gang rape in pakistan

[evli1966 88]

Bad things happen to good people in bad parts of the world. It is reality - we all know this.

Why then are we being greeted with thread after thread about muslims and Islam?

Not arguing your point about a pattern.

But simply trying to show you what he may have wanted you to read from the story.

Another officer has since admitted that they are under pressure from Muslim leaders and extremists to refrain from filing a report.

I stand by what I stated previously i his thread and another the muslims that do not speak out against and renounce the extremeists or the poor leadership or the acts of terror or the rapes etc are no better than them.

Just like here if we do not stand up and renounce in the same way theacts of evil here or anywhere we are no better than them.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Evli - how can I put this... you're not going to save the world on the internet.

We can post all kinds of stories like this, suck the air through our teeth and say "I have no words", "that's horrible" etc. etc. But at the end of the day these things are platitudes. They do nothing to inform us about the bad things in the world or why they happen. All they do is reinforce positions that people already hold.

[Fandango 1,440]

If someone posts thread after thread and post after post denigrating muslims and Islam, what would you call it?

I'd call it pathetic that you're taking FACTS and turning them into something else.

It's attitudes like this that are ruining threads, and VJ OT as a whole. God forbid something negative get reported about a Muslim, all of a sudden, we're all racists. Effing ridiculous.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I'd call it pathetic that you're taking FACTS and turning them into something else.

It's attitudes like this that are ruining threads, and VJ OT as a whole. God forbid something negative get reported about a Muslim, all of a sudden, we're all racists. Effing ridiculous.

What is the point it of posting this type of story on a site like this one? What is it supposed to do? Is it supposed to broaden our understanding of anything?

People live harsh lives in harsh parts of the world. Everyone knows this, it's a fact of life and why we can count ourselves fortunate that we are part of a privileged class of people whose only involvement with the meathook realities in the 3rd world is sucking our teeth over stories like this one.

Pathetic? I'd say so.

[Fandango 1,440]

What is the point it of posting this type of story on a site like this one? What is it supposed to do? Is it supposed to broaden our understanding of anything?

People live harsh lives in harsh parts of the world. Everyone knows this, it's a fact of life and why we can count ourselves fortunate that we are part of a privileged class of people whose only involvement with the meathook realities in the 3rd world is sucking our teeth over stories like this one.

Pathetic? I'd say so.

You can ask that question of ANY news-quoting thread in OT. Come on now, don't be obtuse.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

You can ask that question of ANY news-quoting thread in OT. Come on now, don't be obtuse.

Yes you can, but it seems that on VJ we are interested less in understanding other cultures than we are in disparaging them through limited frames of reference.

[Fandango 1,440]

Yes you can, but it seems that on VJ we are interested less in understanding other cultures than we are in disparaging them through limited frames of reference.

Why are you taking what should be an ISOLATED incident with some Muslims, and making it out like it's about all Muslims?

People are individuals...you could post a story about a Catholic doing something bad in the name of his/her faith, but that doesn't mean that person stands for the whole of the Catholic faith.

Seems like YOU'RE the one judging the whole Muslim religion on a few articles; God forbid you think someone's trying to 'tarnish' the Muslim reputation by posting stories of a few renegades. Nothing has ever been said about the whole of the faith...except by you. Lookit 6, trying to be the great protector of the Muslim reputation by trying to quash bad press!

'Don't read this, you'll become a racist if you do!'

gimme a fkin break

[evli1966 88]

Evli - how can I put this... you're not going to save the world on the internet.

We can post all kinds of stories like this, suck the air through our teeth and say "I have no words", "that's horrible" etc. etc. But at the end of the day these things are platitudes. They do nothing to inform us about the bad things in the world or why they happen. All they do is reinforce positions that people already hold.

Wish I could save the world but alas I am not GOD and my intentions however subtle and good would not be perfect.

But my post was merely pointing out there are good and bad and that any one who thinks they have good intentions but never speak out or renounce the people who are of their siociety, religeon etc. that act in evli fashon share the blame for their actions.

Yes you can, but it seems that on VJ we are interested less in understanding other cultures than we are in disparaging them through limited frames of reference.

I agree Madhouse

But to only hear the good and ignore the bad is not understanding.

JAS has not posted anything untrue in his findings per the facts he used as has anyone posting positive views of Muslims per the facts they used.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Why are you taking what should be an ISOLATED incident with some Muslims, and making it out like it's about all Muslims?

People are individuals...you could post a story about a Catholic doing something bad in the name of his/her faith, but that doesn't mean that person stands for the whole of the Catholic faith.

Seems like YOU'RE the one judging the whole Muslim religion on a few articles; God forbid you think someone's trying to 'tarnish' the Muslim reputation by posting stories of a few renegades. Nothing has ever been said about the whole of the faith...except by you. Lookit 6, trying to be the great protector of the Muslim reputation by trying to quash bad press!

'Don't read this, you'll become a racist if you do!'

gimme a fkin break

I'm not making it about "all muslims". I'm wondering what the point of the thread is and what kind of discussion it is intended to create.

