Comments on: Osama bin Gulley

By: Timothy

Timothy — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 02:44:41 +0000

Come back when you’re sober, Hitchens!

Sean: cool then, it sounds at least kind of interesting. I have a copy of Arab & JewI’ve been meaning to read for a few years, but I am extremely lazy.

By: Vincent.

Vincent. — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 01:37:44 +0000

Whatever. Fuck Led Zeppelin.

By: Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 01:23:51 +0000

“I do not believe any of the statistical claims that are made about public opinion. I don’t see why anybody does.”

By: CJ Ciaramella

CJ Ciaramella — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:48:52 +0000

When I realized this, it resonated with something much closer in proximity. Something on campus. In essence, Osama bin Laden and these other militant groups are telling their spiritual and political leaders that they have ‘forgotten where they came from.’

This is pretty much a control mechanism in any social group (at least really lame social groups). You can see it in action in many situations; say, for example, you were at the Springfield Bus Station and you loudly announced that “Zep wasn’t really that great of a band.”

By: Sean

Sean — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 17:15:56 +0000

Good point…the fear part was me adding it in, but we didn’t actually discuss that in class.

By: Timothy

Timothy — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:42:08 +0000

The general point of the class was to study the foundations of the faith and how it has become, in the average American mindset, such a militant and feared religion and culture.

That’s pretty much the statement I object to, because I really don’t think the average American is afraid of Islam as a religion or culture. I think a bunch of bedwetters on the right are, but it’s pretty obvious that a majority think otherwise. Look at the first two questions on this table from Pew.

Sure, its most recent data is July 2005, but the “Does Islam encourage violence?” and “Opinion of Islam” questions are pretty telling regarding the above. On the first question, only 36% of respondents said yes. On the second only 36% had an unfavorable opinion of Islam. So, to say that the average American has a fearful midset about Islam, I think, is pretty far off the mark. Now, as for the rest of the middle east history stuff and what not, that could be pretty darn interesting.

By: Sean

Sean — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:23:20 +0000

What conjectures are you talking about? These are all mine, not the sociologist’s. She presented us with the history of Islam and Islamic reform, and told us about the mechanisms that the religion provides to effect these reforms.
The class is titled Militant Islam, but the fear of the Islamic world, that’s a presumption of mine that I have felt.
The study you linked to isn’t quite accurate, either, as it documents the general opinion of Muslim-AMERICANS, not the Islamic world. We’re not talking about the guys that hang out at Starbucks and the Yamada Language Center all the time, we’re talking about the Muslim Brotherhood who assassinated PM Anwar Sadat and attempted to kill PM Nasser. And the roots of Osama bin Laden.

By: Timothy

Timothy — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 13:24:47 +0000

Eh, Muslims aren’t that unpopular in the US. Sounds like the sociologist’s conjecture is wrong again…shocking, really.

By: Lee

Lee — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 07:17:30 +0000

lolololol