FBI Arresting More Americans For Targeting Muslims, Than Muslims For Targeting Americans

from the lock-'em-up dept

We've been pretty damn clear that we think the Trump administration's targeting of people from a few countries by banning them from entering the US is both inhumane and misguided. We were proud to sign on to an amicus brief opposing it and happy that the 9th Circuit agreed -- though the case is far from over. As I've noted repeatedly, to me it's an issue of basic humanity and decency, but some have insisted on making arguments about how certain people are somehow out to get us and we need to protect ourselves from them. I know that, these days, it's considered silly to rely on things like facts for an argument, but it seemed worthwhile to actually explore some facts on this particular topic.

We'll start with a post at Lawfare, by Nora Ellingsen. And we should start out by noting that Techdirt and Lawfare have a pretty long history of... well... not agreeing on much. The site is generally supportive of the intelligence community and supportive of actions taken to protect "national security." We tend to be more skeptical. Ellingsen worked in the FBI's Counterterrorism Division for five years, specifically working on international terrorism investigations inside the US. Since leaving the FBI to go to law school, she's been tracking counterterrorism cases in the US, using DOJ data. And she's gone through that data to try to determine if there's any truth to the idea that people from those countries represent a big ongoing threat. And the answer is that it's just not true. In fact, the real "terrorism" threat in America appears to be... from Americans.:

The Program on Extremism at George Washington University has routinely published statistics indicating that the “vast majority” of individuals charged in the U.S. with offenses related to ISIL are U.S. citizens. When considering all terrorism offenses, that claim holds up—80 of the 97 suspects arrested in the past two years, or more than 82 percent, are American citizens.

Most of those, notably, are not naturalized citizens. Of the U.S. citizens, only six were naturalized. In other words, more than 76 percent of individuals arrested by the FBI over the past two years for terrorism-related offenses were U.S. citizens as a result of having been born in the United States.

The post goes through all of the individuals who were not born in the US and looks at what each was charged with (often just making false statements to the FBI) and how many of them (not many) actually came from the list of banned countries.

And, then, of course, the fact that the FBI these days tends to be arresting a lot more people for plotting violent attacks on Muslims, than Muslims plotting violent attacks on the US:

Since January 2015, the FBI has also arrested more anti-immigrant American citizens plotting violent attacks on Muslims within the U.S. than it has refugees, or former refugees, from any banned country. As we wrote about here, here and here, in October 2016, three white men from Kansas were charged with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction. According to the graphic complaint, the anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant men planned to attack a mosque in the area. The men progressed quickly with their plot, amassing firearms and explosives. The targets were people from Somalia, who ironically, would now be covered by Trump’s order.

Similarly, the post notes that there were more US citizens arrested en route to join ISIS in Syria than those arrested trying to plan attacks here.

Since we’re already on the topic, let’s talk about Americans traveling to join ISIL. Over the past two years, the FBI has arrested 34 Americans who aspired to leave, attempted to leave or actually left the United States to join a terrorist group overseas. In other words, although two refugees came into the U.S. and were charged with material support,

Seventeen times that number of U.S. citizens tried to leave the U.S. to conduct attacks and fight overseas. More Americans have snuck into Syria to join ISIL, than ISIL members have snuck into the United States. In September 2015, a congressional report indicated that 250 Americans have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight with ISIL. By comparison, as of December 2015, only 71 individuals in the United States had been charged with ISIL-related activities—the vast majority of whom were also U.S. citizens, according to George Washington University.

Meanwhile, over at Slate, William Saletan has pointed out that if the President really wants to ban travellers from regions that import multiple people aiming to harm Americans... it ought to ban travel from North & South Carolina. He goes through story after story of extremists who left North Carolina to conduct terrorist attacks elsewhere. The list is long, but here are just a few:

It began with Eric Rudolph, a Holocaust denier who grew up in the Christian Identity movement. In 1996, Rudolph traveled from North Carolina to Atlanta, where he detonated a bomb at the Olympics, killing one person and injuring more than 100 others. A year later, Rudolph bombed a lesbian bar in Atlanta, wounding five people. In 1998, he bombed a reproductive health clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, killing a security guard and injuring a nurse. The “Army of God,” which hosts Rudolph’s writings, claimed credit for his attacks.

In 2001, Steve Anderson, another Christian Identity follower, was pulled over for a broken tail light on his way home from a white supremacist meeting in North Carolina. He pumped 20 bullets into the officer’s car and fled. Police found weapons, ammunition, and explosives in his truck and home. A year later, he was captured in the western part of the state.

In 2010, Justin Moose, an extremist from Concord, North Carolina, was arrested for plotting to blow up a Planned Parenthood clinic. Moose, who claimed to represent the Army of God, also opposed the construction of a mosque near ground zero in New York. He called himself the “Christian counterpart of Osama Bin Laden.” Eventually, Moose pleaded guilty to disseminating information on how to make and use explosive devices.

Obviously, the Slate piece is tongue-in-cheek in arguing that the Carolinas are the real threat, but the larger point is completely valid. There seems to be no credible evidence for why people from the countries listed in the original executive order should be banned from the US other than outright bigotry. And, somewhat unfortunately, that same kind of ignorant bigotry (which the executive order is only helping to encourage and spread) is resulting in actual violent attacks from Americans who misguidedly think they're stopping "evil."

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Filed Under: executive order, fbi, immigration ban, muslims, terorrism


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  1. icon
    Anonymous Anonymous Coward (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 8:44am

    Banning Evil...just make it stop...so ordered...job done

    I am awaiting the EO that bans the devil. Just to make sure there is no discrimination, the EO will spell out how the devil is defined by the top 100 religions in the world. There will be some acrimony as various religions argue whether they should be in that top 100...or not.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. icon
    Bamboo Harvester (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 9:34am

    Which citizens? Which FBI?

    Is this the same FBI that we saw numerous articles here pre-trump exposing them for actually *building* their own terrorist threats using people they talked into becoming radical?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 9:36am

    Tennessee man who plotted New York mosque attack won’t face terrorism charges

    BY Chris Sommerfeldt NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Updated: Tuesday, February 14, 2017, 4:49 AM

    It's happening so damn much we apparently can't even bother charging them as terrorists anymore.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 9:42am

    basic humanity and decency

    Everyone has a different opinion about what that is.

    The one thing that is true, is that I do see other nations like France and Germany falling to pieces over this problem and we are calling people inhuman for not wanting the same to occur in their countries.

    Sorry, but it looks to me like this is just more politics as usual. Go ahead, keep calling people inhuman... great way to attract those flies. Hypocrisy is nothing but a friend!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 9:51am

    Re:

    Well, if the DOJ charged Americans with terrorism, it would show that they are no better than Muslims.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 9:53am

    Re: basic humanity and decency

    That's funny, because France and Germany are fine.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 9:56am

    Re: Re: basic humanity and decency

    I guess you don't read the news...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:01am

    Tech?

    And this has to do with tech in what way?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:13am

    Missing the problem

    When you are so US centric youdo of course miss the problem that exists on a global scale.

