Swiss activist Manfred Petritsch says the West is waging a war against Islam and spirituality

[No Elephants]

in general.

This Swiss Muslim activist is discussing "the West," including the U.S. and "spirituality," (by which he seems to mean traditional religon, not things like burning sage to clear bad energy), including Islam.

He also discusses his perception that the West uses double standards in international matters, etc.

I don't agree with all he says, especially that the West has defeated Christianity, but I find the video very enlightening because it is a rare (for me) insight into what intelligent, calm people from other countries are saying to each other (for our consumption, too) about us.

I noted especially his claim that drones have killed hundreds of innocent bystanders. So, there seem to be many more drone attacks than the isolated ones about which the msm informs us.

Also interesting to me: the difference betwen the way his interviewer allowed him to speak versus controlling what he said and how he said it, interrupting, allowing the audience only bitsy sound bites, etc. (Word to Chris Matthews, et al.)

So, here he is, exxplaining that Muslims hate the U.S. for "our freedoms" (not really).

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/09/25/263412/muslims-protesting-wests-war-on-islam/

[Enthusiast]

1. The guy is way way off on

his claim of a Western "war on Christianity", at least in the United States. If anything Christianity is waging a war on secularism. So I only listened to a little more than half of the clip as the guy lost me right off the bat.

The powers that be characterize the actions of a few militant Muslims as the whole of Islam. Where have we seen this before? We watched it for the entire history of the nation in the eradication of the native inhabitants. A act of violence by one Indian was an excuse to massacre an entire tribe or nation. Same deal with the African American. African Americans are all tarred with the brush of violent crime. White European Americans certainly aren't tarred by the crimes of their race. So Muslims are hardly alone in being the target of this kind of abuse.

The central unfortunate fact here is much of the Muslim world happens to inhabit a geographical region rich in an ever diminishing fossil fuel resource.

[No Elephants]

2. Yes, he is way off on that in my opinion, too, but I linked the

video because it tells us something about what is being said, not because I agreed with him on most things he said.

If you had watched/listened further, he dropped the religious issue and went on to the drones, Western foreign policy, etc.

As far as the native Americans, I think their idea that no one owns the land and natural water sources any more than anyone owns the sky must have caused a lot of friction with a culture that built walls and fences around homes and settlements and believed that no punishment was too harsh for a trespasser. (That was English law when the first settlers left England; it has evolved over time to the point where the homeowner is liable for a kid drowning in his or her pool, as a consequence of ignoring no trespassing signs and hopping an inadequate fence to take a swim.)

I love this painting, not so much because of its artistic qualities, which I cannot judge, but because the stories it tells are not the ones we usually hear about the first Thanksgiving.:

[Enthusiast]

3. That is fantastic! nt

[Divine Discontent]

4. interesting. some other link of yours from the recent past led me to another link about a

Muslim gentleman talking about how America has been going about attacking religious groups that do not meet with gov't approval, and he mentioned the Christian group that had their leader killed and their place burned down, and the interviewer said that he had no idea what the guy was referring to, and he said Waco! It's interesting to see how foreigners view our country, agreed. I can understand why many Muslims feel America is trying to be coy about destroying their beliefs, but in turn, do they understand why so many Westerners and other religion/atheists are frightened of the fascist rise of a large portion of their religion? Troubling times...


Get it here----->>>>>
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[No Elephants]

5. Dupe.

[No Elephants]

6. I think someone else posted that, DD.

At least, I have zero recollection of posting about a Muslim saying something about Waco.

I have become so cynical in the last few years that I am not the least bit sure that the guy in this video believes what he is saying about America having killed Christianity already.

He sounds very well educated and very urbane. Surely, he knows something about what actually goes on here?

If he has read the UN charter and other legal documents, maybe he has read the part of the First Amendment to our Constitution that guarantees religious freedom, too? And who publicized that film that caused all the recent insanity--the Florida fundamentalist pastor who burns Korans.

After President Obama personally called him and asked him not to do so because it might harm our troops in the ME, he called it off for a while, but then went ahead with it. And he is alive and not in prison. And free to publicize this film. Seems to me that this guy would know all that stuff.


Anyway, my point is, I am not assuming that he fully believes that he is saying. But, I think he would not mind having people rioting in the Middle East think they have to protect Islam against the evil West in general and the U.S. in particular. JMO.