One mistake otherwise smart people make is thinking other cultures think like they do. They believe everyone will be “reasonable and pragmatic.” When nothing is further from the truth. It’s one reason I tell people to not try to make sense of why criminals do what they do. For most, it won’t. The same goes for terrorists and fundamentalist states.
Israelis use a phrase, "m'dabrim aravit," which literally translates as "speaking Arabic," but really means understanding the cultures of the Middle East with no illusions or rose colored glasses.
Reasonable in their minds. In the same way, a criminal mugging someone to take their gold necklace is reasonable to the mugger, but not to the rest of us.
One thing I believe others need to understand that the culture of Iran pre-mullah is not necessarily the same today. We are talking almost 50 years where the mullahs control almost every aspect of Iranian society. They will have changed. Though, I do believe that there is a significant portion of the Iranian population that would not cry if the Mullahs were eliminated.
1. Thanks for the analysis! I believe you are spot on.
B. I encourage all my friends and associates to stop referring to islam as a religion. IMHO, it is a death cult, not a religion. No Religion requires its adherents to convert or kill or enslave (Jizya tax) non-believers. islam does, ergo it is not a religion.
That terminology shift is necessary for the USA to move islam out from the protection of the first Amendment it currently enjoys.
Thirdly, islam is all about violence and submission, not encouraging others to worship.
Islam's a religion, all right. So is (Western) wokeism with its Pride Month, and pronoun enforcers, and 2MinHate against Donald "Goldstein" Trump (renouncing The Orange One and All His Works, catechismically), and "greening" everything to reduce the (eco-friendly, but don't tell THEM that) carbon dioxide emissions, ad nauseam.
But when the religion commands that its adherents destroy themselves or each other, then let the governments of saner lands follow Charles Napier's principle in regard to sati:
"Be it so. This burning of widows is your custom; prepare the funeral pile. But my nation has also a custom. When men burn women alive we hang them, and confiscate all their property. My carpenters shall therefore erect gibbets on which to hang all concerned when the widow is consumed. Let us all act according to national customs!"
Besides the general anti-Western tenets that Ian reviews, at least one strain in Islam holds the sincere religious belief that Allah cannot reign properly on Earth until all the Jews are killed ( I wish I was making this up). They are having trouble with the idea that Jews shoot back now.
I would love to read part 2. Most of this is probably correct but when it comes down to actually doing I don't think most of the people want to commit suicide. Yes there are a lot of crazies when push comes to shove its the other guy.
Two comments: first is that it's important to understand that children are without sin. Therefore any child killed as a human shield or as a suicide bomber goes straight to paradise. Second, they still reference the tragedy of Andalusia, if you think they aren't going to be upset about what the Brits and Americans did to them in the last hundred years or so, you are not thinking straight.
Hiya, I’ve got so much sht coming at me from all angles right now, I literally do not have the prana to absorb what is going down elsewhere in the world, so I’m glad that you do.
But I will say, I love your use of AI to put together your striking Fox Warrior image & the caption you used. It’s very strong. Foxes in literature & in reality get a bad wrap, but they, like all of us, are just wanting to do what is in accordance with their nature. E xx
It goes deeper that the First Amendment, or even sundresses.
In Islam, the greatest sin is "shirk" -- the association of the Almighty with any other power. This makes polytheism a form of shirk, but it's not the only one. Supposing that Mohammed was the final prophet, the Almighty revealed to him all the laws necessary for human society. There can be no other law made by mere mortals. Any human legislature usurps the Divine law-making power. Representative democracy is shirk -- the worst sin, worthy of destruction, in the eyes of Islam.
(A net search of "Islamic sin shirk democracy" will confirm.)
Most westerners don't understand belief. The get it confused with opinion, which can change relatively easily.
Belief is what is real to an individual. Very few people want to change what's real to them. It's amazing what contortions the mind will go through to preserve belief.
Yep, that's pretty much it. And when you think that way, all kinds of other considerations that would nominally preclude certain levels of action go straight out the window.
One mistake otherwise smart people make is thinking other cultures think like they do. They believe everyone will be “reasonable and pragmatic.” When nothing is further from the truth. It’s one reason I tell people to not try to make sense of why criminals do what they do. For most, it won’t. The same goes for terrorists and fundamentalist states.
Israelis use a phrase, "m'dabrim aravit," which literally translates as "speaking Arabic," but really means understanding the cultures of the Middle East with no illusions or rose colored glasses.