    The US is only 1% Muslim - so on its face you would expect that only 1 in 100 terror attacks that take place would be by Muslims - but yet if you look at actual attacks where multiple "stranger" lives were lost (where there is a single victim known to the attacker then it may well be just one of those I really like you murders) you will find that it is far more than 1 in 100 over recent years.

    Of course the US has stupidly lax laws about guns and explosives and a law enforcement arm that is more interested in creating plots than solving them (not to mention a recent president who had an agenda of defending islam and smearing Christianity een though he officially professed it).

    BUT the real issue here isn't about what happens in the West. It is about what happens in places where Islam rules.

    See https://medium.com/@najwa.najib/donald-trump-is-good-for-middle-eastern-christians-350f049bed62#.djw 5dayw8

    Now Trump's banwas stupid - and off target tactically - but at least he doesn't look at Islam through rose tinted spectacles to the same extent you seem to.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:19am

    Though he stated that reason were terrorism, that's actually not true. What he really wanted was to limit the influx of radical Islam into America. Which is a cause we should all believe in.
    Islam, as an ideology, is incompatible with American values and ideals. People like that should not be let in to a country where cultures will clash violently.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. icon
    Gwiz (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:25am

    Re: Tech?

    And this has to do with tech in what way?

     

    I really wish people would quit asking this, like it's some sort of "gotcha" moment. Techdirt writes about a lot of things, most of them related to tech, but not always. If it's a problem for you, find something else to read.

    Seriously, do you people post comments at PopeHat.com and ask them what their articles have to do with the Catholic leader's headgear too?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:25am

    Careful with Statistics

    First off, FBI arrests do not paint the full picture. Those arrests only include those who were "active participants" in the execution of the crimes. Keep in mind, the bigger issue is the indoctrination, brainwashing and targeting of individuals who may feel disenfranchised whp are are easily converted to the ISIL / Al Qaeda narrative. It's those who are doing the recruiting, and converting of Americans (naturalized or not) with propaganda that resonates with them. Telling these individuals that all of America sucks and therefore we need kill innocent people to make a point. Where are the statistics for those that are here doing the recruiting, training or indoctrinating folks.

    Just because they're not getting busted as active participants I wouldn't be so quick to sweep under the rug that they're not here and don't represent a huge problem.

    That's the problem with statistics depending on what data you actually have and how you look at it, you could lull yourself into a false sense of security with one group while being a little too eager to blame another. This is a complex problem and no-one is walking around with a sign on their back stating "Future Terrorist in Training".

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. icon
    Trails (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:25am

    Re: Re: Re: basic humanity and decency

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. icon
    Trails (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:27am

    Re: Tech?

    This site must be about what I want and not what the people who work on it and fund it want.

    I am an internet asshole, hear me roar!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:27am

    Re: Re: Re: basic humanity and decency

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. icon
    Trails (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:28am

    Re: Missing the problem

    It is about what happens in places where Islam rules.

    Yeah, boo Mike for suggesting theocratic islamic rule in the US!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:29am

    Well duh.

    Muslims are a minority in America. Americans are not.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:31am

    Re:

    You are as bigoted as the extremist Muslims that engage in terrorism.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:35am

    Re:

    "I'm not a bigot, but..."

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. icon
    Black Bellamy (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:37am

    >There seems to be no credible evidence for why people from the countries listed in the original executive order should be banned from the US other than outright bigotry.

    Really? You can't conceive of any other reason? Im astounded.

    6 of those 7 countries have NO FUNCTIONING GOVERNMENT or at least one that isn't riddled with Islamists or other hostile actors. Our entire vetting process is predicated on the local government to vet the traveller first. Countries like Saudi Arabia aren't on the list because they have a highly functioning police state. Meanwhile what the fuck is going on in Libya or Yemen, no one knows. Iran is on that list not because we hate Muslims, but because fuck those guys. Fuck that whole nation. You would trust an Iranian government guy to say yeah this guy is cool, we vetted him here?

    But no, let's not let reason win over your personal feelz.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. icon
    Gwiz (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:38am

    Re:

    Which is a cause we should all believe in. Islam, as an ideology, is incompatible with American values and ideals.

     

    Please explain. I always thought that one's right to worship as they choose to be a fundamental right that the United States was founded upon. It's even enshrined in our Bill of Rights:

    "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

    If you are referring to radical Islam, then I would somewhat agree, but then I would also say that "radical Christianity" and "radical Atheism" are also incompatible with any civilized society.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. icon
    NeghVar (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:45am

    Culture clash

    One potentially serious problem is the culture clash. Many of these refugees follow the ways of Sharia Law. Some of them still actively enforce it despite being in a different country. Sharia Law is above the law and men are above women. A lot of news has been coming out of Germany for the past few years about these culture clashes. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/12087780/Cologne-assault-Cultural-differenc e-is-no-excuse-for-rape.html

    And from this there is the emergence of vigilante gangs who vow to protect woman.
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3390042/The-fightback-begins-German-vigilante-group-vo ws-protect-women-migrant-attackers-three-Syrians-arrested-gang-raping-two-teenage-girls.html

    Do we want this in the US?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  23. icon
    Mike Masnick (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:47am

    Re:

    I love the fact that you respond to my post, which includes lots of actual data with the following 2 lines:

    Iran is on that list not because we hate Muslims, but because fuck those guys. Fuck that whole nation.

    And:

    But no, let's not let reason win over your personal feelz.

    One of us has reason on our side. The other has feelz, in the form of blind rage and ignorance.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  24. icon
    Mike Masnick (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:52am

    Re: Culture clash

    One potentially serious problem is the culture clash. Many of these refugees follow the ways of Sharia Law.

    This is the same bullshit that comes up EVERY SINGLE TIME there's a new influx of immigrants from a particular country. Remember the Know Nothing party? They said the same thing about those darn Catholics who would bring their awful religion to the US.

    A lot of news has been coming out of Germany for the past few years about these culture clashes. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/12087780/Cologne-assault-Cultural-differenc e-is-no-excuse-for-rape.html

    As so you didn't hear today's news about how this was entirely made up? http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/frankfurt-mass-sexual-assault-refugees-fake-made-up-b ild-germany-cologne-new-year-allegations-a7581291.html

    Do we want this in the US?

    Educate yourself.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  25. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:54am

    Re:

    Countries like Saudi Arabia aren't on the list because they have a highly functioning police state.

    And yet most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi.

    Your definition of "highly functioning" is as pathetic as your "reasoning."

    link to this | view in thread ]

  26. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:57am

    Re: Careful with Statistics

    By the same measure, these kinds of bans and treating muslims like shit more generally only make it easier to radicalize people. ISIS is already recruiting off of this ban, for example.

    "See, America hates you, so you might as well join us" is a pretty compelling argument.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  27. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 10:58am

    Re: Culture clash

    Do we want this in the US?

