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Does Clothing Turn People Into Terrorists?

Sounds bizarre, right?  Well...

Kyrgyzstan president says Islamic dress 'turns women into terrorists'

THE president of Kyrgyzstan has said women can become radicalised by wearing Islamic dress.

Almazbek Atambayev has tried to dissuade women in the country from dressing in hijabs, niqabs and burkas saying: "Our women have been wearing miniskirts since 1950s, and they never thought about wearing an explosive belt."

Posted - August 14, 2016

Responses


  • 2758

    ROTFLMAO!  You've expended so much energy and text making me the topic of conversation. Wouldn't your efforts have been better spent in the defense of Islam?

    Seriously, Clurt. I've grown to expect ad hominem/evasion form the apologists of barbarity--but not on such a puerile level, and certainly not from you.

    Now, with that out of your system, would you like to explain why I am in error about either Mohammad's lust for a six year old girl OR the unbridled sadism of your freakish concept of 'god'?

    Hint: it might help if you steered clear of the "he/they did it, too/worse" defense.  We're not in the third grade.

    WHY should anyone take seriously the words of a 'man' who has sex with six year old children (within OR outside the context of some vile idea relating to 'marriage'), and HOW on earth could anyone be expected to 'worship' the disgusting, cowardly monster described in the Qur'an as 'allah'?

      September 16, 2016 1:20 PM MDT
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  • 2758

    Where in the hell do you live?  I live in a rural Georgia (!) community, and the most Muslims will get around here is a quizzical glance.  Maybe the problem in your situation isn't the dress or the Muslims.

      September 16, 2016 1:32 PM MDT
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  • 1113

    I think that buying into the 'logic' behind the more conservative garb (niqab, burka) might lead one into, or make one more susceptible to, even more backward-looking views, like the stridently anti-western rhetoric espoused by Islamic extremists. I won't go so far as to make a slippery slope argument here, but I think the mental gymnastics required to accept the clothing, is similar to what's required to accept the notions of jihad. 

    That being said, drawing a direct line from clothing, to terrorism, is absurd. What's happened is that in the middle East,  there was a trend towards acceptance of Western culture, to the point of women openly wearing Western style clothes, up until the late 70's. Then in 1979, with the fall of the American backed Shah of Iran, and the subsequent Islamic revolution, and the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini, they entered a period of social regression, and severe, conservative Islamic ideals took over the culture. "Modest" women's garb was just a part of this. So, Kyrgyzstan can't thank women's short skirts for the relative lack of terrorism, they just didn't go through the Islamic Revolution the way Iran did.

      September 16, 2016 1:49 PM MDT
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  • Only trash bag clothing.

      September 16, 2016 1:53 PM MDT
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  • 2758

    :-)

      September 16, 2016 2:01 PM MDT
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  • 2758

    1) That's interesting inasmuch as the afore-referenced logic came from the leader of an Islamic country. In any case, if I'd posited that argument, I'd have been flamed for days as an Islamophobic, racist, yada yada. I will concede, though, that the point has merits in an "if it quacks/looks like a duck..." kind of way. :-)

    2)  Of COURSE it's absurd.  It completely discounts the fact that, if any one of us were to commit false flag ops under the banner of religion in any attempt to defame same, we'd doubtless dress for the part---but then we're back to tautological square one.  Only terrorists dress in such fashion, therefore everyone who dresses in such fashion is a terrorist. :-)

    The rest of your post is spot on.  In fact there's a corollary in western civ: the Elizabethan era.

      September 16, 2016 2:09 PM MDT
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  • 1393

    TY SH

      September 16, 2016 3:21 PM MDT
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  • 1393

    Nimitz, do read what I posted. You will find that it IS all in response to what you posted. 

    For the future, why not focus on one accusation. That'll make it easier for you to gather all the evidence you need to support it. Then you can come back better prepared.

    Anyway, have a nice day. 

      September 16, 2016 3:24 PM MDT
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  • 1113

    Not sure what the "quizzical glances" are about exactly, but not all Georgians are so accepting. This muslim=terrorist rhetoric going around is not helping matter much at all.

      September 16, 2016 3:44 PM MDT
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  • 1113

    1) Well it's not meant in any kind of duck-related metaphorical way at all. It's more of a logical structure along the lines of A is an only an efficient (but not sufficient), cause of B or C, therefore one cannot draw conclusions like B causes C, or that B and C always occur together.

    2) The absurdity doesn't come from any notion of "false flag ops", it comes from the logic posited in 1). 

      September 16, 2016 3:51 PM MDT
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  • 17260
    *like*
      September 17, 2016 12:34 AM MDT
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  • 17260
    :-)
      September 17, 2016 12:35 AM MDT
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  • 131

    I'm not sure if I would go as far as saying clothing turns people into terrorist but I will say that if people would do some research they would find that per capita, the group that produces the most terrorists is Muslims. Why is this the case? It boils down to differences in tradition. The cultures where Islam is dominant have traditions that promote terrorism where other cultures have different traditions that don’t do that. 

     Islamic societies are static societies. These societies have not yet adopted the tradition of criticism. They see criticism as something bad and so criticism is frowned upon. Questioning your parents is bad. Questioning Allah is bad. Questioning leaders is bad. Questioning the government is bad. Questioning the Koran is bad. This is what causes their knowledge to be static – it halts the evolution of knowledge.  

      September 17, 2016 2:13 AM MDT
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  • 2758

    I'm sorry, do you live with Sharonna?

    In any case, if you're at all unsure of the meaning of the words 'quizzical' or 'glance,' perhaps a dictionary might help?  Here are three somewhat adequate online resources:

    www.dictionary.com

    www.merriam-webster.com

    dictionary.cambridge.org/us/

      September 17, 2016 2:29 AM MDT
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  • *like*

      September 17, 2016 10:41 AM MDT
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  • *like*

      September 17, 2016 10:41 AM MDT
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  • This is not quite accurate.

