No, I’m not.
I think it’s sad and I do understand a lot of the frustration.
I stayed completely out of the last one, and I don’t have a lot to say about this one.
But I do have this question, respectfully…
For those people saying, ‘ban the burqa,’ is this a women’s rights thing?
Is that being brought into this?
Because if we’re talking about…not solving the issue but addressing it…then I don’t see how banning the burqa is any help at all.
Has burqa-related activity been linked to terrorist attacks in the western world, even once?
Wouldn’t doing that just put a further divide between Muslims and other Australians?
I’m not having a go.
I just don’t understand the thinking, and I’d like to try.
I’ve lived in London for close to 10 years and work close to London Bridge. I’ve watched an Essendon game at the Wheatsheaf Hotel (great place to catch up and they have cold beer). Even though I only see the same media you see in Australia, there’s a general feeling among those I work with that these acts are more a symptom of the negative aspects of today’s immediacy of media than a concerted effort to right perceived wrongs. Any nut job can hide behind religion and draw attention to themselves, which seems to have happened again. There is a growing sympathy here toward moderate Muslims who are being targetted because of these idiots. Blaming a religion for this is understandable, but it’s almost convenient, and the UK is not without experience in the bloodshed and violence created by religious differences and intolerance. The horror expressed by those i work with when a similar incident occurred in Melbourne in January was compounded by the fact there didn’t seem to be any link to suspects we might look for here (IRA, ISIS etc). Ironically that link might be seen as some sort of explanation and weird justification. In the meantime we carry on, but we are now very wary of going anywhere that is crowded or with limited exit points.
My view, is that at a big picture level, this is more to do political terrorism, masquerading as religion.
As much to do with invasions and piggybacking off the back of (real, exaggerated or fabricated) atrocities in Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan - take your pick- to get some nutbags their slice of the oil money.
The buggers with the knives and guns are being sold as it being religious zealotry, but their masters are playing the game on a different level.
It’s not not religious, but it’s about far more than just Islam. And it’s plain to see attacking or quashing moderate Islam won’t solve ■■■■, these guys are the fringe of the fringe.
Like any form of recidivism, SES, family and education levels are probably as big risk factors as anything - all the Muslims I know have parents who are doctors and accountants, they’re as likely as you or I to launch an attack - but the marginalised poor kid with no buy-in to Western culture, society or economy - maybe a different story…? The fact there’s been war in Muslim majority countries (Afghanistan, Iran, Balkans,Kashmir, Palestine) for 50-60 years straight can’t help?
It’s not an easy problem to analyse, much less fix. But I don’t think continuing to bomb Muslim countries is helping.
Spectacular missing of the point.
Ramadan is the time of peace and basically sucking up to god, in Islam. There’s no way a genuine Muslim could regard attacking someone in cold blood as a good thing to do in Ramadan
Again, this “western culture not accepting them” crap doesn’t actually link in the fact that ISIS kill more Muslims than westerners.
These people exist because Islam can be interpreted as a violent scripture, the West provoces it by simply existing. As I said, look at Japan. They have no issues of Islamic Terrorism because there are no Muslims. Coincidence? I think not…
Prevention is always better than the cure and they have prevented it by limiting immigration from those countries.
But on the flip side of that the extremist element of Islam says what better way to suck up to God than by doing as he commands and killing some infidels.
I think it’s natural to vent, and be emotional.
And here’s probably a better place to do it than at work or the pub.
I don’t think anyone should work policy out of BB discussions.
It goes towards integration into the country - trying to be a productive member of the community.
Any man who forces his wife/daughter to wear a burqa is plainly not interested in a western way of life. Islamic fundamentalism has no place in this country and by banning the burqa its just a small way of saying that your fundamentalist beliefs are not welcome here.
The burqa thing might be an emotional reaction.
It might be a way for some people to lash out and ‘take something back’, anything.
And I’d understand that.
But I’m not prejudging. It’s quite possible there’s something in it that I haven’t thought of.