Asking why it was posted, and pointing out that the poster who put it up has a posting history that involves posting comments and threads that denigrate Islam (including links to notorious hate sites) is not inconsistent with that. I think you're more making more of this there is.

You could always have a stab at the bolded yourself.

Regardless, if you aren't interested in the angle I introduced here, feel free to talk about the topic itself. Perhaps the discussion will go beyond the usual platitudes. Perhaps not.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Wish I could save the world but alas I am not GOD and my intentions however subtle and good would not be perfect.

But my post was merely pointing out there are good and bad and that any one who thinks they have good intentions but never speak out or renounce the people who are of their siociety, religeon etc. that act in evli fashon share the blame for their actions.

That's a perception that's circulated by the US media. It isn't really true. Being ignorant of something does not mean it doesn't happen. In point of fact, it does - there have been discussions on this very point on VJ in the past. You can find them in the archive.

I agree Madhouse

But to only hear the good and ignore the bad is not understanding.

JAS has not posted anything untrue in his findings per the facts he used as has anyone posting positive views of Muslims per the facts they used.

What precisely does this thread do for your understanding of muslims? Do you come away from it knowing more than you did before?

[evli1966 88]

I'm not making it about "all muslims". I'm wondering what the point of the thread is and what kind of discussion it is intended to create.

Asking why it was posted, and pointing out that the poster who put it up has a posting history that involves posting comments and threads that denigrate Islam (including links to notorious hate sites) is not inconsistent with that. I think you're more making more of this there is.

You could always have a stab at the bolded yourself.

Regardless, if you aren't interested in the angle I introduced here, feel free to talk about the topic itself. Perhaps the discussion will go beyond the usual platitudes. Perhaps not.

I agree with what you state in the bold.

Which is why I assumed by pointing out what I read that agreed with my post in another thread.

[Fandango 1,440]

I'm not making it about "all muslims". I'm wondering what the point of the thread is and what kind of discussion it is intended to create.

Asking why it was posted, and pointing out that the poster who put it up has a posting history that involves posting comments and threads that denigrate Islam (including links to notorious hate sites) is not inconsistent with that. I think you're more making more of this there is.

You could always have a stab at the bolded yourself.

Regardless, if you aren't interested in the angle I introduced here, feel free to talk about the topic itself. Perhaps the discussion will go beyond the usual platitudes. Perhaps not.

When you ask this in EVERY thread in OT, then I'll take it prima facie.

As for you asking evli what this thread does to further her understanding of Muslims....omG, #######?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

When you ask this in EVERY thread in OT, then I'll take it prima facie.

As for you asking evli what this thread does to further her understanding of Muslims....omG, #######?

Is there a point that you actually have here Lisa, or are you just looking for an excuse to heckle me.

I have explained my position in very clear terms, you don't have to agree with it. The question I asked is consistent with what I wrote and perfectly legitimate. Again, you don't have to like it.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Reporting facts does not equal expressing prejudice.

Need more cotton wool?

Do you believe you're getting "facts" from an article that ends with:

Pray that the Lord will heal the physical, emotional and spiritual wounds of these two girls. Pray that their families will be a source of compassion and strength. Pray that those who perpetrated these violent attacks will repent and turn to the Lord for forgiveness. Pray that attacks on young Christian girls in Pakistan will stop. To post a prayer of solidarity for these two girls, please visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall.

It's from The Voice of the Martyrs, an anti-Muslim/Islam group that purposely slants news to emphasize bad acts by Muslims, and to make all Muslims look like crazed criminals running around attacking Christians. This is not journalism, nor is it about facts. It's about a particular, prejudiced point of view that is very prolific online.

JAS can easily post articles about bad Muslims because the internet is so full of them. In the western press, Muslims doing bad things are identified by their families' religion, even if they are ignorant of it and non-practicing. Non-Muslims, on the other hand, are no identified by religion, and their crimes are just normal goings on for otherwise normal people. If the press identified all alleged criminals and victims by their birth religion, Christians would also appear to be warped by their faith, too.

[Fandango 1,440]

Is there a point that you actually have here Lisa, or are you just looking for an excuse to heckle me.

I have explained my position in very clear terms, you don't have to agree with it. The question I asked is consistent with what I wrote and perfectly legitimate. Again, you don't have to like it.

When you stop heckling others, I'll do the same. Until then, if you're going to ask ridiculous and intrusive questions that really are none of your business, if you're going to censor the flow of factual information in order to self-police people's opinion making process, then I'll continue calling you out on this nonsense. If your heckling is legitimate, then by your own definition, mine is as well.

You are not the defender of the Muslim faith. Bad things happen and we discuss them here all the time. If someone is going to actually form a racist opinion based on a few articles on a flippin mb, do you REALLY think your protests are going to change anything? Of course not. But instead of using logic and realizing that, you have to bang this drum and derail this thread. Sh!t happens, D...it will everyday. None of us need a self appointed teacher or lecturer to shield us from the bad side of any religion. And unless I've missed something, there's been no hate speech anywhere, so basically, suck it up and get over it.