US Air Strikes Killing Iraqi Civilians - Children

[Etta Place]

And, here is the rest of the article that I just posted from.

Bottom line: Asymmetrical warfare makes the world safe for suicide terrorism, while religion is a smokescreen and cover for what is actually happening. Focusing on "Muslim extremism" is therefore likely to make matters worse, rather than leading to a solution to the problem..

Atheist Tyrants

Moreover, when one considers earlier examples of mass murder and violence in history, the violence perpetrated in the name of God pales by comparison with the violence committed by those who disavow religion. Writing in the Christian Science Monitor recently, Dinesh D'Souza makes the point:

It is strange to witness the passion with which some secular figures rail against the misdeeds of the Crusaders and Inquisitors more than 500 years ago. The number sentenced to death by the Spanish Inquisition appears to be about 10,000. Some historians contend that an additional 100,000 died in jail due to malnutrition or illness.

These figures are tragic, and of course population levels were much lower at the time. But even so, they are minuscule compared with the death tolls produced by the atheist despotisms of the 20th century. In the name of creating their version of a religion-free utopia, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong produced the kind of mass slaughter that no Inquisitor could possibly match. Collectively these atheist tyrants murdered more than 100 million people.

Wanton violence and slaughter is, of course, deplorable whether committed under the cover of religion or secular ideology. In this, peace loving theists and atheists can agree ... and make common cause in the struggle to rid the world of war. And when the guns and bombs are silenced, we can get back to the question of God.

[invssgt]

This is true in Sri Lanka, it is true in the Middle East (where many terrorist groups consider themselves secular rather than religious) and, yes, in Iraq, where former Baathist supporters of Saddam Hussein may use Islam as a cover and even a recruiting tool, but are motivated by clear political objectives: the pressure the US to leave Iraq so that the way will be clear for their own return to power. Worldwide, the struggle is about power and politics, not religion.

I'd suggest that the author not offer one of those 'secular' terrorists a BLT sandwich, unless he wishes to have his head lopped off for 'nutritional reasons'

The struggle is absolutely about religion; the more radical practitioners of Islam want to kill us or convert us, in case you haven't noticed.

It's too bad that so many simply cannot face this fact and just get on with the battle. In its own way, this inability to call a spade a spade is more frightening than the conflict itself; because until we can set aside this PC bullsh!t and fight to win- we aren't going to.

[Frenchy]

If you want to attack the policies of a government, you attack its people. This is the tactic of all terrorists.
Does this mean you have a problem with its people? not necessarily, but it's the best way to spark outrage, or demoralization.

[AZXD]

Originally Posted by rpsmith

who are you calling ignorant?, I consider myself fairly well edumacated

Ehh,
I don't care about the thread as much as this smiley

[Judge]

Or if you have a problem with the people, you behead the people while shouting "God is Great" or "allah akhbar" and send the tapes to the media telling the infidels that they should turn to islam or suffer the same fate.

They are cold blooded murderers with no conscience, and deserve to be exterminated like the sewer rats they keep company with. Google AQ's "Torture Manual" - there's nothing in there about changing a gov'ts opinion or actions, it's about the individual. They do what they do in the name of their evil god. That's not political influence by any stretch of the imagination.

Originally Posted by Frenchy

If you want to attack the policies of a government, you attack its people. This is the tactic of all terrorists.
Does this mean you have a problem with its people? not necessarily, but it's the best way to spark outrage, or demoralization.

[jmichna]

Originally Posted by Etta Place

I don't have statistics on terrorism in general. So, I am mistaken. What I was referring to is the number of people who committed suicide terrorism.

Your referenced article notes the number of suicide attacks over a twenty year period. (No actual data posted, but I'll accept on good faith that good data back up the claim.)

In contrast, as of this post today ( May 24, 2008 ), there have been at least 11,128 Islamic terrorist attacks since 9/11/2001. In a period of under seven years... that works out to between 4 and 5 terrorist attacks each and every day worldwide, in over fifty countries.

(India, the Sudan, Algeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel, Russia, Chechnya, the Philippines, Indonesia, Nigeria, England, Thailand, Spain, Egypt, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Turkey, Kabardino-Balkaria, Morocco, Yemen, Lebanon, France, Uzbekistan, Gaza, Tunisia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Mauritania, Kenya, Eritrea, Syria, Somalia, Argentina, Kuwait, Ethiopia, Iran, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Tanzania, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, East Timor, Qatar, Tajikistan, the Netherlands, Scotland, Chad, Canada, China, Nepal, the Maldives, the United States (Pennsylvannia, New York, California, Maryland, Louisiana, Texas) and probably a few other countries I can't think of at the moment.)

Wonder how the "Tamil versus Islam" stats will look in another thirteen years?

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by Judge

Or if you have a problem with the people, you behead the people while shouting "God is Great" or "allah akhbar" and send the tapes to the media telling the infidels that they should turn to islam or suffer the same fate.

They are cold blooded murderers with no conscience, and deserve to be exterminated like the sewer rats they keep company with. Google AQ's "Torture Manual" - there's nothing in there about changing a gov'ts opinion or actions, it's about the individual. They do what they do in the name of their evil god. That's not political influence by any stretch of the imagination.

I would suggest that the IRA and Basque Separatists (for example) had no problem with the citizenry, but attacked them as a tactic against the government.

[AZXD]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

I would suggest that the IRA and Basque Separatists (for example) had no problem with the citizenry, but attacked them as a tactic against the government.

That's what the terrorist manual is about. Using whatever means necessary to invoke political change.

[Frenchy]

And it's a tactic we would use if the rolls were reversed.

[KarolinaKid]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

And it's a tactic we would use if the rolls were reversed.

It's always a good idea to reverse the rolls so that they brown on both sides...

...Sorry I could not resist.