    “We are clearly called, in the Bible, to adhere to our civil authorities, but that conflicts with also a requirement to adhere to God’s rules. When those two come in conflict, God’s rules always win. In essence, if we are ever ordered by a government authority to personally violate and sin, violate God’s law and sin, if we’re ordered to stop preaching the gospel, if we’re ordered to perform a same-sex marriage as someone presiding over it, we are called to ignore that. We cannot abide by that because government is compelling us to sin.” - Marco Rubio

    We already have it.

    The real problem as I see it, is the Christian fucktards feel threatened by Muslim fucktards.

    In reality, you're both fucking retarded. And more so by failing to see the hypocrisy in the bullshit you're saying.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  28. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:04am

    Re: Re: Re: basic humanity and decency

    read the following in Cramer's voice.

    Perhaps if you told me what news stories you were referring to .........

    link to this | view in thread ]

  29. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:05am

    Re: Tech?

    I hate it when the comments go off topic like this

    link to this | view in thread ]

  30. icon
    Gwiz (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:11am

    Re:

    Muslims are a minority in America. Americans are not.

     

    Just out of curiosity, which group do you place the United States citizens who happen to practice the Islam faith into? Are they not also Americans?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  31. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:13am

    Re: Missing the problem

    The real issue is ..... (drum roll)
    us law enforcement does not / is directed to not view domestic terrorism as terrorism. Plenty of acts of terrorism by white "christian" types get swept under the rug

    link to this | view in thread ]

  32. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:15am

    Re: Re:

    Well - all real americans are christian - DUUH!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  33. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:26am

    Re:

    Except you forgot that American value: Religious Freedom.

    Where we welcome all faiths so long as they follow our laws. You can't claim to uphold American values and then deny one of our most important.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  34. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:30am

    Re: Re:

    If you are referring to radical Islam, then I would somewhat agree, but then I would also say that "radical Christianity" and "radical Atheism" are also incompatible with any civilized society.

    Careful.

    Firstly as Erdogan said- there is no "radical Islam there is only Islam"

    Secondly, if by radical you mean "strongly adhering to the tenets of the religion then Christianity says

    Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's

    and

    So long as it lies with you live at peace with all

    whereas ISlam says

    And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is all for Allah. (8:38)

    and few other things to be found here

    http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/pages/quran/loyalty-to-non-muslim-government.aspx

    Whereas a radical atheist well one who believed in dialectical materialism maybe...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  35. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:39am

    Re: Re: Culture clash

    When those two come in conflict, God’s rules always win. In essence, if we are ever ordered by a government authority to personally violate and sin

    Not very subtle are you.

    The word "personally violate" are key here. This is not talking about people imposing their views on others it is about people having others' views imposed on them.

    If you are a vegan then I would not expect you to try to stop other people eating meat but I would equally not expect you to submit if the state ordered you to eat meat.

    There is a HUGE difference. I am surprised that you don't see it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  36. icon
    Roger Strong (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:40am

    Re: Culture clash

    That culture clash also happens with Christians immigrating from old world countries. The ones from the cities tend to be modern, and the ones from out in the country tend to put Biblical law above the legal system and men above women. You get this problem with every wave of immigrants regardless of their religion. And it's always only a small subset of them.

    Here in Canada a small group of Muslims called for sharia courts for their own people. They were shouted down - marches even held to protest them - by a much, MUCH larger group of Muslims who had had enough of that crap in the old world and wanted no part of it here.

    Christian or Muslim or Jewish, you'll always find some who want a theocracy. (Consider Mike Huckabee rallying to the cause of a woman who insisted on using her government position to dictate her sect's religious beliefs to others. Or Haredi Jews putting up signs on *public* streets banishing women to one side of the street.) You treat them the same way, and don't let them get away with it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  37. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:44am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: basic humanity and decency

    I am more than aware that a lot of things are made up. But there are multiple sources of news on TV, the Internet, and Newspaper over the past few years about Europe in general and migration crisis.

    I know a lot of you have very short memories about shit but damn...

    There have been false reports of police shooting minorities as well... should we now ignore the true reports as well, because of a few false ones?

    Additionally, false reports tend to arrive when there is something to play off of as well which helps make them more believable than they normally would.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  38. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:45am

    Internal borders

    ought to ban travel from North & South Carolina

    US states are about as big as individual countries in other parts of the world. It does seem strange that strange that some Americans are so obsessed with strong borders and completely ignore this. Of course, they're still more likely to be killed by furniture than even a Carolinian terrorist.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  39. icon
    Roger Strong (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:46am

    Re: Re: Re:

    There's no shortage of similar "our god over all else" quotes in the Bible.

    We still have the occasional problem with radical Christians - some mentioned in the story above - but we still allow Christian immigrants.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  40. identicon
    John Cressman, 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:47am

    Misguided

    "We've been pretty damn clear that we think the Trump administration's targeting of people from a few countries by banning them from entering the US is both inhumane and misguided."

    Mike, I love you, but you are both misguided and inhumane, and most likely a hypocrite.

    First, you are misguided because it's a temporary ban and it was to improve the vetting process so we can differentiate the people who DO want to do us harm from those who don't. That's something we exercise ourselves in our own lives each day, trying to say that the country doesn't have the right to do that to protect their citizens is... misguided.

    Second, unless you have a house full of immigrants, YOU are inhumane! At least, by your reasoning. The fact is, NO ONE outside this country has a RIGHT to be here. It's a privilege and one that's been abused and continues to be abused. I suspect many immigrants and refugees want to start a new life, but that should never be done at the expense of the citizens living here. Just like you would most likely never give up your own house (where would you sleep?!) and give it to a group of people from another country that you didn't know and had no way of knowing their real motivations or loyalties, it's not inhumane for our country to do the same.

    And, you are most likely a hypocrite because you have doors and windows on your house, probably an alarm on your car. Why? Because you don't want just anyone walking into your house and because you probably don't want just anyone going into or stealing your car. It's the same thing, but on a larger scale. We don't want just anyone coming into our country.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  41. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:49am

    Re: Re: Missing the problem

    I have noticed plenty of acts of terrorism by non White/Christians get swept under it as well. I have also noticed not too long ago where a bunch of black kids tortured a white person and everyone was saying it was just kids being kids... instead of you know... being charged for a hate crime.

    There is no doubt at all there there are lots of bias in law enforcement but stop pretending that it only works one way, when it in facts works in wacky ways and as the "prosecution desires" all over the fucking place.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  42. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:52am

    Re: Re: Culture clash

    This is the same bullshit that comes up EVERY SINGLE TIME there's a new influx of immigrants from a particular country. Remember the Know Nothing party? They said the same thing about those darn Catholics who would bring their awful religion to the US.

    Except that history shows that Islam is different from all those other groups.

    Look at the middle east today.

    All those so called islamic countries were originally conquered by the sword. Before that most of the region was Christian except Persia which was Zoroastrian. Interestingly Zorastrianism is making a comeback in (what should be) Kurdistan. Further east Afghanistan was largely Buddhist and India had a mixture of were Hindus, Buddhists and a few Christians.

    All of the middle east and a large part of India was initially taken by violence and then, over centuries, reinforced by a system of apartheid which rewarded conversion to Islam and penalised anyone who tried to leave it.

