Why so many threads/posts about Muslims or Islam?

[Rainbow Mage]

Fair enough, let me rephrase a bit. In 2016, what are the most dominant "natures" of Islam?

That's rather a different question, but I still have to say peaceful, and against the abuses of these modern 'Islamic states'. There are billions of Muslims in the world, including in Europe, the US, and Asia. I cannot see the majority being violent. I believe most Muslims are probably like your typical nominal Christians. The few I've ever known personally were.

 

[Buttercup]

There are millions upon millions of peaceful Muslims living in the US. My guess is that more Christians commit crimes in the US than Muslims commit crimes.

Unfortunately, too many people confuse Islam with ISIS. The two are not related, as far as what I've seen in my experience.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

As I stated above. I personally find mystical Islam and its historical humanist tradition very beautiful. That speaking as an atheist.

 

[icehorse]

That's rather a different question, but I still have to say peaceful, and against the abuses of these modern 'Islamic states'. There are billions of Muslims in the world, including in Europe, the US, and Asia. I cannot see the majority being violent. I believe most Muslims are probably like your typical nominal Christians. The few I've ever known personally were.

I would agree that the majority are not violent. My concern is that a big percentage of them hold values that are in conflict with secularism. I know that for me those anti-secular values are my biggest concern when it comes to Islam.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I would agree that the majority are not violent. My concern is that a big percentage of them hold values that are in conflict with secularism. I know that for me those anti-secular values are my biggest concern when it comes to Islam.

Is that also a concern for you when it comes to Christianity? Particularly fundamentalism

 

[icehorse]

Is that also a concern for you when it comes to Christianity? Particularly fundamentalism

Yes it is! But I think that the number of Muslims holding anti-secular values dwarfs the number of fundamentalist Christians that do.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Yes it is! But I think that the number of Muslims holding anti-secular values dwarfs the number of fundamentalist Christians that do.

Sure about that? Even in light of what missionaries have done to Africa for the past 10-20 years?

 

[icehorse]

Sure about that? Even in light of what missionaries have done to Africa for the past 10-20 years?

Well I'd agree that much of what missionaries do is despicable. As far as raw numbers go, I'd guess that Islam would have bigger numbers. For Islam, the numbers of anti-secularists are in the hundreds of millions. So I'm sure that missionaries have "converted" millions, but are they converted to anti-secular, fundamentalism, or just good old, quasi-modern Christianity?

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Well I'd agree that much of what missionaries do is despicable. As far as raw numbers go, I'd guess that Islam would have bigger numbers. For Islam, the numbers of anti-secularists are in the hundreds of millions. So I'm sure that missionaries have "converted" millions, but are they converted to anti-secular, fundamentalism, or just good old, quasi-modern Christianity?

Uganda is a theocracy now because of Christian missionaries. The Catholic Church helped instigate the Riwandan genocide. Things like that. Doesn't suggest anything other than anti-secular. You're aware of Uganda's witch hunts, anti-gay laws, and blasphemy laws. Yes? If you want a modern country where this is happening (first world) just look at Russia.

 

[icehorse]

Uganda is a theocracy now because of Christian missionaries. The Catholic Church helped instigate the Riwandan genocide. Things like that. Doesn't suggest anything other than anti-secular. You're aware of Uganda's witch hunts, anti-gay laws, and blasphemy laws. Yes? If you want a modern country where this is happening (first world) just look at Russia.

I think we're agreeing here? (But Uganda has fewer than 40 million people.)

 

[Sees]

Being forums dedicated to religion, I'd be surprised if Islam was talked about any less. It is the most polarizing subject within discussion of religion - outside of the ever-present Atheism vs. Christianity crap that never goes away.

Since the forums are English language based, the discussion of Islam being plenty negative also isn't surprising. People don't magically have tender feelings towards it when they start to research it. Islam and the West just don't blend well together based on cultural values, preferences, etc. - opinions/propaganda of the media is only a small portion of it.

For more and more on forums like this to be fond of Islam it would need to be different than it is. Don't see anything changing soon despite "pro-Islam" campaigns throughout public school curriculum.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Well Sees I kind of understand the divide between western thought and traditional Islamic. The divide in my mind was wider until I studied secular countries like Turkey, and how the Muslims there are. Turkey is very majority Muslim, but one of the sects there is very mystical and generally tolerant.

 

[Nietzsche]

I wasn't sure where to post this so I thought I'd put it in the general section: ever since joining this site, 90% of the content I have come across is to do with Islam or Muslims, most of it posted by non Muslims. Why is that? For example, if I flick through the european political section, I constantly see more posts about Muslims or Islam (particularly negative) than other, more pressing concerns within the european community, for example, the failing economy, the rise not only of neo-Nazis but of the extreme right, the increase in violence, murder, sex crime, political instability, Britain's role in the EU and so on.

Why is this?

Islam makes up 22.35% of the entire world population.

What do you expect?

 

[LuisDantas]

I wasn't sure where to post this so I thought I'd put it in the general section: ever since joining this site, 90% of the content I have come across is to do with Islam or Muslims, most of it posted by non Muslims. Why is that?

Mostly because Islam is politically influential, in often difficult and sometimes explosive ways.