I just finished Wild Swans, which is about growing up in Mao's China. They are reasonable but their reasons are not western.
Reasonable in their minds. In the same way, a criminal mugging someone to take their gold necklace is reasonable to the mugger, but not to the rest of us.
Which is exactly why I'm fine with pilots blaring "Rock The Casbah" on bombing runs.
Bonus: It makes the songwriter, along with the rest of those "They just want peace!" types, cry. This fact amuses me.
I'm just here for the sundresses.
One thing I believe others need to understand that the culture of Iran pre-mullah is not necessarily the same today. We are talking almost 50 years where the mullahs control almost every aspect of Iranian society. They will have changed. Though, I do believe that there is a significant portion of the Iranian population that would not cry if the Mullahs were eliminated.
1. Thanks for the analysis! I believe you are spot on.
B. I encourage all my friends and associates to stop referring to islam as a religion. IMHO, it is a death cult, not a religion. No Religion requires its adherents to convert or kill or enslave (Jizya tax) non-believers. islam does, ergo it is not a religion.
That terminology shift is necessary for the USA to move islam out from the protection of the first Amendment it currently enjoys.
Thirdly, islam is all about violence and submission, not encouraging others to worship.
d. Women are property under islam.
Islam's a religion, all right. So is (Western) wokeism with its Pride Month, and pronoun enforcers, and 2MinHate against Donald "Goldstein" Trump (renouncing The Orange One and All His Works, catechismically), and "greening" everything to reduce the (eco-friendly, but don't tell THEM that) carbon dioxide emissions, ad nauseam.
But when the religion commands that its adherents destroy themselves or each other, then let the governments of saner lands follow Charles Napier's principle in regard to sati:
"Be it so. This burning of widows is your custom; prepare the funeral pile. But my nation has also a custom. When men burn women alive we hang them, and confiscate all their property. My carpenters shall therefore erect gibbets on which to hang all concerned when the widow is consumed. Let us all act according to national customs!"
Besides the general anti-Western tenets that Ian reviews, at least one strain in Islam holds the sincere religious belief that Allah cannot reign properly on Earth until all the Jews are killed ( I wish I was making this up). They are having trouble with the idea that Jews shoot back now.
I would love to read part 2. Most of this is probably correct but when it comes down to actually doing I don't think most of the people want to commit suicide. Yes there are a lot of crazies when push comes to shove its the other guy.
Radical Muslim: wants to cut your head off
Moderate Muslim: wants a Radical Muslim to cut your head off
(actually moderate anybody mostly want to be left alone and have a reasonable life, their definition of. Yes wish in one hand...)
Every radical Muslim knows that a moderate Muslim is an apostate.
Two comments: first is that it's important to understand that children are without sin. Therefore any child killed as a human shield or as a suicide bomber goes straight to paradise. Second, they still reference the tragedy of Andalusia, if you think they aren't going to be upset about what the Brits and Americans did to them in the last hundred years or so, you are not thinking straight.
Hiya, I’ve got so much sht coming at me from all angles right now, I literally do not have the prana to absorb what is going down elsewhere in the world, so I’m glad that you do.
But I will say, I love your use of AI to put together your striking Fox Warrior image & the caption you used. It’s very strong. Foxes in literature & in reality get a bad wrap, but they, like all of us, are just wanting to do what is in accordance with their nature. E xx
Hmmmm...loved this until the second thing under "Understand two things". In my experience, you are way too optimistic about the average Iranian.
It goes deeper that the First Amendment, or even sundresses.
In Islam, the greatest sin is "shirk" -- the association of the Almighty with any other power. This makes polytheism a form of shirk, but it's not the only one. Supposing that Mohammed was the final prophet, the Almighty revealed to him all the laws necessary for human society. There can be no other law made by mere mortals. Any human legislature usurps the Divine law-making power. Representative democracy is shirk -- the worst sin, worthy of destruction, in the eyes of Islam.
(A net search of "Islamic sin shirk democracy" will confirm.)
You are right Ian, and I am sure you are on the Mullah's list again. Stay armed, head on a swivel.
Most westerners don't understand belief. The get it confused with opinion, which can change relatively easily.
Belief is what is real to an individual. Very few people want to change what's real to them. It's amazing what contortions the mind will go through to preserve belief.
Yep, that's pretty much it. And when you think that way, all kinds of other considerations that would nominally preclude certain levels of action go straight out the window.
Don't ask me how I know.
Seems like the Izzys might have figured out how to address the problem…
Religious animosity and fanaticism is a powerful motivating force.