Pissing in the sea in which you swim
by Scoop Shachtman, 22 December 2007
Extremist Islamist terrorists have bombed a mosque, and have been prevented from attacking pilgrims to Mecca. Al Qaeda have also made booby-trapped Korans in the past.
If they carry on like this, it is only a matter of time before they do something unforgivable to the Islamic faith. Like say, drawing an offensive cartoon, or inappropriately naming a plush toy. That’ll damage their already falling support in the long war.
As fanatics, the marginalized they become the more they will lash out at those who don’t live up to their ideals. And the more support they will lose in the process. It may take decades, but one day they will be in a bunker, decrying the “umma” for not being good enough, or strong enough, or pure enough for them. They will see this as evidence of their righteousness.
More importantly, they will have lost.
Sunday 23 December 2007 at 3:29
What a pity that most of the “left” don’t know which side they’re on.
Sunday 23 December 2007 at 3:33
Also a pity that the ummah find great atrocities committed by Muslim much less offensive than minor or even inadvertent slights committed by infidels. That’s the power of indoctrinated hatred and enmity for you.
Sunday 23 December 2007 at 11:29
What do you mean, “the ummah”? It’s a nebulous term at best, and certainly doesn’t refer to a body of opinion. Muslims aren’t the Borg…
Sunday 23 December 2007 at 13:31
Oh dear, perhaps this or this may be of assistance.
Sunday 23 December 2007 at 13:45
Perhaps quotes don’t render well on Voltaire’s computer, and perhaps he hasn’t noticed that I was attributing the use of the word umma to fanatics (who I assume he accepts do use the word).
Heavy night last night mate? ;-)
Monday 24 December 2007 at 2:29
Josh Scholar — what a fucking moron.
Monday 24 December 2007 at 4:05
I stand corrected. The Muslim man who wrote a silly cartoon in Bangladesh making fun of a local custom, did manage to provoke riots, razings of houses and businesses, murder and burnings… and he was a Muslim after all.
The odd thing is that the riots against his example, that happened a world away in Nigeria all targeted Christians. And yes, it was churches that were burned.
Funny that.
Monday 24 December 2007 at 4:09
You might notice that while Lindi England’s Abu Ghraib offended Arabs the world over, Saddam’s didn’t, he was revered despite the rape rooms, the torture of whole families, etc. etc.
It looks to me like history backs up exactly what I wrote, Will.
Monday 24 December 2007 at 4:10
Monday 24 December 2007 at 4:10
It is possible to understand why and how this is, by the way. But you have to be willing to understand some very unpleasant attitudes to do so. Will, you seem to be pulling up short of that.
Monday 24 December 2007 at 4:11
Monday 24 December 2007 at 4:11
By the way, I’d be much more impressed if you made an argument. Anyone can post silly pictures.
Monday 24 December 2007 at 4:13
Monday 24 December 2007 at 8:11
Come on, you have to admire Will’s consistency.
Also, I apologise to Voltaire, he was obviously referring to Joshua Scholar’s comment.
Monday 24 December 2007 at 11:09
How can Will call me a moran when I bested him at the scifi sound quiz, and he still hasn’t risen to the challenge of the 70’s music quiz. I may have been toddling in the 70’s but I was rockin’ too!
Monday 24 December 2007 at 11:18
Hak;
Assuming your post was addressed to me, it would seem that you’re talking bollocks. Here’s an idea. Rather than talking bollocks, why don’t you defend Josh’s stance if you agree with him? Or just stop talking bollocks if you don’t?
Scoop;
Was pointing out the term to Josh, not to yourself. And it was a pretty light night, though the afternoon was a different story….
Monday 24 December 2007 at 12:07
Well if Muslims aren’t the Borg, perhaps they’re Victor Borge! [not the sound effect routine that got over played - worth watching]
Monday 24 December 2007 at 12:15
Vomiting Profusely:
Yes it was addressed to you–I arrived at your comment via the permalink and did not see School Boy’s comment. I might have considered an apology, but seeing as 1. you could have made yourself clearer, 2. it wouldn’t have been the first time you went off on one half-cocked, and 3. you’ve adopted that tone, you can piss off back to your Kid Rock videos.
PS: Why would I defend School Boy? He’s a moran–and I beat him in both the sci-fi and the 70s music quizzes.
PPS: Is your site still a playground for anti-Semites, sectarian bigots, woman-haters and others suffering from rightist dementia?
Monday 24 December 2007 at 12:19
I’m still getting the hand of this proscribed poster thing.
==> And the more support they will lose in the process. It may take decades, but one day they will be in a bunker, decrying the “umma” for not being good enough, or strong enough, or pure enough for them.
Precisely that occurred to the end of the Algerian Civil War when a handful of the remaining faithful under Antar Zourabi decided that all of Algerian society, and beyond, recoiling from acts such as cutting the throats of entire families, was corrupt and only they represented true Islam.
Monday 24 December 2007 at 12:25
Victor Borge speaks Turkish [and plays the Hungarian rhapsody #2]
Monday 24 December 2007 at 12:29
Hakmao, thank you for making me feel young. You can Take in my youthful beauty any time you wish. You minx you.
Monday 24 December 2007 at 12:30
What happened to to the link?
Monday 24 December 2007 at 12:33
I’m still getting the hand of this proscribed poster thing.
You want to be careful, otherwise you’ll end up in an oven with sausage stuffing up your mccavity.
Monday 24 December 2007 at 13:08
And a very debaucherous Saturnalia to you as well, Hak.
Thursday 27 December 2007 at 13:33
Hak Neocon;
Dunno, is this one still a haven for misanthropes, burned out ex-lefties and acolytes of ex-lefties turned celebrity authors? You know, to characterise this site as accurately as you’ve characterised mine, Jim’s and Tami’s.
Hardly surprising that you’d be wound up when your usual one-liner predictably misfired again, and you got picked up on it. Perhaps you might want to take your own advice and learn to comprehend what’s written rather than writing snide comments that later turn out to be a bunch of bollocks.
Anyways, I’ll let you get back to ritual denunciations of anyone vaguely left-of-centre. I’m off to the pub.