    Even in countries that were not initially taken by violence the story is not good.

    Here is an Indonesian former muslim speaking:

    "For thousands of years my country (Indonesia) was a Hindu Buddhist kingdom. The last Hindu king was kind enough to give a tax exempt property for the first Muslim missionary to live and to preach his religion. Slowly the followers of the new religion were growing, and after they became so strong the kingdom was attacked, those who refused to become Muslims had to flee for their life to the neighboring island of Bali or to a high mountain of Tengger, where they have been able to keep their religion until now. Slowly from the Hindu Buddhist Kingdom, Indonesia became the largest Islamic country in the world. If there is any lesson to be learnt by Americans at all, the history of my country is worth pondering upon. We are not hate mongering, bigoted people; rather, we are freedom loving, democracy loving and human loving people. We just don’t want this freedom and democracy to be taken away from us by our ignorance and misguided ‘political correctness’, and the pretension of tolerance.”

    link to this | view in thread ]

  43. icon
    Roger Strong (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 11:58am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: basic humanity and decency

    But there are multiple sources of news on TV, the Internet, and Newspaper over the past few years about Europe in general and migration crisis.

    While almost every country in the western hemisphere has birthright citizenship, until recently European countries did not. France brought in a lot of workers from it's holdings in Africa as workers. Soon they had kids, and then grand-kids. None of whom had citizenship. They weren't allowed to assimilate. They grew up knowing that they weren't even second class citizens. So ghettos formed and riots started.

    We don't have that problem in North America. The kids born here automatically become citizens. They're allowed to assimilate. Even keeping their language and culture, they're first-class citizens.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  44. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 12:00pm

    Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    I see - so as far as Marco Rubio is concerned, what am I missing about the "personally violate" context?

    if we’re ordered to perform a same-sex marriage as someone presiding over it

    In this context, it would mean as a justice of the peace deliberately not following the law because he personally feels it's wrong. Or some clerk, fresh on marriage #4 deciding same-sex marriage is wrong, deciding not to issue a license.

    There is no bigly, yuge difference - you want to pick and choose based on what your imaginary man of choice tells you in your head.

    If I decided not to pay taxes because my money funds war, I'm guessing that wouldn't fly. So fuck my beliefs as far as that goes.

    But goddammit - same-sex marriages are such a degree more terrible than that. You persecuted "christians" need protection.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  45. icon
    Roger Strong (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 12:04pm

    Re: Re: Re: Missing the problem

    You know about those acts because they were NOT swept under the rug. The torture case is being prosecuted; only a complete nutjob would suggest otherwise.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  46. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 12:12pm

    Re: Misguided

    > Second, unless you have a house full of immigrants, YOU are inhumane!

    Next, you will claim that everyone has to grow their own food.

    In modern societies, different people and organizations take on different roles, where we use money and barter to balance things out. There is nothing "inhumane" about donating to charities that help refugees while not housing a refugee yourself.

    > but that should never be done at the expense of the citizens living here

    Native Americans would like to have a word with you.

    > We don't want just anyone coming into our country.

    Perhaps you would be better off emigrating to a country that shares your values, such as North Korea.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  47. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 12:19pm

    Re: Misguided

    Second, unless you have a house full of immigrants, YOU are inhumane!

    Change that phrase to : Second, unless you have a house full of unwanted children, YOU are inhumane!

    I suspect many immigrants and refugees want to start a new life, but that should never be done at the expense of the citizens living here.

    Change that to: I suspect many unwanted children want to start a new life, but that should never be done at the expense of the citizens living here.

    Reason for the exercise is that most of the folks on the side of Trump and his ban/not-a-ban/could-be-a-ban-if-you-want wouldn't even fucking dare to take this side of the argument regarding abortion.

    Yet when it comes to something that threatens to expose the size of their god's dick, they lose their shit.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  48. icon
    Gwiz (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 12:24pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    Firstly as Erdogan said- there is no "radical Islam there is only Islam"

     

    Yes, I realize that there is some controversy surrounding the term "radical Islam". I was using it in the colloquial sense of "extremism", not necessarily in the sense of "fundamentalism".

    Personally, I am the product of a Catholic father and a Methodist mother and was raised as neither, but was encouraged to explore any and all religions on my own. Having done so in my younger days, I realized that my personal belief system has absolutely nothing to do with groups of people, ornate buildings or ancient texts, but is internal and private. The teachings of Buddha come the closest to my personal beliefs.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  49. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 12:24pm

    Let's look at some examples

    Perhaps we should look into countries with a good number of Muslims in it, like, say The Philippines.

    Its Muslim population, supports the establishment of a separatist government, supports terrorists, and is very anti-Philippine government.

    Not to mention they also attack innocent bystanders for the sin of window shopping. Or stealing other people's money.

    What? A third world country is irrelevant? How bigoted of you.

    So let's take a look at France instead and, oh, riots and trucks of peace. Germany? Annual New Year rapes.

    So yeah, if you like these to happen to America, go ahead. Let them all in and start arming them with beer trucks to kill white people right? That's the progressive way! :)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  50. identicon
    William Braunfeld, 15 Feb 2017 @ 12:25pm

    Re: Which citizens? Which FBI?

    Imagine if they were actually focusing on terrorism from the Carolinas instead of manufacturing threats...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  51. identicon
    Michael, 15 Feb 2017 @ 12:27pm

    Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    "Except that history shows that Islam is different from all those other groups."

    It's kind of incredible that you would write that. "This time it's different!" is always the war-cry of the uninformed. It's not different, every time the same thing has happened someone said "This time it's different!" and then it turned out it wasn't.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  52. icon
    Mike Masnick (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 12:46pm

    Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    Except that history shows that Islam is different from all those other groups.

    No. It really doesn't.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  53. icon
    Mike Masnick (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 12:49pm

    Re: Misguided

    First, you are misguided because it's a temporary ban and it was to improve the vetting process so we can differentiate the people who DO want to do us harm from those who don't

    The existing vetting process is insanely thorough and complete. And, tellingly, it has not allowed in any terrorists from any of those countries. This is a bullshit excuse for a bullshit policy.

    Second, unless you have a house full of immigrants, YOU are inhumane! At least, by your reasoning.

    That's not how this works. It's not how any of this works. I'm not saying we need to accept everyone. I'm not even saying that we need to stop carefully vetting those who come. I'm saying that what was cruel and inhumane was a broadbased policy, based on no factual basis at all, that ripped apart families, caused massive harm on tons of people who had ALREADY BEEN VETTED.

    And, you are most likely a hypocrite because you have doors and windows on your house, probably an alarm on your car. Why? Because you don't want just anyone walking into your house and because you probably don't want just anyone going into or stealing your car. It's the same thing, but on a larger scale. We don't want just anyone coming into our country.

    Lovely strawman. Again, I never argued that we need to let everyone in. I'm saying we don't create a purely bullshit policy that tears apart families and people who have already been properly vetted because of unknown bullshit reasons.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  54. identicon
    William Braunfeld, 15 Feb 2017 @ 12:50pm

    Re: Let's look at some examples

    I really wish I had words to express how incredibly wrong and horrific your view is.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  55. icon
    Gwiz (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 12:52pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    whereas ISlam says

    And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is all for Allah. (8:38)

     

    A little bit of cherry-picking there. The keyword is "persecution".

