I think you are seriously undervaluing the influence of Islam

Submitted by sara (United States), Jul 12, 2012 at 17:16

Schills,

You say: I have looked at the history of the region, seen that suppression political participation only leads to more violence, and on that basis support non-violent political participation. The violence in the Middle East over the past sixty years has been dressed up in nationalist, socialist and Islamist garb, (or some combination thereof).

I fear that you are once again not taking into account the cultural factors at work. You are still looking at these events through Western colored glasses and assuming that, all things being equal, populations would seek the same outcomes and benefits. This is where you continue to be mistaken. First of all, to make a statement about violence in the ME for the past 60 years, implying that the violence is not relevant predating the establishment of modern Israel, is simply ignoring the multitude of violent events in the ME apart from the current scapegoat excuse, that if only Israel were to go away, so would the violence. Muslim regimes have exercised violence as tribal and clan warfare as well as against their own subjects to suppress any rebellion. This has occurred in the past, over 60 years ago, and continues to this day. To say something like this while thousands are being slaughtered in Syria as we speak is narrow thinking.

I do not see the utility in pointing the finger at Islam exclusively.

How can you make a statement like this with purported knowledge? Have you taken a look at the fate of non-Muslims in the ME over the past few centuries, say? Where do you find any surviving populations of any significance of anything other than Muslims? For all the supposed accommodations that apologists are wont to spout about, the facts are facts. Take a look at the numbers of Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, any other faiths, today vs. 60 or a hundred years ago. I find it preposterous that you would say such a thing. There are no Jews left in any of the Arab countries (save for a tiny minority in Iran), and the few remaining Christians in Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Syria are in danger of their lives and persecuted continuously. I am not sure where you are getting your information. If you have indeed looked at the 'history of the region', as you claim, then you would have taken these facts into consideration.

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