Who To Blame For American Islamophobia?

[Storm]

FTR, I am not Islamophobic. I think Islam is a beautiful tradition in political crisis, but that's a topic for another thread.

That said, I can't deny that collectively, Americans ARE Islamophobic.

Some would say it's because the media feeds it. I say that's a symptom, not the cause. The cause is 9-11.

Before the attacks, Americans (again, I'm speaking collectively) didn't care about the Middle East. They didn't care about Islam, and they didn't care about Osama bin Laden. Should we have cared? I think so. But we didn't.

I suspect few will argue that Americans are self-centered. If it doesn't affect us directly, it doesn't concern us at all.

Also, we were wrapped in comforting delusions. No one could effectively attack us. We're the greatest country in the world, the sole superpower. King of the hill. It was foolish, yes. Arrogant, yes. I'm not defending it.

Then came the September attacks. Not only did they hurt us, they shattered our illusions. We were frightened, we were angry. And surprise, surprise, one of the most warlike nations in the world hit back. Blindly.

Al Quaeda got their wish: we're scared. Traumatized, even. You can whine about media hype all you want, it wasn't there before we got blindsided.

Congratualtions, you've got our attention now.

So, if you want to blame someone for current American attitudes towards Muslims, blame the people who sucker punched the most dangerous country in the world.

 

[xkatz]

So, if you want to blame someone for current American attitudes towards Muslims, blame the people who sucker punched the most dangerous country in the world.

I would also blame, to an extent, Christian conservatives such as Ann Coulter, who influence conservative politics; in fact she basically said that all Muslims fly on magic carpets and should go back to the Middle East (which is not even were most of them are from ). These kind of people only make Islamophobia in our country more intense.

 

[Storm]

I would also blame, to an extent, Christian conservatives such as Ann Coulter, who influence conservative politics, in fact she basically said that all Muslims fly on magic carpets and should go back to the Middle East (which is not even were most of them are from ). These kind of people only make Islamophobia in our country worse.

Absolutely. However, my point is that they were rightly regarded as the lunatic fringe until we got hit.

 

[Smoke]

I spend too much time on Facebook. My initial reaction was to look for the "Like" button.

 

[*Anne*]

I spend too much time on Facebook. My initial reaction was to look for the "Like" button.

*Anne likes this*

 

[Darkness]

FTR, I am not Islamophobic. I think Islam is a beautiful tradition in political crisis, but that's a topic for another thread.

In our quest to embrace pluralism, we have gone too far. I am not Islamophobic in the sense that I believe all Muslims want infidels dead. That is a small portion of the Muslim population. However, Islam in the Middle-East and Africa is still an arch-conservative movement. If we polled predominantly Islamic nations, I surely doubt the majority would hold secular/liberal beliefs about homosexuality and sexuality in general. When American conservatives attack homosexuals and liberal attitudes, we rail against them as ignorant. We vehemently mock Rush Limbaugh for advocating that same-sex marriage should be banned. Yet, in Islamic nations the debate is not whether or not gays and lesbians have the right to marry, but whether they have the right to exist in society.

Secular liberals must not be afraid to criticize Islam. It has a tendency to encourage mysonginsm and staunch conservatism. I hate to generalize, but I sincerely believe we need more Dawkins-Hitchens type Atheists in the media and the Democratic party.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

Absolutely. However, my point is that they were rightly regarded as the lunatic fringe until we got hit.

Exactly. Nobody that wasn't a nutjob already took Anne Coulter's rantings seriously until after 9/11. After 9/11 all anti-Muslim propaganda ceased to be hate speech and became fair game in the eyes of the American public. I'm not condoning this, but it is the reality.

 

[Beyondo]

FTR, I am not Islamic. I think Islam is a beautiful tradition in political crisis, but that's a topic for another thread.

That said, I can't deny that collectively, Americans ARE Islamic.

Some would say it's because the media feeds it. I say that's a symptom, not the cause. The cause is 9-11.

Before the attacks, Americans (again, I'm speaking collectively) didn't care about the Middle East. They didn't care about Islam, and they didn't care about Asama bin Laden. Should we have cared? I think so. But we didn't.

I suspect few will argue that Americans are self-centered. If it doesn't affect us directly, it doesn't concern us at all.

Also, we were wrapped in comforting delusions. No one could effectively attack us. We're the greatest country in the world, the sole superpower. King of the hill. It was foolish, yes. Arrogant, yes. I'm not defending it.

Then came the September attacks. Not only did they hurt us, they shattered our illusions. We were frightened, we were angry. And surprise, surprise, one of the most warlike nations in the world hit back. Blindly.

Al Quaeda got their wish: we're scared. Traumatized, even. You can whine about media hype all you want, it wasn't there before we got blindsided.

Congratualtions, you've got our attention now.

So, if you want to blame someone for current American attitudes towards Muslims, blame the people who sucker punched the most dangerous country in the world.

Hmmm...I'd say its more than just 9-11, you need to include the Iran Hostage crisis, PLO, OPEC, the Pan Am Flight 103 1988 bombing, etc. Its a long list...

 

[Storm]

Hmmm...I'd say its more than just 9-11, you need to include the Iran Hostage crisis, PLO, OPEC, the Pan Am Flight 103 1988 bombing, etc. Its a long list...

It is, but none of those scarred the American consciousness like 9-11.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

In our quest to embrace pluralism, we have gone too far. I am not Islamophobic in the sense that I believe all Muslims want infidels dead. That is a small portion of the Muslim population. However, Islam in the Middle-East and Africa is still an arch-conservative movement. If we polled predominantly Islamic nations, I surely doubt the majority would hold secular/liberal beliefs about homosexuality and sexuality in general. When American conservatives attack homosexuals and liberal attitudes, we rail against them as ignorant. We vehemently mock Rush Limbaugh for advocating that same-sex marriage should be banned. Yet, in Islamic nations the debate is not whether or not gays and lesbians have the right to marry, but whether they have the right to exist in society.