    The Prophet Muhammad also taught and followed up with actions (ie: the Saheefah) that tolerance for other religions is needed for a society to function correctly:

    https://www.islamreligion.com/articles/207/viewall/tolerance-of-prophet-towards-other-rel igions/

    link to this | view in thread ]

  56. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 12:53pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    There's no shortage of similar "our god over all else" quotes in the Bible.

    Well - .if there is a god then that is exactly what you would expect so duhhh.

    However the key point is whether there are specific instructions valid for all time to enforce this by violence in this world.

    It also matters whether these are the most recent texts or whether they are old historical events.

    We still have the occasional problem with radical Christians

    Show me an example where the "problem" come from someone who prioritises the messages in the sermon on the mount.

    I don't understand how anyone whose behaviour blatantly contradicts those messages could be called a Christian at all - let alone a radical one.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  57. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 12:56pm

    Re: Re: Let's look at some examples

    Or maybe you just don't have any counter arguments?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  58. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 1:19pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: basic humanity and decency

    I don't think you are correct about French nationality law.
    See :
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_nationality_law
    It seems pretty clear to me that there has never been a significant impediment to a person born in France to residents of France acquiring French Nationality. There seems to have been aminor impediment for a short while a few years ago but not enough to justify your conclusions.

    Anyone born in Britian to a resident (as opposed to a tourist or other short term visitor) is British by default and there are still problems with non-assimilation here.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  59. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 1:27pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    The Christian God disagrees that Islam is "different from all those other groups":

    Ecclesiastes 1:9 (KJV)

    "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."

    if KJV isn't your preferred Godly Dialect, you're welcome to look it up in whichever version of God's Word you prefer.

    Now that Biblical "Proof" has been provided, can we stop with the "Islam is different" schtick? It really isn't.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  60. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 1:27pm

    Re:

    Islam, as an ideology, is incompatible with American values and ideals. People like that

    Don't make the mistake of jumping from "an ideology" to "people".

    Almost all muslims are born into the faith, and held there by vicious anti-apostasy laws (in Muslim countries) or social pressure (often with a veiled threat of violence) elsewhere.

    Muslims are the greatest victims of the ideology and the best thing we can do is to provide routes of escape for them.

    See http://www.exmna.org/

    link to this | view in thread ]

  61. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 1:33pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    So perhaps you would like to explain why the US will be different from Indonesia or the middle east.

    It is YOU who is saying that this time it is different.

    ie that the impact of Islam on the US will be different from what it has been elsewhere

    link to this | view in thread ]

  62. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 1:34pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    Yes it really does - when you look at the history of the world outside N. America and before 1000 AD

    link to this | view in thread ]

  63. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 1:45pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    In this context, it would mean as a justice of the peace deliberately not following the law because he personally feels it's wrong. Or some clerk, fresh on marriage #4 deciding same-sex marriage is wrong, deciding not to issue a license.

    It does not mean that - you are setting up a straw man here.

    I wouldn't expect a vegan to apply for a job in an abbatoir but if a vegan sets up his own restaurant I wouldn't expect the state to force him to sell meat.

    If I decided not to pay taxes because my money funds war, I'm guessing that wouldn't fly.

    It wouldn't fly if you expected the state to just let you do it.

    If you believe something strongly you need to be prepared to suffer for it and many Christians in the past have done so.

    http://blog.livesofthefirstworldwar.org/conscientious-objectors-in-the-first-world-war/

    link to this | view in thread ]

  64. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 1:48pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    In this context, it would mean as a justice of the peace deliberately not following the law because he personally feels it's wrong. Or some clerk, fresh on marriage #4 deciding same-sex marriage is wrong, deciding not to issue a license.

    Or maybe an Imam refusing to solemnize a same sex marriage?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  65. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 1:51pm

    Here is a fact that people seem to ignore. There are Catholics that are pretty much only Catholic in name. Jews that are Jewish, but not really. Of course, there will be Muslims that don't really follow the religion. A true believer will of course not like Jews, gays or women much, but if we worry about that, we shouldn't let people from India into the US because their views of women suck also.

    Here is one fact through, and you can't get around it. On November 28th a Somali refugee here in the country legally ran his car into people at Ohio State University then exited his car and began attacking people around him with knives. 13 people were hospitalized, one with a fractured skull.

    This person didn't have to be here and those 13 people didn't have to go to the hospital.

    On Feb. 11th a native of Guinea here legally entered the Nazereth Restaurant in Ohio and attacked customers with a machete, injuring 4. This person didn't have to be here and those people wouldn't have been hacked with a machete.

    On September 17th, a Somali (here legally) walked into the Crossroads Center shopping mall and began stabbing patrons, he stabbed 10 people, sending 3 to the hospital. This person didn't have to be here, and those people wouldn't have been stabbed.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  66. icon
    restless94110 (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 1:54pm

    Pretty Damn Unclear

    We've been pretty damn clear that we think the Trump administration's targeting of people from a few countries by banning them from entering the US is both inhumane and misguided.

    You are pretty damn unclear: A 90-day temporary ban is something that has been done by President Obama and other Presidents before. It's not inhumane, it's not misguided, it's temporary.

    Your first paragraph fails to mention that it is temporary and it has been done many times before, thus giving a false impression. Is it ignorance on your part? How could it be? You've been corrected several times. That leaves prejudice and malice.

    Or simple insanity. Which is it, bud? My conclusion is malice and insanity with a heavy does of totally irrational prejudice.

    Keep on siding with the the tech companies driving down wages with phoney H1-B visa laws. It make you look more lame every single day.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  67. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 2:01pm

    Re: Re: Culture clash

    Here in Canada a small group of Muslims called for sharia courts for their own people. They were shouted down - marches even held to protest them - by a much, MUCH larger group of Muslims who had had enough of that crap in the old world and wanted no part of it here.

    In Canada maybe - but look at Muslim opinion around the world

    http://www.pewforum.org/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-overview/

    link to this | view in thread ]

  68. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 2:05pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    That is what he said when he was weak and living in Mecca.

    It isn't what he did later on.

    If he had followed his original teaching you would never have heard of him.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  69. identicon
    Anonymous Expert, 15 Feb 2017 @ 2:11pm

    Missing the forest for the trees

    This thread has devolved into people who have studied Islam getting yelled at by people who haven't, so let's get back to the topic. There is a reason there are so few Islamist attacks: the Muslim extremists in the United States are under a stand-down order. The "lone wolf" attacks are acting against the wishes of the serious threats, the ones with training and foreign backing, who are following a strategy of nonviolence while infiltrating civic organizations to build up a larger public support base. Some of them are getting government funding to do this. The feds are focused so closely on stopping terrorism that they stopped caring about spies.

