The intention of part one of this series was to suggest where our fears come from. That is not what this series is about. My aim is to do the opposite of those who seek power by provoking fear.
I aim to humanise those we have dehumanised through our reinforcement and fear of otherness.
The above video is of an english actress. The intent of the film-makers is clear. To help you to put yourself in the shoes of the victims. This film was manufactured by somebody who scripted a scene to manipulate your viewpoint. Some people are less inclined to let themselves feel sympathy knowing the child is just an actress.
For this reason I present you with a real girl.
This real girl really has been through the story depicted in the narrative above.
A little Syrian girl, Aisha (5 years old), selling tissues on the streets of Turkey to help her family survive, is absolutely shaken when she sees a man in uniform (police) coming towards her. So much so, she grabs on to a passer-by for dear life. Despite the officer's attempt to calm her down, she repeatedly begs to be let go and promises to not do it again, thinking she is going to be punished for her crimes. Her style used to make the emphatic promise was the gesture used by some Arabs of kissing her hand and placing her finger on her forehead, which children use when asking for forgiveness after doing something terribly wrong.
Her behavior highlights the psychological background of the Children of Syria towards "military dress". Imagine what these children must have suffered to scare them like this.
Now just how different are the islamists?
Aren't their women severely oppressed?
They wear the hijab...
We wear the white wedding dress.
If you really think wearing a hijab is what makes these women oppressed then why do we still insist on wearing the colour of chastity or celebacy or purity on our wedding day? If you can say that it is your choice to wear that colour, then can you respect when they say it is their choice to wear the hijab?
Israa the 11 year old Syrian refugee
Lets move on to the story of Israa. Israa and her family have been through a lot. They lost their city of Aleppo.
Without a story any human may become a "media narrative", just a refugee or "migrant".
"Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity."
∼Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
End of part 2.
We sometimes forget our own religion being similar, nuns wear headwear we are suppose to fast during lent muslims do this during ramadan we should remember the things that make us simler rather than divide us, I count myself lucky to have friends both in the Muslim community and also Amadyan Muslim friends. I also have jewish and many friends from other faiths Hindu, Sikh, Catholic. I live in a multi-cultural society in West London, all the faiths come together as friends of Faith to help each other, myself I am a bit agnostic, atheist humanist depending on what day of the week it is, but I respect them as much as they respect me and my life is so much richer for it.
Yea the difference is that nuns do what they do willingly. They wont be stoned to death because they went into public without it. Its nice that you have this great multicultural picture in your head but that pretty picture will get you and your family killed. You should do a bit more research on Islam. Maybe even go spend some time in the middle east. Think you'd make it out alive?
The "true believers" simply are not playing around. I don't think some people can wrap their heads around that mentality.
It takes a lot of programming before someone reaches that point and its not by accident.
Yes I've been to london and it's incredibly multi cultural. And doesn't come without problems of course, hence what has happened with Brexit. I shared a video on Part 1 of this series in which the ex-undercover agent says
I think that that embodies the truth that those who control us don't want us to know.
Is it possible to have serious issues with the Islamic religion and those considered powerful in that food chain, yet simultaneously not have a problem with the silent, terrified majority?
Do you have serious issues with religion and control through religious institution in general?
None so much as Islam.
It's the only religion that has an entire blueprint to socio-economic-political control written into their holy documents.
I agree with @williambanks. I'm not fond of any religion or control through indoctrination but I can still respect religious people as it is a part of their upbringing just as it was mine. In the end, each individual chooses how to interpret the religion they are taught and certainly every religion has been hypocritical in its ideologies of both acceptance and intolerance. A persons religious beliefs no matter what religion, depend on which side they become comfortable with: The loving side where they can accept that all people are different or the ignorant side where they can value themselves above others for living by the intolerant teachings of their holy book.
To answer your first question, yes it is entirely possible. But I wouldn't call it fair if you don't recognise the same issues within almost all religions.
I vehemently disagree that there there are similar problems in all religions to the same degrees. This isn't a question of 'interpretation'. This is a legitimized use of force based on divine authority.
Even if the violent ones reached their goal of killing or subjugating all 'kafir', then they would end up killing each other over the sectarian division.
