when it comes to talking about terrorism. The label is reserved almost exclusively for when we’re talking about Muslims.

If Muslims want to stop being linked to terrorism, then they should stop doing it. It would help if the peaceful Muslim majority explicitly condemned the killings committed by Muslims, loudly and publicly in both Arabic and English.

 

[sayak83]

If Muslims want to stop being linked to terrorism, then they should stop doing it. It would help if the peaceful Muslim majority explicitly condemned the killings committed by Muslims, loudly and publicly in both Arabic and English.

They do this actually.

 

[Jumi]

People who are old enough to remember the Irish terrorists and communists. There was also plenty of terror in Europe in early 20th century.

Those terrorists are pretty much gone now, but there may come a time when it's not Islam that's almost always talked in these instances. The highest counts now are mostly ISIS fault though. There aren't any popular violent ideologies to match it.

 

[QuestioningMind]

Terrorism has nothing to do with race or religion. Terrorism is the use of violence or the threat of violence to coerce political concession..
Paddock made no political demands.

What if any political demands did the 'terrorists' in San Bernadine or the 'terrorist' who shot up the club in Florida make?

 

[Jumi]

What if any political demands did the 'terrorists' in San Bernadine or the 'terrorist' who shot up the club in Florida make?

That is not the criteria. If you read up on what happened in San Bernardino, the perpetrators were committed to "Jihadist" ideology, that being the reason why they shot up the Christmas party, which is of course seen as a polytheist idol-worship event. So the idea is to kill all of them who engage in this "idolatry" so that this event will go away, and they believe that their God will reward them for killing them. The change they want in their minds is people to stop celebrating idolatrous events and following polytheist religion and to follow their religion only.

Paddock didn't have any demands or known ideology. US right-wingers on the net were claiming he was a leftist and ISIS has claimed him as their own. Either of those would make him a terrorist. If he wanted guns banned and killed people for it, that would be enough too, if we knew about it.

 

[QuestioningMind]

That is not the criteria. If you read up on what happened in San Bernardino, the perpetrators were committed to "Jihadist" ideology, that being the reason why they shot up the Christmas party, which is of course seen as a polytheist idol-worship event. So the idea is to kill all of them who engage in this "idolatry" so that this event will go away, and they believe that their God will reward them for killing them. The change they want in their minds is people to stop celebrating idolatrous events and following polytheist religion and to follow their religion only.

Paddock didn't have any demands or known ideology. US right-wingers on the net were claiming he was a leftist and ISIS has claimed him as their own. Either of those would make him a terrorist. If he wanted guns banned and killed people for it, that would be enough too, if we knew about it.

"Terrorism has nothing to do with race or religion. Terrorism is the use of violence or the threat of violence to coerce political concession..
Paddock made no political demands."

I was just going by what you originally said.

 

[Jumi]

"Terrorism has nothing to do with race or religion. Terrorism is the use of violence or the threat of violence to coerce political concession..
Paddock made no political demands."

I was just going by what you originally said.

You aren't even quoting me there, but without your interpretation of the last part everything matches perfectly with the San Bernardino attack.