Everything else feels unreal after trying to take in the news from New Zealand this afternoon.
I looked at my collection of books that I had acquired in order to understand Islamist terrorism. No doubt there will be overlapping factors with white supremacists.
I am also mindful of the many people who have over the years through comments on this blog attempted to spread their hatred of Muslims (couched in language stressing their hate for Islam and not the “people” who, they go on to say, would commit rapes and murders if they took their religion “seriously”).
If you are one of those who has such vile views of Muslims, who think you know what Muslims are all about from what you have read and watched on hate sites that profess to present only “the facts” about Islam, stay away from here. Go somewhere else. You are not welcome and will not be engaged with here. I will put you on the spam list without second thought. As far as I am concerned you represent the equivalent of the vilest medieval antisemites.
Neil Godfrey
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Religions can be a dangerous, even deadly thing, as shown by the Old Testament and the history of Christianity, especially when they become political ideologies.
But I have two Muslim granddaughters, one married a Palestinian, another my wife and I escorted to Bangladesh to marry another Muslim. Have four Muslim great-grandchildren. About the only noticeable thing is that they cannot eat pork. But I must stress that those Muslim relatives are all wonderful people. We had a great time in Dhaka with the Hassan family, all warm. loving people. Islam is no better or worse than any other religion, but for us the people count. We also have Catholics, Jews, Protestants, even tongue-speaking Pentecostals, as well as some Native Americans in the extended family and I love them all regardless of their beliefs.
Tell that to our Atheist dead over there, and to those in gaol, hiding, or exile (We are supporting one such in the Humanist community of Greater Manchester, and doing what we can to stave of their deportation to gaol certainly, and death probably). There is much to be admired in Bangla and Islamic culture – and in their civilisations – but the same could be said of Christendom in the Age of Charles the Fifth and Philip the Second; when the Wars of Religion,Thirty Years War, and the obscenities of the Inquisition in Europe and the Americas killed untold millions. Christianity and Judaism in the West are relatively benign things now. However that is only because the hate was for the most part violently kicked out of them and they were reformed at swordpoint.
Very tragic indeed. Seems to be the sad spread of American extremist ideology.
Condolences.
You sure know better what they really believe, that’s some impressive power to be able to get inside someone else’s head. Their couched language can’t possibly mean what it says.
Turns out this tragic event presents itself to some as a great opportunity to express some righteous anger towards their hated ones.