Kicking Off in Paris Again

[EternalOptimist]

You mean the bit that starts "Muslims around the world strongly reject violence in the name of Islam. Asked specifically about suicide bombing, clear majorities in most countries say such acts are rarely or never justified as a means of defending Islam from its enemies"? How do the figures there support the assertion that 25% of the world's Muslims are radical extremists? Her figures simply don't add up.

here are some figures I was looking at the other day.

[fullyautomatix]

One of the primary goals of IS, or whatever we're calling them this week, is to eliminate what they call "the grayzone", in which non-extremist Muslims and non-Muslims live peacefully side-by-side. The intention is to provoke a backlash against Muslims living in Western societies, in the belief that this will cause those Muslims to become radicalised and support IS's cause.

As some comments on here show, their belief that there are many useful idiots in Western societies who will help them achieve this goal by blaming all Muslims for the acts of a tiny minority is amply justified.

More on the subject: The Paris Attacks Were Probably All About the “Grayzone” « Antiwar.com Blog

And here's an Islamic extremist website which is either the source cited in that piece, or is republishing the same material. You don't want to visit this if you're on a work computer that may be monitored for reasons of security: https://ansarukhilafah.wordpress.com...-thr-grayzone/ - be warned, it's long, pompous, and insufferably tedious reading, as zealotry tends to be

Interesting theory but you really seem to be attributing that those thugs have that much of intellect. Also, that would be a long term goal and I really doubt these terrorists think long term. All they want to do is kill the white westerners.

[NickFitz]

Not really, 15 to 25% is actually less than surveys in the UK suggest.

Poll reveals 40pc of Muslims want sharia law in UK - Telegraph

Note: By "radicals" I mean those who believe in principals of Shariah, society run based on Islamic rules. Most may see it as a distant goal to be achieved by peaceful means but it is still a huge threat to our future.

That poll was so vaguely worded as to render its findings meaningless. Most Muslims think in terms of Sharia law being used to resolve disputes appertaining to inheritance, divorce, contracts, and similar civil law matters. The idea that 40 percent of British Muslims want stonings and beheadings in the streets is so obviously fatuous that I'm surprised an intelligent person links to such nonsense.

[Platypus]

Interesting theory but you really seem to be attributing that those thugs have that much of intellect. Also, that would be a long term goal and I really doubt these terrorists think long term. All they want to do is kill the white westerners.

The 'thugs' are just the henchmen of some undoubtedly clever thinkers at the top.

[PurpleGorilla]

You mean the bit that starts "Muslims around the world strongly reject violence in the name of Islam. Asked specifically about suicide bombing, clear majorities in most countries say such acts are rarely or never justified as a means of defending Islam from its enemies"? How do the figures there support the assertion that 25% of the world's Muslims are radical extremists? Her figures simply don't add up.

Flip the scale. Some countries are 40% supportive!

[NickFitz]

Interesting theory but you really seem to be attributing that those thugs have that much of intellect. Also, that would be a long term goal and I really doubt these terrorists think long term. All they want to do is kill the white westerners.

The people who do the dirty work don't need to have intellect, or think long term. They're just foot soldiers carrying out the orders of the small group at the top of the hierarchy; it's that leadership that have an overarching philosophy. This is how every military organisation in the world is.

Surely it's obvious that IS didn't get where it is being led by a bunch of ignorant clodhopping oafs.

[vetran]

You mean the bit that starts "Muslims around the world strongly reject violence in the name of Islam. Asked specifically about suicide bombing, clear majorities in most countries say such acts are rarely or never justified as a means of defending Islam from its enemies"? How do the figures there support the assertion that 25% of the world's Muslims are radical extremists? Her figures simply don't add up.

The word rarely is in there. So They are not saying its never justified just as I would be loath to say air strikes are never justified.

If you look at many of the countries involved about 80% reject using suicide bombing frequently. Afganistan & Palestine its 40-> 50 % who think its often justified.


So its a crap question but even so in the muslim countries a large proportion of the population are up for someone strapping a bomb to their chest and killing in the name of Islam.

[NickFitz]

Flip the scale. Some countries are 40% supportive!

Some. 40% of a country that holds 1% of the Muslims in the world means 0.4%. Even if you add all those figures up and divide by the number of countries, the result is 13.5% - but many of the world's Muslims don't live in the countries for which figures are given, so even that is too high, and it's still lower than her "15% to 25%". This is basic arithmetic.

[cojak]

No, more like run by senior members of Saddam Hussain's Ba'ath Party.

[NickFitz]

The word rarely is in there. So They are not saying its never justified just as I would be loath to say air strikes are never justified.

If you look at many of the countries involved about 80% reject using suicide bombing frequently. Afganistan & Palestine its 40-> 50 % who think its often justified.


So its a crap question but even so in the muslim countries a large proportion of the population are up for someone strapping a bomb to their chest and killing in the name of Islam.

If they weren't given the option of "never" then how could they say it? It's a poll; the respondents don't get to say anything, they get asked questions and have to shoehorn their responses to fit.