Mine is probably an over simplistic view (and I'll undoubtedly be corrected) but they're not followers of Islam. They are members of a cult who have corrupted that idea and skewed things to match their own self-obsession, power trip, whatever is the appropriate description.
As a native citizen of the US, I agree with your comments wholeheartedly. It is demoralizing to watch the US become even more interested in private wealth than social progress. It also saddens me that politicians have no intention of making anyone's lives easier except their own. The wealthy have the power and are taking advantage of it. They cultivate division between the poor and middle class while pushing their own agendas. I worry about my daughter's future.
I practice no belief or faith, I do though accept and respect that of others. My objection is dogmatism which I will also accuse many agnostics and atheists of as well. Your ukip statement only reinforces what I am saying because there you gave example of an electoral system not fit for purpose, but then name one that is. It begins by us having candidates foist on us. Very few people in any parliament are any longer of the constituency they represent, they are presented to local parties for selection but not chosen by grassroots, very few carry policy ideas based on the views, needs and wishes of their constituents. That is not representative governance. But then you too easily condemn things said here as wishy washy leftie liberal posts, do you not also condemn hardline rightwing posts as well? That would be democratic if you would consider that balance. but even more so if you would accept that one person's point of view is not yours but that does not make them wrong unless they are substantively wrong by stating things that are not fact or true. What we must be learning from Friday evening is how we collectively end these terrors, all ordinary Moslems alongside the rest of us included, so that as a single human society we no longer tolerate injustice - after all there are enough of us and no rational thinking person likes bullies which is what they are.
I think it is again a context question. Because my discipline is social anthropology and one of the four major bases of that discipline is religion we tend to learn not just about religion but also its history and the transference of culture and traditions within them that are not actually part of the religion but are made into them, such as by Daesh now. Good and evil have existed since they were give those appellations back in early human culture, so they have to that effect always been with us, but the parameters between the two are not always the same. Nonetheless these heinous people who are using a perverse interpretation of the message of their prophet believe they are right and everybody else is wrong. In short, they do not actually know their own religion but accept a version of it delivered to them by those who lead them, those charismatic people with vast great chips on their shoulders who are disappointed with how their lives have panned out so wish to punish the entire world using those vulnerable enough to accept their poisoned words. Those terrorists are not Islamists, they are the apostates in terms of Q'ranic teaching using the text as it was first written, they misrepresent what they believe is their religion and abuse it. It is that that Mohammed did, as you say, warn against and yet they have turned that 180° to their version of things.
Simon, you got uppity about plumbers and so on. Why? It was contextual. Joan made a reasonable suggestion but I explained why some working people could not do what, if you look you will see that, I was suggesting earlier. It was not a diversion per se but putting some things in context, why people could not assemble for the minute's silence because they are working to keep their heads above economic water. It was unreasonable to discuss and explain?
But then to turn that into anger, again, and use that instead of thinking seems a bit negative to me. Take heed of what Patrick Pelloux has said. He was the medical correspondent of Charlie Hebdo and also an emergency doctor. He had a meeting at the hospital so was late getting to CH, eventually he was the doctor who went in to tend the people there. As he said, he became a doctor working among dead and wounded friends and colleagues. On Friday night he was on duty at the hospital that was suddenly filled with casualties. There he is now saying no anger but reflection, do not turn on Moslem neighbours, do not apportion blame to those who do not deserve it and other thoughtful words, and above all he is the one who said we must all uphold liberté, égalité, fraternité for all yesterday.
Brian, Brian, Brian. Change?
How can that be when UKIP in the UK received 3.8 million votes at the last election and were "rewarded" (?) with one MP. The voting system in the UK is not fit for purpose now, that is if it has ever been. Direct Proportional Representation might be the way on a % basis such as 10% of the vote gets you 10% of the seats, end of. Forget all the rubbish about transferable votes etc. The last time PR was offered it was made so incredibly difficut to understand for the 'normal' person in the street it was no surprise the turnout was so low and it was rejected.
