As a side remark, Noah - What is it "they" really fear - Me or You?

Submitted by Michel (United States), Jan 20, 2007 at 15:20

The lack of Muslim responses to very simple, unemotional and pragmatic questions I posed, leads me to another interesting conclusion, I submit to your scrutiny, Noah, Susan et al.

As you saw - quite a few Muslims did respond to you guys. ( I am not qualifying those responses)

Only one really responded to me.( Albeit did not answer one single question I posed)

What do you think about my personal interpretation?
fanatic Muslims are much more afraid of people like me, because we do not give them the easy way out and allow them to respond to insults with insults, cliches or sheer reverse propaganda.

The approach of asking simple respectful questions is so much more devastating, than to throw an expletive or simplistic qualification at the other side. Fanatism on our end plays in to the hands of the ones on the other side who call for Djihaad for instance.

Fanatics have no answer to moderation and the lack of ability to come up with rational answers to intelligent questions only depicts them as weak. Not us.
Silence as the only way out seems to prove my point here.

Very easy to come across as Hero in the face of "oppression". Very hard to do that facing rationality and pragmatism. Not sexy, quite actually boring.

Since we are finding ourselves in a form of Propaganda War here in its purest definition, your platform delivers to closet and actual funtamentalist radicals exactly the kind of ammunition they need to go back to their people and say:

" See how these Infidels see you, vilify you, promote to oppress you?"
(Ban and deportation, eradication by means of warfare etc.)
I on the other hand do not give them a (easy) target to shoot at with reverse propaganda. It is why I dare to venture, that any radical Muslim hates my guts so much more, than he could possibly hate you, who promotes a nuclear strike, as I pull the very carpet under their feet away, which they base their sick rationale upon.

Now for a second - put yourself into the shoes of John Doe Mohammed in Los Angeles. He goes to his prayer in the Mosque and the local Immam brings print outs of your posts to the sermon.
Black anbd white, non-refutable evidence he reads them of your suggested Modus Operandi.

Now - How do you think the community as a whole may react to that?
Bam - let's have another 100 recruits for the holy war. And - ironically you helped this demagogue to get them.

It is why any moderate voices must be silenced inasmuch, as they try to kill the "classic" Infidels.

Logic and rationale, lack of emotion, respect and inner strength is the most deadly form of strategy to address any irrational, highly emotional demagogue.
It is like shadow boxing for such people with resulting frustration and mistakes bringing about erosion of support, their demise from within their own people.

Every form of martial arts, every strategy from the prussians to Sun Zsu feature this as one core element.
As soon, as you allow your emotions to drive your actions or decision making process, you will loose the fight.

My opinion in this analogy: smothering the enemy with an asphyxiating embrace, using his own energy against himself is much more efficient than responding with a simple push back, threats and/or oppression.

OR : Winning the "Muslim Base" over instead of helping the Osamas to recruit from there. (Mainly right here domestically spoken)

In a nutshell: Radical Muslims fear us moderate, relativistic Infidels much more, than any conventional warfare or fanatic opposition, because we do not give them the room to use their propaganda and be the martyrs in the eyes of their own kind.

The above is just another viewpoint to consider, if one truly wants to preserve the achievements of democracy. Just one more shade of grey.

One last time - I do not ask you to concede above as right or wrong. I ask you to consider above as plausible and logical in itself - as one of many possible explanations and interpretations.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".