    There has been a shitload of small-scale street violence by organizations linked to al-Qaeda: broken windows, arson, beating people up. The attackers are usually white college students who were recruited by an Islamist front organization on campus or over the internet. This is never registered as terrorism no matter how politically motivated it is.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  70. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 2:18pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    If you want to find out the real context for this verse then you need to know the life of Mohammed.

    Here is a really good simply written, well referenced life:

    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/100132969/Short%20biography.pdf

    link to this | view in thread ]

  71. icon
    Roger Strong (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 2:22pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: basic humanity and decency

    Simply being born in France does not confer French nationality.

    A kid born in France can get French citizenship when they turn 18, but my understanding is that that's a fairly recent development.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  72. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 2:27pm

    Want to see another potential risk? Just google "Islamberg" in New York.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  73. identicon
    David, 15 Feb 2017 @ 2:30pm

    Promises, promises

    There seems to be no credible evidence for why people from the countries listed in the original executive order should be banned from the US other than outright bigotry.

    And why should there be? If I would have had the choice, I'd have preferred Obama sticking to his election promises and campaign platform rather than Trump.

    But Trump promised outright bigotry, and he delivers.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  74. identicon
    William Braunfeld, 15 Feb 2017 @ 2:32pm

    Re: Re: Re: Let's look at some examples

    None that you would recognize or acknowledge. Your mind is clearly made up.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  75. icon
    Roger Strong (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 2:40pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    However the key point is whether there are specific instructions valid for all time

    Those similar Biblical directives also don't come with an expiry date.

    come from someone who prioritises the messages in the sermon on the mount.

    One can cherry-pick non-xenophobic passages from the Koran just like you do from the Bible. The problem with BOTH religions is the many cherry-pick differently.

    Even the Nazis had military chaplains to assure the troops that they were doing the right thing and could be proud of their work. Nazi soldiers had the words "Gott mit uns" (God with us) on their belt buckles.

    I don't understand how anyone whose behaviour blatantly contradicts those messages could be called a Christian at all - let alone a radical one.

    Likewise many Islamic scholars say the same thing about the same behavior among those who call themselves Muslim.

    Christian Science Monitor: The myth of Muslim support for terror

    Americans are more approving of terrorist attacks against civilians than any major Muslim country except for Nigeria.

    The survey, conducted in December 2006 by the University of Maryland's prestigious Program on International Public Attitudes, shows that only 46 percent of Americans think that "bombing and other attacks intentionally aimed at civilians" are "never justified," while 24 percent believe these attacks are "often or sometimes justified."

    Contrast those numbers with 2006 polling results from the world's most-populous Muslim countries – Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. Terror Free Tomorrow, the organization I lead, found that 74 percent of respondents in Indonesia agreed that terrorist attacks are "never justified"; in Pakistan, that figure was 86 percent; in Bangladesh, 81 percent.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  76. icon
    Richard (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 2:46pm

    Re: Re:

    If you are referring to radical Islam,

    Well it seems that even mainstream Islam in supposedly moderate Indonesia has a problem with voting for a non-muslim:

    http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news.php?id=84890

    link to this | view in thread ]

  77. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 2:54pm

    Re: Re: Re: Missing the problem

    I like to make up thing in my head too.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  78. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 2:57pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    I don't understand how anyone's who's behaviour blatantly contradicts those messages could be called a Muslim at all - let alone a radical one. FTFY

    link to this | view in thread ]

  79. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 3:00pm

    Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    You say that before they were conquered by the sword that they were christian. But you fail to mention how they became christian. If you were unaware, they became christian by the sword as well. The Roman empire conquered that area around the 1st Century BC, and then later the Roman empire converted to Christianity and by 400 AD made it the official religion.

    Before that, the land was occupied by many different cultures and religions.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  80. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 3:01pm

    Re: Re:

    by allowing them to practise their religion as we do all other religions. You forgot that part. It's like it's an admendment somewhere I think.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  81. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 3:04pm

    Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    Except every time it happens, assholes like you say "no it's really different THIS time, because of reasons."

    link to this | view in thread ]

  82. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 3:36pm

    Re:

    You are clearly uneducated on the vetting process.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  83. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 3:38pm

    Re:

    Oh boy, 3 anecdotes.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  84. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 3:39pm

    Re: Missing the forest for the trees

    lol

    link to this | view in thread ]

  85. icon
    orbitalinsertion (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 3:55pm

    Re: Re: Tech?

    Nah, they are all reading This Week In Papal Mitres and haven't found Popehat yet.

    But farmers and gardeners are still wondering when Silicon Valley is coming to small scale soil management over here.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  86. icon
    orbitalinsertion (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 4:03pm

    Re: Missing the problem

    And the vast majority of victims of Islam-flavoured extremism and theocracy are who?

    What if we based classifying people who we put under ridiculous umbrella terms according to the level of their victimization also?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  87. icon
    JMT (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 4:04pm

    Re: Misguided

    *"First, you are misguided because it's a temporary ban..."*

    If you think the intention was for this to actually be temporary, you were probably also gullible enough to believe all of Trump's other promises and vote for him. The next four years are going to be disappointing for you...

    *"...and it was to improve the vetting process so we can differentiate the people who DO want to do us harm from those who don't."*

    More proof of your gullibility. The current vetting process has been shown to be very thorough and very effective. What exactly do you think needs to be improved? Where's your evidence of significant failure? You have no idea, you're just parroting Trump talking points.

    *"...trying to say that the country doesn't have the right to do that to protect their citizens is... misguided."*

    Trying to suggest that the EO would have actually increased protection to US citizens is also misguided. And stupid.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  88. icon
    JMT (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 4:05pm

    Re: Misguided

    "First, you are misguided because it's a temporary ban..."

    If you think the intention was for this to actually be temporary, you were probably also gullible enough to believe all of Trump's other promises and vote for him. The next four years are going to be disappointing for you...

    "...and it was to improve the vetting process so we can differentiate the people who DO want to do us harm from those who don't."

    More proof of your gullibility. The current vetting process has been shown to be very thorough and very effective. What exactly do you think needs to be improved? Where's your evidence of significant failure? You have no idea, you're just parroting Trump talking points.

    "...trying to say that the country doesn't have the right to do that to protect their citizens is... misguided."

    Trying to suggest that the EO would have actually increased protection to US citizens is also misguided. And stupid.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  89. icon
    orbitalinsertion (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 4:13pm

    Re:

    Fuck all those people who get imprisoned, tortured, and killed standing against their government. Fuck all of them.

    Lol, as if we count on their governments to do the vetting. It is to laugh. Never mind the ones who were extremely vetted by our military, and who helped us at the risk to themselves and their families. Fuck them too.

    Saudi Arabia is a fully functioning police state that is pretty much the prime exported of Islamic extremism. Their state form of Islam is 100% extreme. But whatever.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  90. icon
    Mike Masnick (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 4:44pm

    Re: Pretty Damn Unclear

    You are pretty damn unclear: A 90-day temporary ban is something that has been done by President Obama and other Presidents before. It's not inhumane, it's not misguided, it's temporary.