I have no time at all for any of the 'organised religions' so I am not out to pick on any one in particular as anyone who still believes in the sky fairies is seriouslly deluded if they think their god gives a f**k about what goes on down here, as witnessed by the atrocities committed a few days ago. I was fully aware of what happened in Beruit and of the sacrifice of the man who took down one of the bombers and was himself, with his little daughter, killed in doing so. Yes there is bias from the mediarses never more so than when it hits close to home.
What sickens me is when the likes of call me dave the ca-moron and merkitler and up until yesterday hollande have sleep walked into this situation whilst sitting comfortably at home surronded by loads of security. There are two options here either they are incredibly stupid and not aware of what has been going on for years now or there is a secret agenda behind this. I have no idea which is correct but as far as I can see there is no grey area in between it is a clear choice of one or the other.
I am in no way a monarchist but I harken back to the olden days when the leaders, Kings and Queens and Emperors then, lead from the front and had the courage of their convictions. I would like to see the so called leaders of today have a go at that. As for war mongers like bliar he should be on trial for war crimes as his actions and that of bush directly lead to this situation. No lessons were learnt with regard to the removel of Saddam and Gadaffi but yet again their successors interfere with their actions in Syria in attempting to remove an elected leader of a country. Just who do these cretins think they are? Gods perhaps?
It is obvious to all but the most blind (the one's who do not want to see) that the womb war is moving far too slow in some people's minds and hence the pace has been stepped up considerably to move on the islamic invasion of the west.
Some of what you publish on here I completely agree with but some of the other wishy washy leftie liberal posts I find are very close to complete and utter appeasement of things that are totally wrong with the worlds societies at the present time.
I have to stop now, as the domestic goddess I serve, has demanded I get off of here and take the rubbish to the bins and bring in logs for the fire, as it is getting decidedly cooler of late after the mini summer and not just because she is angry at me.
Hope you can take this on board, without offence, as after all many have given their lives to give us this privilege of more or less unfettered discourse (apart for the dodgy laws passed in the UK to stiffle free speech). I was proud to stand at our memorial on the 11th, with many French and British present, wearing both my Red Poppy and my Blue Cornflower as a mark of respect and the Cognac and biscuits in the Marie after was very nice as well.
Ian, no Islam is not an evil ideology at all. Part of that religion has been hijacked which the people who become Daesh and such movements divert from. Christianity hardly has a clean record, indeed the blood letting here in France when Protestantism appeared with the Reformation is alone horrendous. The French Wars of Religion between 1562 and 98 were a period of civil infighting and military operations fought between Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots). For a while Protestantism became almost the state form of Christianity, however a Catholic king when Henri IV converted to Rome in 1593 and wholesale slaughter of Huguenots ended that. All over Europe there were religious wars, it even played a great role in the English Civil War. On that form, and much of what Christianity has been responsible for make it an equally nasty cult. As for the child abuse, until very recently children were indoctrinated throughout the Christian world and as for the sexual abuse and violence used against them that is just coming out in the open...
To single out an entire religion as bad is to condemn all ordinary good people who adhere to it to something they do not deserve. That is not acceptable in any civilised society.
The PM and the President.
Who are they, Manu and Frankie
"Those in power are there for a reason." Yes, due to general apathy on the part of the voters unfortunately. There are no 'leaders' as such in Western Europe at the present time mearly a crowd of people working to their own agendas and not listening to the people who pay their wages and expenses as they ride along on the gravy train and who in fact they are supposed to serve. I see someone on here still sees islam as a religion when in fact it is simply an evil ideology, which seeks to control every aspect of a persons life and leaves no room for free will. The brainwashing of children from infancy into the ways of this cult, to my mind, is nothing more or less than mental child abuse.
I have read the Quran, studied it with various mentors.
The terrorists call themselves Islamists.
All we can do is call them extremists.
