Cultural exchange goes both ways, which is reasonable. This is why i have no problem knowing more about Islam and adjusting, we can learn a lot. I even agree going all PC and giving up some of the freedom of speech i am accustomed to (let's admit, since the attack on Charlie Hebdo the press is even more careful about cartoons and stuff, not that before it was risk-free to critique Islam) but i am onboard integrating emigrants and creating a multicultural, democratic society in the western world, without fear or suspicion, which is stupid and counterproductive. There are many things need to work on, (just one example, the demand to implement Sharia law), but in general, all those problems can be solved.
Islam itself isn't a problem, it's a nifty religion, albeit a bit static, but coupled with pan-arabism and ignorance, is used as a tool by the ruling groups in Muslim countries to keep the population in check.
They distrust western culture and it's influence on the minds of their subjects, wanting to preserve their power and their culture, and who can blame them
😉
aside the cultural differences the problem is demographic: the uncontrolled growth of the population in poorer Muslim countries like Syria, Yemen, or Egypt (which, once being a exporter of wheat now imports 40% of it's food, 60% of it wheat) Results among the poor in the lack of resources like water and housing, high level of malnutrition among children, lack of good quality education at the basic and secondary levels and so on. So we had the Arab Spring where the more educated questioned the unequal distribution of wealth, wanted democratic representation and fight against corruption, all of which sounded real good and acquired popular support, but unfortunately it seems the alternative to a faulty government is Islam and the creation of religious parties. We've seen the results in Syria, Lybia and Egypt. none of them is a democracy now, though when the Arab Spring started the keywords were 'democracy' and 'freedom' and there were high hopes it will improve the faulty and oppressive political systems. as if.
Well, apparently Muslim culture don't have the equivalent of ancient greek ideas of democracy and not really identifies with Kant, Rousseau or Marx,
or have a pragmatic political philosophy like Confucianism and even if the intelligentsia are familiar with all those, it doesn't speak to the masses
🙂
So all they have is Islam and the glory days of old islamic empires. So in the Muslim countries the answer is Islam, which represents justice and gives clear directives how to build an ideal society.
It looks more neat in wealthy arab countries in the Persian Gulf like U.A.E, Kuwait, Saudi and Qatar. There is no social unrest there, the people have a high standard of living and mostly content.
Their governments sponsor extremist terrorists all over the globe and try to preserve the wealth in their small group scared and opposing any
western influence in their political systems, but they cooperate with the west as they're in need of military protection. Then there is Iran, which with the destruction of Iraq is a dominant power,
Erogan's Turkey, who tries to solve Turkey's economic problems by moving closer to oil money, Putin with his ambitions, US, the weakening hegemon with it's allies and their new playground, Syria and Lebanon.
I honestly don't understand what ISIS want? They're also bombing mosques in the Middle East where Muslims gather to worship Allah. If they were really Muslims as they claim, why do they only bomb mosques in the Middle East? Mosque bombing has happened in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. And on Friday, the main day of worship for Muslims where a lot of Muslims pray in the mosques instead of home.
In feel so sick about what happened in Paris. Just thinking of those poor people who went there to have fun. It's only the innocent who pay the price and that's so depressing.
it's because of power games in the muslim world are played that way, religion is mostly a tool used rather cynically. Arab leaders often see their people as sheep sent to slaughter. if you can imagine a sheep with a suicide belt.
besides, remember the history lessons about wars all over Europe after the protestant reformation? those were quite bloody. People persuaded to kill each other by their leaders about in which language they should praise good, latin or their local one? Shia and Sunni muslims behave in the same pattern. Funny guys. Plus, religious fanaticism is not just for poor, ignorant brainwashed masses somewhere in a Syrian village, we have those among the more educated teenagers struggling with identity crisis run away from their homes in london / paris to join the ISIL. Terrorism is very effective, that's why it is financed and used widely in the muslim world and thanks to the temptation of radical Islam there is no lack in volunteers, so i think we can assume they won't stop with it soon. besides our urban regions are very vulnerable and a tempting target to them. Especially as we don't need to dig too deep to find some of western imperialism and it's effects on the arab states. what with even their borders drawn by british and french rulers.
Iraq was the last secular country in the area - nonreligious but keeping others at bay with talk of WMD. Bush blew up the entire damn apple cart - and the shit is hitting the fan big time.
It's because he operated under the delusion that he could create an ally in the region and stabilize it. Like the US occupation/reconstruction of Japan after WW2 which played out well
🙂
It's like they don't have any experts in the Pentagon on the subject
🙁
I am not saying that Saddam's regime in Iraq was a peaceful one. Just think about the 1,5 victims of the Iran-Iraq war, (in the context of the Cold War)
or later, his attempt to annex Kuwait and the following Gulf War in the early 1990s, which some compared with the 1939 occupation of czechoslovakia by Hitler, only with more oil in the picture.