    As has been explained multiple times, this was not done by President Obama. What he did was very, very different. And if he had done the same thing, to the same level, we would have been equally outraged.

    Your first paragraph fails to mention that it is temporary and it has been done many times before, thus giving a false impression. Is it ignorance on your part? How could it be? You've been corrected several times. That leaves prejudice and malice.

    No, the reverse. As we explained back to you your claims that this was done before is simply wrong. So the real question is why do you keep repeating it?

    Keep on siding with the the tech companies driving down wages with phoney H1-B visa laws. It make you look more lame every single day.

    Huh?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  91. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 4:46pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Let's look at some examples

    Nope. It just mean that you cannot deny the evils Islam has. If you continue to pursue the growth of Islam in America you'll encounter our/these problems eventually.

    But I suppose Liberals do need to learn a lesson, one paid for in blood would suit them.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  92. icon
    Mike Masnick (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 4:47pm

    Re: Missing the forest for the trees

    This thread has devolved into people who have studied Islam getting yelled at by people who haven't, so let's get back to the topic. There is a reason there are so few Islamist attacks: the Muslim extremists in the United States are under a stand-down order. The "lone wolf" attacks are acting against the wishes of the serious threats, the ones with training and foreign backing, who are following a strategy of nonviolence while infiltrating civic organizations to build up a larger public support base. Some of them are getting government funding to do this. The feds are focused so closely on stopping terrorism that they stopped caring about spies.

    Please do tell me what the weather is like in fantasyland?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  93. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 4:55pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Let's look at some examples

    Like the Frenchies. These oh-so-tolerant-idiots are so gullible. I LOLed at the hug-a-Muslim thing in 2015(or was it 2016). Not so huggable now are they?

    https://twitter.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/831975108382187523

    link to this | view in thread ]

  94. icon
    orbitalinsertion (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 5:42pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    Because don't look at the behavior of Christians, and especially in the Americas, for god's sake. And outside the Americas, it was never enforced with the sword, ever.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  95. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 5:43pm

    Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    Your post should be required reading for anyone who thinks muslim religeon is compatible with the western world.

    It just isn't at all.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  96. icon
    orbitalinsertion (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 5:48pm

    Re: Re:

    If only we could export those guilty of similar things, who were born on US soil, before they do it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  97. icon
    orbitalinsertion (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 5:51pm

    Re: Re: Pretty Damn Unclear

    Huh?

    The classic apologist's tactic of using another reason that has zero to do with the case at hand in effort to appeal to the emotions of enough people.

    And the 90 day lull in H1-Bs would surely fix our economy, totes.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  98. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 6:06pm

    Re: Let's look at some examples

    Oh look abortion love bombs. Timothy McVeigh love trucks.Uou somehow forgot to mention those homegrown nuts for SOME reason.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  99. icon
    GristleMissile (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 6:16pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    So your argument is that it's okay to rape, murder, and commit genocide because other people have done it before?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  100. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 6:17pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    You do realise the first Crusade happened in the Midfle East after 1000 AD right?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  101. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 6:24pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    The first admendment should be required reading for people who think one religion should be treated differently than any of the others.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  102. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 6:32pm

    Re: Missing the forest for the trees

    I think you mistyped Al-Quida. What you clearly meant was Y'all-Quida. You know those lovable scamps who committed a host of small scale vandalism and such, in Nevada and Oregon.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  103. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 6:35pm

    Re: Re: basic humanity and decency

    "That's funny, because France and Germany are fine."

    you forgot the /s

    link to this | view in thread ]

  104. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 6:51pm

    Re: Re:

    "You are as bigoted as the extremist Muslims that engage in terrorism."

    Bullshit - its a valid point. I sure dont want to hear daily calls to pray multiple times a day near me.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  105. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 6:59pm

    Re: Re:

    "I always thought that one's right to worship as they choose to be a fundamental right"

    certainly - but having statements broadcasted loudly is not a fundamental right - yet they would insist on it. I image hearing church bells can be annoying but its once a week and less expressive.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  106. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 7:04pm

    Re: Re:

    How can he not? They are often chanting death to america. So to hell with them.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  107. icon
    Eldakka (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 7:06pm

    Re: Re: Tech?

    do you people post comments at PopeHat.com and ask them what their articles have to do with the Catholic leader's headgear too?

    They probably do now... ;)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  108. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 7:08pm

    Re: Re: Culture clash

    How about you take up residence in one of those countries and see how they tolerate your daily life?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  109. icon
    Eldakka (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 7:13pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    If the volume of those calls are greater than normal background noise in that area at that time of day (construction work, trucks driving past, kids playing, crowds at sports events, aircraft flying overhead. etc) then make a noise complaint to the appropriate authorities.

    If it isn't any greater than other same time-of-day noise, then what does it matter?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  110. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 7:20pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Let's look at some examples

    "hug-a-Muslim"

    maybe that was to reduce the range of the explosive devices they are wearing.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  111. icon
    Eldakka (profile), 15 Feb 2017 @ 7:27pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Just going on the quotes you've posted, but:

    "bombing and other attacks intentionally aimed at civilians" are "never justified,"

    and

    agreed that terrorist attacks are "never justified";

    are not the same thing.

    At the time the following actions were done, they were not regarded as terror attacks, but as militarily justifiable:

    • nuclear bombing of Hiroshima
    • nuclear bombing of Nagasaki
    • fire-bombing of Tokyo
    • fire-bombing of Dresden
    • carpet bombing of various European cities during WWII

    Therefore depending on how the question is phrased, some might and some might not regard the above as terror attacks, therefore influencing their answer.

    Were the semantics of the questions asked of each of those groups the same? e.g. Were the questions couched in terms of the local languages, attitudes, definitions, understandings of the words? I mean, the quote you provided doesn't give the results in a common semantic framework.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  112. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2017 @ 7:28pm

    Re: Re:

    How many can you come up with that involve a non Moslem going to a Moslem country doing the same? Ops forgot that they dont like that spelling - something about is sounding like "people who do evil"

    link to this | view in thread ]

  113. identicon
    bullhookey, 15 Feb 2017 @ 7:58pm

    bullshit

    This is hilarious.. lets take the whole terrorisst thing.. throw it out the window - it doesn't exist. it's a figment of your imagination, and better yet - it's you .. not them.
    after you all are done inviting the islamic terrorists over for tea and cookies.. and after he kills you. i can promise i'll be the one still standing .....over the terrorists body with a bullet hole in his skull because you all were too stupid to see the writing on the wall.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  114. identicon
    David, 16 Feb 2017 @ 1:23am

    Re: bullshit

    Huh. So you'll put a bullet through the skull of a refugee "because you all were too stupid to see the writing on the wall."

    Isn't that sort of reaffirming the point that you are a greater danger to the life of the refugee than the other way round?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  115. icon
    Bamboo Harvester (profile), 16 Feb 2017 @ 3:56am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: basic humanity and decency

    "They're allowed to assimilate. Even keeping their language and culture, they're first-class citizens."

