Same...can be said for all religions because they usually stem from one another and the one constant is "treat others as you would have them do treat you".

 

Unfortunately, too many followers of this particular religion seem to have a major axe to grind with followers of Christianity and that's where I have a problem.

 

A small portion of Muslim extremists have been attempting (fairly successfully IMO) to brainwash non-extremist Muslims for a long time, even in this country. I think that the fight against terrorism starts with education in the middle east. Some kids in schools in Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern countries are taught at a young age to hate non-believers. We need to do something about that otherwise every time we capture or kill one terrorist, there will still be 10 young recruits ready to step in.

A small portion of Muslim extremists have been attempting (fairly successfully IMO) to brainwash non-extremist Muslims for a long time, even in this country. I think that the fight against terrorism starts with education in the middle east. Some kids in schools in Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern countries are taught at a young age to hate non-believers. We need to do something about that otherwise every time we capture or kill one terrorist, there will still be 10 young recruits ready to step in.

 

 

So we need to kill them in multiples of 11 then.

Should any religion that says their "god" is the only god be classified as inherently violent?

A small portion of Muslim extremists have been attempting (fairly successfully IMO) to brainwash non-extremist Muslims for a long time, even in this country. I think that the fight against terrorism starts with education in the middle east. Some kids in schools in Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern countries are taught at a young age to hate non-believers. We need to do something about that otherwise every time we capture or kill one terrorist, there will still be 10 young recruits ready to step in.

 

 

Impossible.

 

 

I know it is a movie but it portrays it pretty well, watch "The Kingdom."

 

 

One of ours gets killed, we say "We' are going to kill them all"

 

One of theirs gets killed, they say "We are going to kill them all"

 

This isn't a cut off the head of the snake deal, we literally have to kill ever extremist.......and the media and US public will not allow it.

Impossible.

 

 

I know it is a movie but it portrays it pretty well, watch "The Kingdom."

 

 

One of ours gets killed, we say "We' are going to kill them all"

 

One of theirs gets killed, they say "We are going to kill them all"

 

This isn't a cut off the head of the snake deal, we literally have to kill ever extremist.......and the media and US public will not allow it.

 

Killing every extremist is impossible IMO. Like I said before, if you kill one, there are 10 young recruits ready and willing to take over. It all starts with education. The only way to combat terrorism effectively, even according to many experts on the topic, is to find a way to change the views of non-believers portrayed in middle eastern education. You can't kill all of them literally. You can only hope to cut off their recruiting tools. I have no problem with killing extremists who murder innocent people. But that's not the only way to go about stopping terrorism.

Isn't it true that in most Muslim countries other religious beliefs are not permitted to be openly worshiped, or are discriminated against by the government? I think it's that way in Saudia Arabia and many other Muslim countries. They are not tolerant of other religions, and as we have seen in Iraq, not even tolerant of variations in beliefs in their own faith.

Killing every extremist is impossible IMO. Like I said before, if you kill one, there are 10 young recruits ready and willing to take over. It all starts with education. The only way to combat terrorism effectively, even according to many experts on the topic, is to find a way to change the views of non-believers portrayed in middle eastern education. You can't kill all of them literally. You can only hope to cut off their recruiting tools. I have no problem with killing extremists who murder innocent people. But that's not the only way to go about stopping terrorism.

I know that it seems like the number of suicidal extremist Muslims is unlimited, but their numbers are finite. The number of Muslims who support extremism around the world is large. The number of people willing to voluntarily blow themselves up is much smaller.

 

Dealing harshly with terrorists when they are found will discourage their would-be successors at some point. Decimation, while a brutal practice, was very effective for the Romans in pacifying the conquered. (I am not advocating decimation - just using it as an example of how extremists have been dispatched in the past.)

I know that it seems like the number of suicidal extremist Muslims is unlimited, but their numbers are finite. The number of Muslims who support extremism around the world is large. The number of people willing to voluntarily blow themselves up is much smaller.

 

Dealing harshly with terrorists when they are found will discourage their would-be successors at some point. Decimation, while a brutal practice, was very effective for the Romans in pacifying the conquered. (I am not advocating decimation - just using it as an example of how extremists have been dispatched in the past.)

 

Are you suggesting that people who are willing to blow themselves up will be deterred by seeing their leaders killed? The thing is, if they're willing to blow themselves up, they're willing to risk getting caught and or killed.

 

When the terrorist leaders look for potential suicide bombers they tend to look for people who need money for their family, or for people who are easily brainwashed. Many times after they convince them to blow themselves up they will kidnap the suicide bombers family and threaten to kill them all if the bomber doesn't go through with it. I realize there isn't an infinite number of terrorists out there, but you have to admit that if we do nothing about the education in Muslim countries, things will never change. There are future terrorists being groomed as we speak.

Are you suggesting that people who are willing to blow themselves up will be deterred by seeing their leaders killed? The thing is, if they're willing to blow themselves up, they're willing to risk getting caught and or killed.

Not exactly. If suicide bombers know that their accomplices and enablers, including brothers, fathers, and neighbors will be hunted down and severely punished or killed and that celebrations of their butchery would be met with severe retribution, they might not be so eager to leave this world. We (I am using the term broadly to include friendly governments) need to identify who rewards the families of suicide bombers and end their miserable lives. Financial rewards for their impoverished families is often a prime motivator of suicide bombers. The Israeli practice of destroying the bomber's home if it can be located is another good deterrent.

 

However, my main point is that the supply of suicidal maniacs is finite. Violence in Iraq has reached its lowest level in four years and Al Qaeda in Iraq is being routed in its last urban stronghold of Mosul. Meeting extremism with overwhelming force does work.

