The Two Romulan States

[rahullak]

I would just like to add that there is another group of Muslims called Ibadhi or Ibadi. I lived for about 5 years in Oman, a monarchy with a quite liberal and western-educated monarch, where 75% of its population practice this form of Islam. I think they use some combination of practices and beliefs from Sunni and Shi'ite forms with some additions of their own. In general, it is more peaceful and tolerant of other religions as well as the other forms of Islam.

They are tolerant of other religions and there are many Hindu temples and churches in the country, centred mostly on the capital Muscat. They also don't have very strict rules against any outward displays of your religion (such as a cross or vermillion marks) or any other requirement of conformity to the main religion or culture (which I hear is not the case in Saudi Arabia, where even non-muslim women are asked to cover their faces). Although I will admit culture-wise I found Muscat was more conservative than Dubai in the UAE (about 3 hours drive from Muscat) which was more cosmopolitan.

Just additional info for consumption. Hope it didn't stray too far from the discussion on Islam.

 

[Rush Limborg]

when you lump in Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Ladin together as one bloc when they weren't -- it's about as accurate as lumping in Stalin and Hitler as one bloc,

Ah...some would say that the line between Hitler and Stalin was more blurred than one might think.

After all, the word "Nazi" was actually German Shorthand for "National Socialist Worker's Party"....

and there's really no explanation for trying to lump in groups as hostile to one-another as al Qaeda, Iran, and Saddam Hussein's Iraq other than a desire to stereotype Muslims as being somehow all the same.

OWCH!

Felt that....

I assure you, Sci, that was not my intention. After all, I am VERY aware that the vast majority of Muslims are peace-loving, GOOD people! My beef is purely with those who use their religion as a justification for various atrocities. (Case in point: Bin Laden, and the rulers of Iran).

Hitler, after all, took the concepts of patriotism and national pride, and twisted them into something completely evil. That does not mean that all patriots are like that.

Also, I am aware that these various Radical-Muslim/Pseudo-Muslim groups are not allied against each other. However, both Hitler and Stalin were brutal tyrants. Whether a tyrant is Authoritarian or Totalitarian, whether it's lowercase "a" or capital "A"--nonetheless, A is A--and tyrants are tyrants.

But, as you've said, perhaps I've just worded it badly. If I gave a false impression of stereotyping (which was not my intention), than I do apologize.

 

[Rush Limborg]

Gee, one day, we're talkin' the Two Romulan States...the next, we're talkin' John Brown...the next, it's Saddam Hussein...and now, we're arguing over THE DICTIONARY.

Just another regular day at the BBS....

 

[Sci]

Ah...some would say that the line between Hitler and Stalin was more blurred than one might think.

After all, the word "Nazi" was actually German Shorthand for "National Socialist Worker's Party"....

That's because Hitler didn't name it. He actually hijacked a pre-existing party and re-organized its belief system according to his will without changing its name. The Nazi Party was socialist in name only -- had it not been, the big corporations of Germany would not have gone along with Hitler's government.

and there's really no explanation for trying to lump in groups as hostile to one-another as al Qaeda, Iran, and Saddam Hussein's Iraq other than a desire to stereotype Muslims as being somehow all the same.

OWCH!

Felt that....

I assure you, Sci, that was not my intention. After all, I am VERY aware that the vast majority of Muslims are peace-loving, GOOD people! My beef is purely with those who use their religion as a justification for various atrocities. (Case in point: Bin Laden, and the rulers of Iran).

Hitler, after all, took the concepts of patriotism and national pride, and twisted them into something completely evil. That does not mean that all patriots are like that.

Also, I am aware that these various Radical-Muslim/Pseudo-Muslim groups are not allied against each other. However, both Hitler and Stalin were brutal tyrants. Whether a tyrant is Authoritarian or Totalitarian, whether it's lowercase "a" or capital "A"--nonetheless, A is A--and tyrants are tyrants.

But, as you've said, perhaps I've just worded it badly. If I gave a false impression of stereotyping (which was not my intention), than I do apologize.

Fair enough, and I'll certainly accept the apology and accept that that was not your intention.

But I would suggest that in the future, you might want to be on guard for ways that other people might try to manipulate you into inadvertently engaging in stereotyping; they usually are doing that sort of thing to manipulate their audiences for their political agendas, not to help anyone understand our enemies (or the cultures from which our enemies have arisen).

 

[Rush Limborg]

^(Shatner voice) I...trust we can..."nursemaid" each other through these situations, then?