How would you describe the perpetrators of this barbarianism. I want to simply call them savages, and I believe Mohamad was warning his followers about this real danger within humankind, much as we can discover reading the bible or the Torah.
Good and Evil have been around since the beginning.
But we do not have the choice.
You or I could not change the structure of power even if we wanted to.
I listen from time to time to the policies and the ideas of UK politicians (AND OTHERS)°and most of them are great journlists and they capture their followers? Some more verbose than others.
They project what they feel the public wants to hear. Not necessarily is this related to what they
can achieve.
We know that they are performers and journalists but they are informed
about details which will never find their way to us.
There is no alternative!
Bryan thanks for this, I've posted it to my FB account. No doubt I will get a backlash, but it's plain and simple.
Some of it is exaggerated or imprecise but the gist of it is right. I think the tone of it is a bit too damning of Islam. I have always known Moslems, at least when I went to live in London nearly 60 years ago we had people from Pakistan as neighbours, the number increased. In Germany I lived among Turks and others. I studied and worked with Moslems. I have worked in Islamic countries. As many are saying, what is happening in NOT Islam. Indeed, if anybody bothers to read the Q'ran and sees where Mohammed mentioned any kind of violence there are reasons given, ones that are to do with Arabian tribalism and not other religions outside his environment at that time. The Caliphate these dreadful people want was totally riven with tribalism on top of the division within Islam since Mohammed's death and the rivalry over who was his true heir and that that person's take on the word of the prophet is the true line.
Thanks for the artisan update.
The minute of silence was impeccably respected at all the venues. Manu & Frankie looked in mournful mood but there were traces of hatred and revenge in their faces. It's amazing how facial expressions and demenour can tell volumes about a mood or mindset !
Those in power are there because 'we' elect them, select them, allow them or however they achieve office. Because we all share a responsibility for people being 'leaders' none of us are absolutely innocent since ultimately we have the power to change them and how the world is. Those who lead IS certainly do not care for democracy but if we look at our senior politicians everywhere how much do they really represent any of us. Since 1945 particularly we have preached world peace, yet there are conflicts of one kind of another in three dozen countries and the number increasing at present. That is just over one in six of the 198 nations in the world! If we had the leaders who would lead us to change and a better world instead of the handful of powerful people ( men are only just over 50% of 'people' but most leaders and senior people, females are seriously under represented as people) it would be great, but whatever type of politician they are they appear to come from generally unrepresentative elites. The few who do make it, the likes of Lula in Brazil, are exceptions and often change for the worse in power. Democracy comes from the base, we are the base, all of us, we employ the minority who govern who should answer to us. If we can ever achieve that balance then we can also end the kind of world in which IS and their ilk can come to be.
Just gone 1200. I have just finished one job, the plumber has gone to get some glycol to refill the solar system, the plumber is gone home to feed their livestock. I shall start my lunch in a moment, plumber will be back by 1230, electrician ASAP. For them it is livelihood, even as their own bosses the earnings are hardly fantastic and nowadays people expect work quick, punctual on the day(s) agreed without a cent over the devis. In some ways it is more 'germanic' than Germany, the old France is slowly fading away (aha, the plumber is back already, 1205 and will be working.... As John says, it is a stereotype, but one of the past even.
Yep. There were times when I had to become silent - to contain my disgust.
I am dealing with my outrage via a legal protest.
My amazement was often at the smugness of those who declared that they did not lower themselves to be involved in politics.
Oh, oh oh, yep, flipping 'eck.
Flipping heck. It's that dividing line between a hobby and an obsession. I can understand someone who has, say, an interest in collecting vintage firearms and might have them on display but burying presumably live ammunition and weapons under the lawn I wouldn't consider a prank.
I would like to share your report from the German Survivor, but do not know how to share it directly from this site. Could you send it to me. I just sent you a friend request.
Everything written is totally coherent
The silent majority have great responsibility for the Grand Tragedy in world history.