 

When the terrorist leaders look for potential suicide bombers they tend to look for people who need money for their family, or for people who are easily brainwashed. Many times after they convince them to blow themselves up they will kidnap the suicide bombers family and threaten to kill them all if the bomber doesn't go through with it. I realize there isn't an infinite number of terrorists out there, but you have to admit that if we do nothing about the education in Muslim countries, things will never change. There are future terrorists being groomed as we speak.

I agree with most of what you said here, but survival is an instinct and education only goes so far to counteract it. Education increases knowledge and could be effective in reducing terrorism, but it is not absolutely necessary.

 

Education does not increase natural intelligence and if would-be bombers see the family and friends of other terrorists suffer reprisals, most of potential terrorists do not need an education to understand the downside of following the same path.

 

Radical Muslims have been defeated militarily in the past and they have lived in peace with other religions for reasonably long periods of time. The key to living in harmony with extremists is to show them the futility of their cause beyond all doubt. Too many people forget how much of Europe was once conquered by Muslims and how they were eventually driven back.

 

The Muslims were not a peaceful lot, even before the Europeans launched their own crusades. The extremists were defeated before and they can be defeated again with sufficient resolve.

I know that it seems like the number of suicidal extremist Muslims is unlimited, but their numbers are finite. The number of Muslims who support extremism around the world is large. The number of people willing to voluntarily blow themselves up is much smaller.

 

Dealing harshly with terrorists when they are found will discourage their would-be successors at some point. Decimation, while a brutal practice, was very effective for the Romans in pacifying the conquered. (I am not advocating decimation - just using it as an example of how extremists have been dispatched in the past.)

 

Decimation was a practice used for the sake of Miitary discipline by the Roman Army. A cohort that was to be punished was divided into groups of ten and one of the ten soldiers would be executed. After that the remaining soldiers endured further, but decidedly less harsh, punishment.

 

They used Crucifixion on conquered populaces in order to attempt to pacify them. If that didn't work they would exile them as they did the Jews.

 

While I understand your reasoning, Decimation is not the appropriate term in this case.

A small portion of Muslim extremists have been attempting (fairly successfully IMO) to brainwash non-extremist Muslims for a long time, even in this country. I think that the fight against terrorism starts with education in the middle east. Some kids in schools in Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern countries are taught at a young age to hate non-believers. We need to do something about that otherwise every time we capture or kill one terrorist, there will still be 10 young recruits ready to step in.

 

Sorry but if a Christian is "brainwashed" into acting violently or supporting violence for their religion I'd likely consider them to be an extremist(the same as the other extremists),.. regardless of their previous orientation,..... Prior to "brainwashing"

Has anybody considered that the main way to combat terrorist activities is to cut off the money? Seize accounts where possible and cut out the funding. Follow the trails and see where they lead. It's hard to find a desperate person to fill suicide ranks when there's no money to offer his family.

Decimation was a practice used for the sake of Miitary discipline by the Roman Army. A cohort that was to be punished was divided into groups of ten and one of the ten soldiers would be executed. After that the remaining soldiers endured further, but decidedly less harsh, punishment.

 

They used Crucifixion on conquered populaces in order to attempt to pacify them. If that didn't work they would exile them as they did the Jews.

 

While I understand your reasoning, Decimation is not the appropriate term in this case.

Thank you for the correction. My recollection was that decimation was also used against defeated enemies by the Romans but I could find no examples to support my flawed memory.

Most in any religion seem to be able to mesh the basics of their beliefs with tolerance for others. In this case though, it seems that one of the basics calling for a great and abundant life is in direct conflict with reality. As long as we have what appears to be a lopsided portion of the world's wealth - wealth that their basic beliefs say they are entitled to - then how can it not eventually become violent? Our assets make us the "infidels" keeping from them what is rightfully theirs.

 

Education can only go so far, because it is more about economics than ignorance. If the roles were reversed and our assets were shipped to the Middle East and we lived "third world", it would be hard to convince us that God no longer intended Christians to have "life more abundant" as stated in the Bible. We would likely believe that the taking of the assets was wrong and against God's will for us and, therefore, likely be willing to fight for it, especially if we could find parts of our beliefs that openly advocated the killing of such infidels.

Has anybody considered that the main way to combat terrorist activities is to cut off the money? Seize accounts where possible and cut out the funding. Follow the trails and see where they lead. It's hard to find a desperate person to fill suicide ranks when there's no money to offer his family.

That has been a big part of the US war on terror. In fact, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times published details of one of the classified programs that was used to ferret out the funding sources of terrorists.

 

One of Saddam Hussein's crimes against humanity was to reward the survivors of suicide bombers for attacks against Israel with $25,000 "humanitarian" aid.

 

Yet again, the New York Times was presented with a simple choice: help protect American national security or help al Qaeda.

 

Yet again, it sided with al Qaeda.

 

Once again, members of the American intelligence community had a simple choice: remain faithful to their oath — the solemn promise the nation requires before entrusting them with the secrets on which our safety depends — or violate that oath and place themselves and their subjective notions of propriety above the law.

 

Once again, honor was cast aside.

 

For the second time in seven months, the Times has exposed classified information about a program aimed at protecting the American people against a repeat of the September 11 attacks. On this occasion, it has company in the effort: The Los Angeles Times runs a similar, sensational story. Together, the newspapers disclose the fact that the United States has covertly developed a capability to monitor the nerve center of the international financial network in order to track the movement of funds between terrorists and their facilitators. - The Media’s War Against the War Continues