    Islam in different countries and phases of its history has taken divers approaches to knowledge. Modern Islamic cultures use medicine and many other branches of engineering and science as part of their daily lives.

    The Koran specifically recommends knowledge, reflection, reason and education as necessary and good.

    Ibrahim B. Syed, Ph. D.  of the Islamic Research Foundation International, Inc.

    (Louisville, KY 40242-6462, U.S.A.) writes the following:


    Science is not a divine revelation but it provides a means for the welfare of man and to better understanding the creation of Allah (SWT), the natural phenomena and their function. In over 11,000 Ayath (verses), nearly 20 percent of the Qur'an there are references to natural phenomena. This article is a result of the inspiration the author derived by reading the Noble Qur'an. The Glorious Qur'an did inspire our ancestors, the universal Muslim Scientists who pushed the frontiers of knowledge and advanced the Islamic civilization that lasted nearly one thousand years. One can derive inspiration from a single Qur'anic Ayah (verse) or even a single word in the Qur'an. There are many such examples in this article. Many books are devoted to Qur'anic Inspirations on the understanding or advancement of Science and Technology. In simplest terms science means knowledge and Islam exhorts its followers to relentlessly pursue knowledge. In the Noble Qur'an, Allah (SWT) ordained His servants to pray to Him thus:

     

                   " O Lord! Increase me in knowledge." (20: 114)

     

     It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (SWT) said," Learning comprises treasure houses whose keys are queries."  Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) encouraged the spirit of investigation and analysis of facts.  One of the most inspiring Ayath (verses) in the Qur'an is the following:

     

                    "And He has subjected to you, as from Him, all that is in

                   the heavens and on earth: behold, in that are signs indeed

                   for those who reflect."   (45: 13)

     

         To reflect is really the scientific spirit, which leads to understanding and discoveries about Allah's (SWT) creation and natural phenomena.  Allah (SWT) guides the efforts of the scientists to meaningful purposes. Rational thinking is emphasized throughout the Qur'an. Repeatedly, the Qur'an calls the believer to do tadabbur (deliberate), to do tafakkur (tafkir or think), and ta'qqul (reason).

     

    The more one investigates the more one knows about Allah (SWT) and His design of the universe.  The emphasis is on thinking which leads the way to the cherishing care of Allah to establish all things in nature to service for the benefit of mankind.  Allah (SWT) has given us the faculties and the intellectual genius for this purpose.  The Muslim should never regard the study of natural sciences as forbidden territory or "haram".   According to the Muslim traditions he who seeks knowledge is blessed, but the seeker who also attains success is twice blessed. The Muslim intellectuals have proved this in the past and they already set the trend.

     

    Islam was never antagonistic to observation and experimentation and it has never strangled science and knowledge. Instead the Qur'an and the Prophet of Islam energetically encouraged the study of science and its methodology-observation and experimentation.

      September 17, 2016 10:57 AM MDT
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  • If only for the sake of an open mind, I wish Nimitz would consider exploring the writings of Idries Shah, Inayat Khan, and A.H. Almaas which demonstrate how, within Islam, there are strands of spiritual development which manifest profound wisdom, sanity, love and kindness.

      September 17, 2016 11:42 AM MDT
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  • 1393

     hope it enlightens your readers

      September 18, 2016 6:11 PM MDT
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  • 270

    It does not.

      September 18, 2016 6:13 PM MDT
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  • 1393

    Good advice/suggestion   HF

    Nimitz could benefit so much from that advice/suggestion

    Spreading hatred towards the beliefs of others can be seen as a way of covering up the shortcomings he can see in his own beliefs.

      September 18, 2016 6:46 PM MDT
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  • Thank you. I feel distressed by opinions which spread false information and ideas based on ignorance.

    One of the worst difficulties about being human is that we very often don't know when we don't know something. We have to become aware that something is missing or doesn't fit before we start looking for answers.

    There is so much media focus on terrorism that viewers forget the millions of Muslims who live in peace, actively support peace and co-operate with surveillance to counter-act and prevent terrorism. 

    In fact, we cannot achieve the defeat of the apostasy, terrorism and mass murder that is ISIS and its affiliates without the co-operation of progressive and moderate Muslims.

    The question of clothing is irrelevant to terrorism. Even when ISIS uses clothing symbolically - it is still nothing more than window dressing. The serious problems to address are the ideology, the goals, and the behaviours it produces.

      September 18, 2016 8:37 PM MDT
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  • 17260
    *like*
      September 19, 2016 1:07 AM MDT
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  • 1393

    Good points HF

    1- You may be aware of the following regarding your point that Muslims "co-operate with surveillance to counter-act and prevent terrorism.":

    2- If you google Craig Monteilh you might find that he approached an imam and said that he wanted to convert to Islam in keeping with his French and Syrian heritage. 

    3- Monteilh who chose the Islamic name Farouk, wore the Arabian gown and cap and became a diligent worshipper at the Islamic Center of Irvine.

    4- When the other Muslims at the mosque became suspicious of his talk of violence they reported him to the FBI and Irvine police. They even got an official banning order against him.

    5- However, there is a twist to this story. The Muslims later discovered that Monteilh had actually been working for the FBI all along so they lodged a complaint against the agency. They said that they felt betrayed by the agency. Whereas the Muslims regarded themselves as partners with the FBI against terrorism the agency had been regarding all Muslims as suspects.

      September 20, 2016 11:39 PM MDT
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  • I feel sad and alarmed hearing that. Here in Australia, ASIO and o

      September 21, 2016 10:28 AM MDT
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