I don't fear Muslims as people. I fear Islam as a socio-political, military force.
There is no equivalent to Sharia Law, in which the 'Ummah' is the desired end state controlled by a divinely appointed Caliphate. Jesus taught the Kingdom of Heaven is within, and to render unto Caesar that which is Caesars. Not 'global submission through force or threats'.
There is no modern schism in religion comparable to Sunni vs Shia that places major nations on the brink of regional war (Iran and Saudi Arabia). (Protestants and Catholics is nowhere near the current scale of the Sunni/Shia conflict in injuries and deaths).
Jesus also condemns a man to hell if he lays with another man. That is still a cultural aspect within our society you cannot pretend christianity has not helped shape the ignorance of people through socio-political force. It is still illegal in many christian countries to be homosexual!
Come to northern Ireland and talk of that scale! Protestantism isn't old enough to have ever reached that scale. The troubles of the north in this country have finally died down because people learned to live and love alongside one another. But I can tell you it took hundreds of years of peace treaties and policies (that only began once the republic was established in the last century). In my part 1 of this series I presented this video to show that it is not the people, it is a narrative constructed by those who want us to kill each other!
Christianity and the vatican church is losing its influence and even becoming openly accepting of homosexuality. But in another time, christianity was incredibly controlling, and yes through socio-political indoctrination! And this extremist form of christianity may have died where you and I live but it still lives.
As for the equivalent of Sharia Law, no your right, Christianity doesn't have a word for that. They just enforce it through the courtrooms when you are forced to swear on the bible and through the money you exchange which says "in god we trust". Christianity just isn't honest enough about the power of the Vatican to actually write it into your history books for you.
You should also have known that this series is clearly not about the religion it is about the people. I never wished to argue over "which religion is better" or which one came about through conquest. I find your insistence on arguing on a topic my articles clearly avoided to be an aggressive and unnecessary nuisance to this thread.
Learn to agree to agree to disagree!
Actually all religions have that baked in. You'll see it in every religion since the whole point is consolidation of power within "god's chosen elite". Islam is presently undergoing a resurgence of fundamentalism because the west has seriously abused their position of superior power since WW2.
Had the Turks won WW2 then resettled the Jews in the bible belt you would see Christianity undergoing the same sort of "vital resurgence" that Islam is right now.
Simple fact, most terrorists are extremely well educated engineers and scientists. They are chaffing against the ignorance of the west and eventually when you tell people they're bad long enough, they will turn bad.
I can't wait until God calls all of his "elect" home, so we can finally get some peace in this world.
If ifs and buts were candies and nuts...
The Turks supported the Nazis. They earned their defeat.
If you think that will stop wars, you're completely missing the point.
I don't care if they're a giant tardigrade. If they're killing civilians to instill fear, they have no respect of mine.
You're seriously arguing that we need to stop 'telling them that they're bad' and that will cease hostilities?
No not the ones that are already radicalized of course not. But what I am saying is that when kids are picking sides in a game, if you tell a group of kids "you're the bad guys". They will take it as license to act like bad guys even if they're otherwise good kids.
People want to be recognized and will generally become whatever it takes to get the recognition they feel they deserve. Even if that means turning bad.
Some movements are bad in general, Nazi's, Radical Islam, Fundamental Christians. All of these if they are keeping to the full dictates of their religious texts, are engaging in the act of hating people because they are different.
Only one thing fixes that and it's not bullets and it's not ostracizing those on the margins. Or you can have a war which is fought until one side gets tired of dying for it's cause.
But I can promise you there are more of them than us and they believe that God has chosen them personally to convert you and will reward them forever in heaven. They're willing to die for their cause already, they just want to take a few more home with them in the process so that everyone can bask in the light.
It's a sweet deal for the preachers. They get young men willing to die which increases their personal wealth and respect and also lowers the number of potential competitors for mates.
Our Irish government sent our sympathies over Hitlers death! What does that make me as an Irish person in your eyes?
As for the rest, you completely missed what @williambanks was saying and just jumped straight to defense...
@beanz This is an awesome series! You absolutely rock! Keep going!
I have question for you : did you ever seen war with your own eyes ?