You did not address my issue. You cannot say whether or not your religious beliefs would become more intense, more radical if you were suddenly deprived of your wealth and economic security by no fault of your own.
My spiritual beliefs would not change in any way, regardless of my economic condition. Again, you appear to be likening radical Islamic terrorism with the Black Panthers or something... like these poor discriminated against minorities became angry at the system and turned to violence... that isn't the case. Radical Islamic viewpoints have absolutely NOTHING to do with economic plight, or what individuals have or don't have! How does harsh discrimination against women, gays, and people of different religious belief, "promise" something greater economically? It simply doesn't! You are attempting to make an argument that can't be supported in logic.
you assume that people gravitate towards radical islam in a vacuum. You cannot prove that at all. I claim that they move towards radical islam because their socio economic situation leaves them feeling angry and vulnerable and radical islam feeds off that anger. YOu cannot disprove that at all.
Again, we are not talking about radical liberal students in the 1960's, maine! Your viewpoints seem to be based on the same catalyst which prompted riots and protests in America 50 years ago, and that is simply split from reality of radical Islam in the 21st century! I can certainly disprove what you are saying, because what you are saying doesn't comport with logic! Radical Islam doesn't promise better economic conditions for individuals. It is largely in opposition to material wealth brought by western civilization!
you have exposed me as no such thing. I am not trying to INSULT you Dixie...I only point out that I really don't care about what you FEEL or BELIEVE... and I cited an example of a previously stated belief of yours as my rationale for not caring about your warm and fuzzy feelings about anything.
Yes, I have soundly refuted your viewpoints which are not rooted in logic or reality. I have illustrated how devoid of logic they are, and how they fail the test of logic and reason on every count. These people feel a religious moral obligation to propagate a 5th century viewpoint of Islam because they feel western civilization has encroached on their discriminatory, racist, sexist, and homophobic culture. It has nothing to do with wealth, as was pointed out, their main #1 leading proponent comes from a family of wealth! It has nothing to do with personal freedom, radical Islam doesn't advocate personal freedom!
The sum total of your knowledge of islam would fit in a coffee cup with room for a cup of coffee... you rely solely on your "feelings" and try to pass them off as logical. As we both know, I have lived in the region for a significant period of time (measured in years, not in weeks) and worked with the people of the region extensively. My understanding of Islam far exceeds yours and, until you take the time to get out from behind the wall of the green zone, you won't ever develop a knowledge base that can intellectually support your "feelings".
I don't give a shit how much you THINK you know, or how much you THINK I don't know! That is not the debate here! If you want to strut around acting like you are some big man who knows more than the rest of us, that's fine, but you haven't proven that in this thread. If anything, you have proven you know nothing about radical Islam or what fuels it. You are stuck like a broken record, on 1960's American counter-culture, and you presume radical Islamics are like radical Hippies, they just want socio-economic change, and we (the establishment) are standing in their way! It's absurd at best, and I think it is borderline insane, to believe radical Islam has anything to do with economic conditions, or the promise of individual betterment and a better way of life.
If you could imagine devout Southern Baptists becoming fed up with the liberal culture of today, abortion, gay rights, etc... and they took up arms and began preaching a message of militant defiance against those who don't subscribe to the Southern Baptist doctrine, killing all who opposed them, forcing their radical religious views on the rest of society, blowing themselves up to kill liberals and Atheists in San Francisco... THEN, you could get an idea of what radical Islam is all about! IF that were happening, what kind of foolish idiot would you be, to claim it was rooted in "economic conditions" and we just need to try and understand their plight?
You are a fucking idiot, if this is what you believe. Now, granted, in America, you are entirely within your rights to be a fucking idiot, but don't expect me to buy into your idiocy. I personally don't think you are that stupid, I think you believe the rest of us are stupid enough to buy into the idiocy you have spouted here. Why you are doing it, is what I don't understand. I guess in your case, it is complete moral cowardice. An unwillingness to stand up to what you know is wrong and despicable, and instead, propagate some sort of idiotic alternative viewpoint which is not rooted in logic or reality.
