How do *we* fight Islamophobia?

[wookie72]

I know a lot of liberals and progressives have their own problems with Islam - but that doesn't mean that Muslims aren't being threatened here. What can we do?

And I think a possible offshoot would be that, gee, an outreach to Muslims might make them realize we don't all hate them. Too bad we couldn't do it 9 years ago.

[meegbear]

1. I found a 1905 Indian Head penny yesterday ...

it's worth a dollar.

[wookie72]

10. thats kinda cool

I apologize for changing the title.. I thought I had a double post and wasn't sure how to collapse the threads.

[grasswire]

2. go local

If you look around, you'll see beauty in the world. Life goes on and you can be an instrument of peace where you are.

[wookie72]

3. that's a good idea

(I changed this one because it was a double post, sorry for any confusion)

Tomorrow there's a rally against attacking Iran.

[Codeine]

4. They changed the formula for Cookie Crisp cereal recently.

Tastes a lot different now. I don't care for the change.

[Warpy]

5. It's not the hate, it's the morons who are always suckers for it

that get to me, they just don't know any better and fall for it every time, perfectly happy to hate whoever they're given permission to hate from some bloated bloviator on the airwaves. It's not just here in the west, it's worldwide. Whenever some asshole is given a microphone to spread poison, people obediently pick it up like it's wisdom graven in stone and passed down through the ages.

That's what pisses me off and makes me sick, that willingness by total boobs to hate anyone they're told to, especially when they've never known any of the targets or even if they've known and liked individual members of the target group.

That is the basic flaw of the human race and what will eventually erase us from the planet.

[wookie72]

7. Two things

1) It's not just the morons. I've met online people who seem completely rational until the issue of Park 51 comes up, and they explode. That's actually what scares me - the Christopher Hitchens/Martin Amis crew for which it's completely rational.
2) The trouble is that now the morons are informed, or at least have access to information. Try to argue with some people and you'll get a crapload of links to "scholarly" stuff about Islam. (For people who don't like Muslims, they seem to know a lot about it.)

[TheKentuckian]

6. Stand up to the bigots and up for their targets.

[rucky]

8. Quit being silent when people say stupid shit.

We've all heard it. We've all held our tongues at some time or another.

[wookie72]

12. The trouble is that online arguments go nowhere

My main fear is that they will convince more people, or at least make them nervous enough to cave into the bigots.

[Submariner]

9. Get Dexter to replace Major Garrett at Fox News headquarters

and then sit back and enjoy the next season of Showtime. :popcorn:

[Codeine]

11. There's no problem so large Dexter can't solve it. nt

[mkultra]

13. Level 2 Magic Missle?

[wookie72]

16. the idea of Chomsky being a Wizard sure made me smile. nt

[mkultra]

28. He has 18 Intelligence.

[Bragi]

14. As a religion-hostile atheist, I'm not sure I want to fight it

I know that sounds/is provocative, but the more I learn about Islam, the less convinced I am in it's alleged benign nature.

My main objection to the Quoran burning ceremony is that it singles out one "holy book" for scorn, when all of them should be tossed in the fire.

[wookie72]

15. no books should be burned, anywhere

And we're talking about people. Not ideas, people.

[dembotoz]

17. i try to explain to folks that whenever a group of people are set aside for bad treatment

the results are never good

blacks in this country
american indians
jews, gypsies etc in pre ww2 germany
the middle class in cambodia during pol pot
uganda
dafur
cultural revolution in china
stalins purges

you can make lists all day long

results are always the same
always the same.

[wookie72]

19. I think we have this feeling that "it can't happen here."

Americans (and as a Canadian with American roots I put myself in there) think that they have some sort of moral superiority that means that when they do something it's not evil. Americna exceptionalism writ large.

I recently read the classic essay "The Paranoid Style In American Politics". The key to the essay is that the people attacking refer to themselves as victims, usually of potential enemies.
It's never any different. People seem to forget that it was fear of Jews that started anti-Semitism in Germany.

[azureblue]

18. What can we do? Use the teachings of Jesus against them

Turn the words of Jesus back on them, and put them in a position where, they will have to deny Christ, if they are to continue their hate (it helps to know how to speak the language and how they think).... Like this:

I refer you to Matthew 7, vs 1-5, quoted here from the King James Bible. Why do you refuse the very words of Jesus Christ? There is no parsing of His words and teachings - they are absolute. If you refuse and ignore His Holy words, then your refuse Jesus, and condemn yourself to eternal Hell.

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

[wookie72]

20. works for me

Plus the fact that JC is a *prophet* in Islam. (It is often suggested that Muslims don't like JC because he claimed to be the Son Of God. In fact, the problem they have with JC is that they believe that no prophet should have been killed in such a shameful way.)

[Bragi]

21. So this imaginary guy is better than their imaginary guy?

That seems to me to be a colossal waste of time.

[Codeine]

23. Invisible Sky-Daddy Faceoff!

Religion stinks.

[wookie72]

26. what-ever

[uppityperson]

24. who says god is a guy of any sort?

Starting from god being a "guy" seems to me to be a colossal waste of time.

[wookie72]

25. Some human being actually said what JC said

I suppose you might give me the whole "Jesus myth" rap. But regardless of who said it, the Beattitudes and the other statements were quite radical.

[Johonny]

27. Or just demand these Christians follow Bible law

couple of radio guys have done this to callers. Start questioning why the caller isn't worried about "Christians" that follow Bible law (which turns out to be rather harsh.

[MilesColtrane]

22. By separating them from us and moving their places of worship to more convenient locations.

:sarcasm: