ironx

Nope, i'm not trying to be racists or sorts, just trying to find out and (hopefully) let people find out for themselves how they view/treat/stereotype Muslisms, or islamic people.

With all this on-going in iraq and terrorism, how do you see this people as? Walking down the streets, attending mosques, no pork in their diets, how do you see them? Do you hate them? Fear them? Think they migh at any moment rip open that huge jacket and expose dynamite tied to their torso, shouting "JIHAD JIHAD" ?

Please be truthful. Moderators, if this is too much a sensitive issue, kindly delete this trend and accept my apologies.

KellyC

I see them as people with different beliefs than me. I don't hate them or fear them. Well...at least the ones around here. Some muslims I see in school are very normal, by that I mean they are out going and friendly just as non-muslims...

I'll pass on the stereotyping...

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bermuDa

Every muslim scares me because of the situation in the middle east about as much as every christian scares me because of the crusades and the inquisition... they don't.

faith is a docile lifestyle when it's really observed. "muslim" terrorists are traitors to their faith as well as the rest of humanity.

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I am the very model of a moderator gentleman.

ironx

around here, we have muslims buddists christians living together...it's been this way for a loong time so we don't really feel anything about em no more.

apeman

where's here? it sounds like i might like it

my theory of practical equality is that if you pick any two groups of the general population, you will find a similar percentage of assholes in each

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tecoyah

I see them as ....well, People.

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Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. - Buddha

warrrreagl

I place two of them approximately six feet apart, with myself equidistant between them and approximately eight feet back.

Oh, and I make sure they're not out of phase.

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Living is easy with eyes closed.

Latch

doah!.. double posting.. my bad.. mods.. feel free to wipe this out.

Latch

I'm not worried. There are bad people everywhere, it's EXTREMELY unfair to categorise a whole group of people by a few bad seeds.

Funny I saw this.. I had just finished writing a nice long response to someone who sent me one of those chain emails that just screamed of hatred for the Muslims, all because it stereotyped them all because of the actions of a few.

Charlatan

I don't really think about it all that much... but when I do I tend to just think of them as other citizens in my country...

I don't really differenciate.

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- Old Man Luedecke

Madd

same here, no different to anyone else

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Sex is not the answer. Sex is the question, yes is the answer.

phredgreen

that was good for a laugh.


personally, i don't see much wrong with a person until they've done something wrong that affects me. people who can live in peace and harmony are all good to me... it's the nutjobs that, as bermuDa said, betray their faith for the abomination of a false religious belief that murder is somehow condoned by their god, that will get my full attention. if someone does something, in the name of god or otherwise, that will directly affect me or those i care about, i will do everything in my power to avert the problem and make sure it is dealt with properly. if some nitwit pulls open a jacket to expose a chest full of dynamite next to me, you bet your ass i'm going for his hand to prevent that detonation. i figure i'm close enough to the blast zone that i'm gonna get snuffed if he follows through, my best chances are to prevent kaboom altogether.

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My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.
- Thomas Paine

SaltPork

Whatever their religion is makes little difference to me. If they treat me like shit, I'll treat them like shit back. If they're nice to me, I'm nice to them...basic kindergarten rules.

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It was like that when I got here....I swear.

Bill O'Rights

This...right here...seems to sum it all up for me. Actually, Christians tend to anoy me more than Muslims, for the simple fact that they're in my face more. The religion of others has never been a concern of mine, and I have never used religion as a criteria to determine the quality of anyone.

But...speaking of the inquisition, how about that Torquemada? What a knucklehead, eh?

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"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony

"Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus

It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.

OFKU0

I don't focus on stereotypes of certain cultures or religions but marvel at the ignorances of those who do.

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Cynthetiq

just like my sig:

I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Independent, either you're an asshole or you're not.

DelayedReaction

I give them the same level of respect I give everyone else. Islam is one of the least intrusive religions that I have experienced; the Muslims I know pretty much do their best to live lives as their beliefs require, and respect the beliefs of others.

I discussed Islam in a class that examined terrorism, and they actually opened up a lot of interesting insights. Islam has specific instructions regarding the accomodation and respect of people with other beliefs; you're supposed to convert by example.

If we're going to classify people, then I'd have to say this group is a good one.

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If ignorance is bliss, you must be having an orgasm.

wonderwench

I live in an extremely ethnically mixed community. Frankly, I am more afraid of the black and hispanic drug-dealing gang bangers in West Oakland than I am of the Islamic engineers with whom I have frequently worked in Silicon Valley.

dy156

If I stereotype them, it is that they are all doctors. In fact, there are many south asian doctors in rural America and many of them are not islamic, but a few I know of are, and those are the only islamic people I know, and so that is what I think of.

That having been said, I'm going to say something that goes against the flow here which seems to be "let's not stereotype Islamic people. They're just the same good people as we are."

Are you ready for this?

I want them to be stereotyped in airports and other high security areas.
It annoys me to wait in long lines while some little kid's or some businessman's or some grandma's bag are searched, only to get rid of a nail file or scissors. Never, to my knowledge, has a grandma, or little kid, or anyone other than someone that was Islamic hijacked an American plane. I think any racial profiling and stereotyping in this manner is just appropriate law enforcement. If a bunch of men of southwest Asian descent are driving around a nuclear facility, I think that should raise red flags that would not be raised if it was a carload of black guys, or white guys. (well, maybe not the same for white guys with militia bumper stickers or driving Ryder vans)
Anyway, sorry if it's offensive, but you asked, and those are my thoughts.

Church

I only have one thing to say to the question you posed...

People watch too much CNN.

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Through counter-intelligence, it should be possible to pinpoint potential trouble makers, and neutralize them.

wonderwench

I'm ready for it. The final straw for me occurred when flying out of SFO late in 2002. Ahead of me at the security point was an elderly couple; the wife was in a wheelchair. The guards pulled them aside and performed a thorough pat down of the woman. I'll never forget the look of humiliation on her face. The PC crap has gone to far. We have profiles of the terrorists. Spending scarce resources on searching crippled grannies is not going to make us safer.

theusername

I've only ever thought about it being on airplanes. If I see a suspicious Muslim-looking person by himself or only with other men i get nervous. Thats the truth of it.

I mean I dont stereotype people generally and if any person of any race/color/creed came up to me to chat or to ask a question i'd gladly chat back nicely and have a good judgement of that person.

I agree, allow profiling on aircrafts to an extent. a 15 year old traveling with his parents and 2 brothers is not going to blow up a plane or carry on a weapon, (me 4 years ago, searched and taken off shoes...etc.) While an arab-muslim man walked right through with nothing checked on him. I mean we have to use a little common sense in this whole thing.

Just my opinion

:::OshnSoul:::

They are humans just like me- with souls- just like me.

DelayedReaction

People naturally react in the way that they feel will make them safest. In the case of being uneasy around people they perceive as a threat, it's pretty natural. Is it fair that a person who's black, arab, or (as I am) huge is viewed as a greater threat than your average white boy? Of course not. But there are a lot of things out there that aren't fair.

I don't agree with racial profiling, simply because it provides an easy way for terrorists to work around. If elderly people aren't searched, then it would be feasible for a terrorist to disguise themselves as wheelchair-bound individual to escape detection. Is it plausible? Of course not. But if it happens once then people would immediately say that TSA wasn't doing enough.

I'm an advocate for better forms of detection, coupled with the option to use them. For example, there's a form of full-body sensor that can look through clothing. The problem is that the device makes genitalia visible, and also can reveal other items such as penile implants. It's not used because people consider it an invasion of privacy.

Now I would advocate placing these devices in airports as an optional form of security. A notice would be posting that indicated how you would be exposed, and people who wanted to go through it would be able to. It would be faster than standard checks, and yet people who were still concerned about privacy could go through the other system.

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If ignorance is bliss, you must be having an orgasm.

Xell101

Aside from security check points and such, I don't, nor do I see a reason to, take into consideration their ethnicity when making decisions.

The US government is ruffling up the Islamic Extremist Jihad Machine by projecting it's influence into the region, and in doing so arguably is damaging the ability of the terrorist groups to acquire resources. To work around obstacles resources are required, so the more obstacles we toss up, the more resources and/or cunning will be required of terrorists who intend to do us harm. Profiling at checkpoints most likely won't do a thing, but it will probably deter terrorists like a 30 year old lock on a filing will deter thieves.

roachboy

muslims are people--you know, regular folk---who share a religious preference. it is not a single ethnicity.

i find the way the press---particularly television--reinforces stereotypes relative to muslim folk to be disgusting, personally. the problem is that when the situation in the states is relatively calm, people are often very critical of these idiotic images, will even disavow them--but when things get difficult, when something happens that is connected to some vague "islamic fundamentalist"--who is always abstract---too many collapse back onto these stereotypes.

when this happens, the states can be a really really frightening place to be. i remember all too well the weeks following 911. even in philadelphia, it was really really horrible. the racism--not to mention the violence associated with it---made me ashamed to be american.

to my mind, the disposition toward collapsing onto stereotypes is itself a real problem. you see something similar to this too often in political debates, like some folk are practicing for a hectic period, like there is some perverse side of them that almost enjoys having somebody "definite" to hate.

i do not understand it.

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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

Rdr4evr

Your saying if you saw a suspicious muslim person by himself or with other men you would get nervous, but what if that same muslim came to "chat" with you, you would then be friendly?

Although not religious at all, I was born into a muslim family. Trust me, all of these crazies that murder in the name of allah, is not muslim, and does not believe in it. No where in the Quran does it say to kill someone if they dont believe in the same thing you do. These brain washed nutjobs use that as an excuse. That said, most muslim people are actually a very peaceful group.

Like I said earlier, even though I was born Muslim, I do not believe in it, let alone any religion. I believe religion is the root of all evil. But at the same time, I will not stereotype anyone based on their religion unless I have a reason too.

Church

They may not hijack aeroplanes, but you'd be surprised how many import/export cocaine, and that has to be stopped.

And another thing, how do you know a bunch of muslims hijacked that plane? Because CNN told you so?

__________________
Through counter-intelligence, it should be possible to pinpoint potential trouble makers, and neutralize them.

raeanna74

I've known some muslims and some other people with middle eastern ethnicity. Most that I've known are much like me in their attitudes and beliefs. Most resent the new stereotype that some people have based on the media's portayal of the conflicts in the century with and between middle eastern countries.

If I were to fear any particular group I find it hard not to get nervous around the Hmong in our area. They are generally the ones making up the gangs and the few shootings we've had in the past few years have been Hmong related. Plus half of them seem to talk in their own language. It's like whispering - when you can't understand what someone else is saying you sometimes feel like they're talking about yout. It always makes me nervous. It's not necessarily based on a stereotype that I've gleaned from the media because I have quite a distrust of media and their agenda - its more based on my personal contact with these people.

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My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

Quickhit

I don't know about anyone else, but I am much more afraid of all the meth/crank addicts not being productive members of our society and ruining it from the inside out by straining the systems that have to provide for them because they can't seem to do it themselves, than I am of the psycho muslim terrorists out there.

analog

I guess you're not afraid of the white gangs then?

ARTelevision

I'm trying to consider by what stretch of the imagination this thread can be seen to have any value.

So far, I'm not coming up with anything...

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create evolution

theusername

Rdr4ever, dont get me wrong, I hate the fact that I do stereotype but I do. I don't have anything against Muslims at all and i know 99.9% are genuinely good natured people and i know that Islam does not promote or encourage terrorism, fundamentalism exists in every religion and is evil and despicable in every religion. That said, yes I do stereotype Muslims while I'm flying. Wrong? Maybe, but just telling the truth and answering the question, i'm not ignorant and i'm not stupid but that doesn't change how i feel.

I have friends that are Muslim but that does not change the fact. I'm not scared of a black, asian, hispanice...etc hijacking an airplane.

Church I have to hope your kidding about the CNN comment. We know who hijacked those planes, where they were from, and what they believed dont give me the conspiracy theory bullsh*t.

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wonderwench

And who, pray tell, did hi-jack the planes if it was not the AQ operatives?

wonderwench

The gangs in Oakland are not white. If they were, I'd be afraid of them too.

Sargeman

I guess it's good that we don't stereotype white males because of Timothy McVeigh, David Koresh, the two teenage boys at Columbine, the Unibomber, etc. etc. A lot of you would sure hate that.

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Church

Forget it, I'm not getting to it. Ok, CNN told you that a bunch of fanatical AQ's took the plane over. Fine, its the truth.

__________________
Through counter-intelligence, it should be possible to pinpoint potential trouble makers, and neutralize them.

wonderwench

I don't watch CNN. I did read about the identity of the hi-jackers in the WSJ, NYT, London Times, and countless other papers and websites.

It must be a conspiracy.

Church

Yeah, it must be.

Go you for reading mainstream media!

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Through counter-intelligence, it should be possible to pinpoint potential trouble makers, and neutralize them.

wonderwench

You're cute!

I read quite a cross section of mainstream and off the beaten path sources. I'd still love to know who the hijackers are. Don't be coy. Enlighten Moi!