Secular liberals must not be afraid to criticize Islam. It has a tendency to encourage mysonginsm and staunch conservatism. I hate to generalize, but I sincerely believe we need more Dawkins-Hitchens type Atheists in the media and the Democratic party.

I have no problem with legitamite criticism of Islam, I even encourage it; there are a lot of things we can call them out on, such as the example you provided of homosexuality. But to paint all Muslims as bomb-carrying fanatics takes it a step too far; the over-demonization of our "enemies" is something Americans really need to stop doing. I blame McCarthy personally. Yes this response was provoked by 9/11 (which I believe was an inside job, but that's for another thread), but the American public has allowed their imagination to run wild.

 

[Caladan]

It is, but none of those scarred the American consciousness like 9-11.

Not even Menahem Golan? :biglaugh:

 

[Storm]

I have no problem with legitamite criticism of Islam, I even encourage it; there are a lot of things we can call them out on, such as the example you provided of homosexuality. But to paint all Muslims as bomb-carrying fanatics takes it a step too far; the over-demonization of our "enemies" is something Americans really need to stop doing.

Agreed. I hope my op doesn't come off as defending the phenomenon.

I blame McCarthy personally.

Interesting, I hadn't even thought of it. I agree that Muslims are the new Communists, but I invite you to elaborate on how it goes back to McCarthy.

Yes this response was provoked by 9/11, but the American public has allowed their imagination to run wild.

Yep.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

Interesting, I hadn't even thought of it. I agree that Muslims are the new Communists, but I invite you to elaborate on how it goes back to McCarthy.

America has always demonized its enemies, but in my opinion McCarthy is the one that brought it to the level of fanaticism. His propaganda and scare tactics had little kids practicing drills in which they would hide under their desks for fear that the "Commies" would nuke the country. I see it as the first time in American history that the public completely abandoned all common sense because of a fear instilled in them by a fellow American. We still feel the effects of McCarthyism to this day, as any suggestion that includes fair distribution of funding is considered "Communist" and the American public is automatically opposed to it. I could be wrong, but I believe this is also the first time in our history where day-to-day life was changed drastically because of fear of terrorism. I see the same thing happening now, except the new target is the Muslim community.

 

[Storm]

America has always demonized its enemies, but in my opinion McCarthy is the one that brought it to the level of fanaticism. His propaganda and scare tactics had little kids practicing drills in which they would hide under their desks for fear that the "Commies" would nuke the country. I see it as the first time in American history that the public completely abandoned all common sense because of a fear instilled in them by a fellow American. I could be wrong, but I believe this is also the first time in our history where day-to-day life was changed drastically because of fear of terrorism. I see the same thing happening now, except the new target is the Muslim community.

Thank you.

 

[Beyondo]

America has always demonized its enemies, but in my opinion McCarthy is the one that brought it to the level of fanaticism. His propaganda and scare tactics had little kids practicing drills in which they would hide under their desks for fear that the "Commies" would nuke the country. I see it as the first time in American history that the public completely abandoned all common sense because of a fear instilled in them by a fellow American.

True but it made for the strongest American economy in history. Fear can be very profitable...

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

True but it made for the strongest American economy in history. Fear can be very profitable...

A really sad fact about humanity. People will pay any amount of money to feel safe again.

 

[Darkness]

I have no problem with legitamite criticism of Islam, I even encourage it; there are a lot of things we can call them out on, such as the example you provided of homosexuality. But to paint all Muslims as bomb-carrying fanatics takes it a step too far; the over-demonization of our "enemies" is something Americans really need to stop doing. I blame McCarthy personally. Yes this response was provoked by 9/11 (which I believe was an inside job, but that's for another thread), but the American public has allowed their imagination to run wild.

The worst consequence of this over-demonization is a lack of popular support in the United States for Palestinian civil rights.

 

[Beyondo]

We still feel the effects of McCarthyism to this day, as any suggestion that includes fair distribution of funding is considered "Communist" and the American public is automatically opposed to it.

What is fair distribution of funding? Americans have split themselves into two groups, those that are entrepreneurial as a monolithic corporation and those expecting government and/or big business to provide a solution. Such was the case that Obama believed and why he wanted to rescue GM, in fact he stated that the U.S. couldn't become fossil fuel free without the "Big 3". Fortunately there are companies, such as Tesla Motors, that proved Obama wrong. If we want a strong economy we need to remove the monolithic corporations and focus on a micro to mid-size business model economy. That's not redistributing funding that is re-distributing entrepreneurial participation.

 

[Caladan]

The worst consequence of this over-demonization is a lack of popular support in the United States for Palestinian civil rights.

Funny, I'd think that the turmoil in Iraq and Afghanistan following the American invasion would be more pressing and more relevant to American citizenry.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

What is fair distribution of funding? Americans have split themselves into two groups, those that are entrepreneurial as a monolithic corporation and those expecting government and/or big business to provide a solution. Such was the case that Obama believed and why he wanted to rescue GM, in fact he stated that the U.S. couldn't become fossil fuel free without the "Big 3". Fortunately there are companies, such as Tesla Motors, that proved Obama wrong. If we want a strong economy we need to remove the monolithic corporations and focus on a micro to mid-size business model economy. That's not redistributing funding that is re-distributing entrepreneurial participation.

I was referring to things such as healthcare and schools, but this discussion is for another thread.