    That's not assimilation, that's colonization.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  116. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2017 @ 3:58am

    Per capita numbers or you are lying with statistics. This woman is comparing the raw numbers from the entire population of the US to the raw numbers of a tiny fraction of a percent of immigrants. No matter where you stand on this issue you gotta admit that's bullshit.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  117. icon
    Karl (profile), 16 Feb 2017 @ 5:45am

    Re: Missing the problem

    You're citing as a source, a blog post by a user whose *only post* on medium is the post you're citing?

    Who starts off the post by insulting celebrities, then moves on to complain about "Social Justice Warriors and Wankers," which is really a tirade against uppity black people?

    And, who continues with prejudicial overgeneralizations like this: "Most Muslims, though, live in the Middle East or in places like Indonesia and Malaysia and Pakistan, where they treat non-Muslims with the same hate and violence and psychopathic homicidal delight that Middle Eastern Muslims reserve for my [Middle Eastern Christian] people."

    Yeah, not convincing.

    I absolutely agree that there is persecution of other religions in majority-Muslim countries, and that this is wrong, and that we in the West should do what we can to stop it.

    But I do not see *anything* that Trump has done as helping that cause. And I certainly don't think this article helps anything, either.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  118. identicon
    Wendy Cockcroft, 16 Feb 2017 @ 6:01am

    Re: Banning Evil...just make it stop...so ordered...job done

    The devil? Such nonsense, AAC. The Super-Devil, now that's the one to watch out for, mate.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-JmavretFY

    link to this | view in thread ]

  119. identicon
    Wendy Cockcroft, 16 Feb 2017 @ 6:06am

    Re: Re: Which citizens? Which FBI?

    Per this Wired article https://www.wired.com/2011/09/fbi-muslims-radical, they're institutionally racist. If that's true, the manufactured plots are for bias confirmation purposes. I presume you've noticed the ethnicity of the entrapped individuals...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  120. identicon
    Wendy Cockcroft, 16 Feb 2017 @ 6:08am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: basic humanity and decency

    No it's not, Bamboo Harvester.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonization

    Get your racist goggles off and look up the term "Amish."

    Have fun!!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  121. identicon
    Wendy Cockcroft, 16 Feb 2017 @ 6:15am

    Re: Misguided

    Most of Mike's family are immigrants, therefore his house is already full of them.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  122. identicon
    Wendy Cockcroft, 16 Feb 2017 @ 6:17am

    Re: Re: Let's look at some examples

    He dons't see them as nuts but as patriots or some such nonsense. This is from the "It's okay when our guys do it" dept.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  123. identicon
    Wendy Cockcroft, 16 Feb 2017 @ 6:17am

    Re: Re: Re: Let's look at some examples

    *doesn't

    link to this | view in thread ]

  124. identicon
    Wendy Cockcroft, 16 Feb 2017 @ 6:18am

    Re: Re: Re:

    Do a search on "Drone strikes."

    You're welcome.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  125. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2017 @ 6:24am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Culture clash

    Or maybe an Imam refusing to solemnize a same sex marriage?

    Is the Iman working as a clerk? In a legal capacity? For the state, perhaps?

    Because if he is, then he needs to fuck off and do his job. If the details of the job offend him, he's free to follow his heart and find another line of work.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  126. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2017 @ 6:29am

    Re: bullshit

    but..but..but, aren't we a christian nation?

    That doesn't sound real christian to me.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  127. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2017 @ 7:28am

    Re: Re: Re:

    Agreed. Tear down all the church bells!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  128. icon
    frank87 (profile), 16 Feb 2017 @ 7:36am

    Re: Re:

    That's cherry picking : you only contest the statement about one of eight countries he talks about.
    He is right, the relationship between Iran and the US is pretty well summarised by "they really hate each other (but they promised to talk without hitting)"

    link to this | view in thread ]

  129. icon
    frank87 (profile), 16 Feb 2017 @ 8:01am

    you don't travel much

    Traveling over borders has been a pain since WWII at least (before that the number of travelers was probably too small for governments to bother). This very site is filled with TSA-abuse, and it could be worse(you don't have to bribe anyone).
    Governments bothering travelers is the rule. Is this stupid rule really that much worse than the others.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  130. identicon
    KumKoom, 16 Feb 2017 @ 8:19am

    Re: Re: Re:

    I'm assuming you're talking about mass protest against Jakarta gov (your link won't open for me). As an Indonesian, I can say to you that you need to know context. The real problem is not Islam has a problem with non-Islam leader, but it's the old guards using religion (Islam) as well as the race card (Chinese decent) as the basis of smear campaign for political / financial gain.

    >... mainstream Islam in supposedly moderate Indonesia...

    Sadly, I must agree with you on this, grass root Indonesian muslim are moving away from being moderate. This is a relatively new development, which by my observation started after the fall of Soeharto. If you speak Indonesian, and see the comments from Indonesian muslim netizen about the horrors men do on youtube, you'll be horrified.

    disclaimer: I'm also a muslim, born and raised in muslim family. The Islam now growing in Indonesia __is not__ the Islam I know & studied growing up.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  131. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2017 @ 10:06am

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    I agree Wendy, people in those countries have a very good reason to hate America and Americans. Seems to me a very good reason to have them not come here.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  132. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2017 @ 10:10am

    Actually, according to the law, we can ban people from coming into our country if they won't accept them back if we choose to deport them. There is a list of 22 countries on that list. This isn't something that has to be enabled, in fact, it is the law, one that just doesn't get used very often. Our government seems to enforce laws when it is convenient for them to do so, but the law says that those folks shouldn't be coming here in the first place.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  133. identicon
    Michael Flynn, 16 Feb 2017 @ 3:35pm

    The dumbasses will rise again

    As if to prove your point, here's another inadequate alumnus of South Carolinan society.

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/16/dylann-roof-copycat-south-carolina-charlesto n-shooting

    link to this | view in thread ]

  134. icon
    Wolfie0827 (profile), 16 Feb 2017 @ 5:43pm

    Re:

    And none of these were tied to terrorism.(or only loosely as in the perp claimed they were doing it for Islam/religious reasons.) None of the people involved actually had any terrorist ties. If I remember correctly the OSU one is the only one that even had any evidence that the perp had even seen ISIS/Extremist info in the form of visiting an extremist Islamic website.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  135. identicon
    trish, 17 Feb 2017 @ 7:27am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: basic humanity and decency

    colonization is the thing where you come over and kill all the people who lived there and steal their land. People are different than you and they live in the country your forefathers stole from dead people. You are everything wrong with humanity... stupid.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  136. identicon
    David, 19 Feb 2017 @ 8:40am

    Re: Re: bullshit

    There is a reason "Bigotry 101" is a prerequisite for "Applied Religion". If you let some rebellious hippy Jesus define what Christianity is all about, you'll end up with something indistinguishable from Judaism.

    Christianity stands in the tradition of Paul, not Jesus. Until you let go of your misguided theoretical preconceptions, you'll never make it to casting your first stone.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  137. identicon
    Jawed Iqbal, 10 Apr 2018 @ 12:40am

    nice information, and really nice debate

    link to this | view in thread ]


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