It is everyone's duty - at least arguably more so for non-Muslims than for Muslims themselves - to do our best to understand Islam and guard against its excesses, by respectful dialogue if at all possible, but by firm confrontation if the need comes (as it so often did in both recent and distant past).

Another reason is because, frankly, Islam does not help itself in that regard. It is far too insular, too self-centered, too dogmatic and theistic for anyone's good. People have a right and even a duty to protect themselves from the consequences of those shortcomings.

For example, if I flick through the european political section, I constantly see more posts about Muslims or Islam (particularly negative) than other, more pressing concerns within the european community, for example, the failing economy, the rise not only of neo-Nazis but of the extreme right, the increase in violence, murder, sex crime, political instability, Britain's role in the EU and so on.

Why is this?

To be fair, a big part of it is simply that human nature craves attributing hardships to easily indentifiable, external, personified causes that can be rejected, challenged and kept apart.

That said, I'm not so sure that those other concerns are ultimately either more pressing or even all that unconnected to the current form of the cultural clash between Muslim and "foreign" cultures. To a significant extent, they are enabled, emphasized or even direct consequences of that clash.

 

[LuisDantas]

In a way they have an intuition to be a Muslim, if they get convinced heart and soul.Right? Please correct me if I am wrong.
Regards

My pleasure. You are wrong. Entirely, drammaticaly, disastrously wrong.

 

[LuisDantas]

That's rather a different question, but I still have to say peaceful, and against the abuses of these modern 'Islamic states'. There are billions of Muslims in the world, including in Europe, the US, and Asia. I cannot see the majority being violent. I believe most Muslims are probably like your typical nominal Christians. The few I've ever known personally were.

I am sure you are correct in that regard.

In a way, that is the most tragic part of it all.

 

[LuisDantas]

Sure about that? Even in light of what missionaries have done to Africa for the past 10-20 years?

To cite a particularly clear piece of evidence, I have never seen living Christians admit that there are or should be Christianity-inspired governments anywhere even considering treating atheism or general disbelief as a crime, let alone a capital crime. Nor have I seen them ask for acknowledgement that such policies do indeed "work" far as diminishing the numbers of (openly) atheistic people go.

I have, however, seen that and similar behavior from Muslims. And I am simply not at all satisfied by what I have learned of what is considered Islamic wisdom these days. The religion is simply not at all reassuring when it comes to internal mechanisms of self-correction and protection from doctrinary excess.

So, yes, I do feel sure that, difficult as it is to make general judgements about a group that nominally involves perhaps 30% of the world's population as contrasted with another that has well over 20% of it, it is ultimately not only fair but outright necessary and urgent to point out often and aloud that Islam is something to watch and, to a significant degree, to be wary of.

 

[Buttercup]

To cite a particularly clear piece of evidence, I have never seen living Christians admit that there are or should be Christianity-inspired governments anywhere even considering treating atheism or general disbelief as a crime, let alone a capital crime. Nor have I seen them ask for acknowledgement that such policies do indeed "work" far as diminishing the numbers of (openly) atheistic people go.

I have, however, seen that and similar behavior from Muslims. And I am simply not at all satisfied by what I have learned of what is considered Islamic wisdom these days. The religion is simply not at all reassuring when it comes to internal mechanisms of self-correction and protection from doctrinary excess.

So, yes, I do feel sure that, difficult as it is to make general judgements about a group that nominally involves perhaps 30% of the world's population as contrasted with another that has well over 20% of it, it is ultimately not only fair but outright necessary and urgent to point out often and aloud that Islam is something to watch and, to a significant degree, to be wary of.

We don't see Muslims in the US protesting and petitioning the government to make atheism a crime here. These practices are largely culturally influenced to a degree, don't you think? There are plenty of Christians in the US who want prayer brought back into the schools with laws to protect that right. My daughter just recently took a job in the Southern portion of the US. They pray before every staff meeting. It makes her highly uncomfortable. She wouldn't dare protest or she'd lose her job.

 

[Tumah]

I wasn't sure where to post this so I thought I'd put it in the general section: ever since joining this site, 90% of the content I have come across is to do with Islam or Muslims, most of it posted by non Muslims. Why is that? For example, if I flick through the european political section, I constantly see more posts about Muslims or Islam (particularly negative) than other, more pressing concerns within the european community, for example, the failing economy, the rise not only of neo-Nazis but of the extreme right, the increase in violence, murder, sex crime, political instability, Britain's role in the EU and so on.

Why is this?

Maybe because Islamic countries and communities have put themselves in the international limelight in a big way. Immigration, Arab spring, homicidal regimes and organizations all affect the international community. On the other side we have some moderate Muslims making noise to show that they aren't the same as the extremists (witness the Ahmadiyya directory where we are notified every time its leader peacefully picks his nose). These are fairly new issues that affect the world and so they get discussed. All the other topics you mention are just things as usual, so they don't get as much discussion...until they become similarly pressed (such as before an election).

 

[Tumah]

In a way they have an intuition to be a Muslim, if they get convinced heart and soul.Right? Please correct me if I am wrong.
Regards

No problem.
My kids actually have an intuition to be afraid of Muslims. I'm not inclined to disagree too much with that.
You are hereby corrected.