LA Times Op-ed: Islam gets concessions; infidels get conquered

[Utah]

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Mr. Ibrahim brings up some pretty interesting points. Anyone care to refute?

[/ QUOTE ]Yes. The argument is silly on its face because the article assumes that groups act from a set of principles and that they will honor those principles even to their own detriment. That is silly.

There is only self interest.

[Utah]

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the fence is built partly on land confiscated from the Palestinians. they are not "free to seek prosperity like Israel has chosen to".

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When have the Palestinians ever tried to seek prosperity? What industries have they tried to build up? When have they ever tried to install real leadership instead of following murderous thugs? When have they ever tried to quell terrorism? Why are they not free to do these things?

Maybe they got a raw deal in their situation back in the day. But, they have done absolutely nothing to help their own cause.

[ACPlayer]

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In the spirit of the rabbi's daughter's letter to her father I thought this moving Op-ed piece in the LA Times should also be discussed.
Might Makes Right?

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Herein lies the conundrum. When Islamists wage jihad — past, present and future — conquering and consolidating non-Muslim territories and centers in the name of Islam, never once considering to cede them back to their previous owners, they ultimately demonstrate that they live by the age-old adage "might makes right." That's fine; many people agree with this Hobbesian view.

But if we live in a world where the strong rule and the weak submit, why is it that whenever Muslim regions are conquered, such as in the case of Palestine, the same Islamists who would never concede one inch of Islam's conquests resort to the United Nations and the court of public opinion, demanding justice, restitutions, rights and so forth?

Put another way, when Muslims beat infidels, it's just too bad for the latter; they must submit to their new overlords' rules with all the attendant discrimination and humiliation mandated for non-Muslims. Yet when Islam is beaten, demands for apologies and concessions are expected from the infidel world at large.

...

But perhaps Muslims cannot be blamed for expecting special treatment, as well as believing that jihad is righteous and decreed by the Almighty. The West constantly goes out of its way to confirm such convictions. By criticizing itself, apologizing and offering concessions — all things the Islamic world has yet to do — the West reaffirms that Islam has a privileged status in the world.


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Mr. Ibrahim brings up some pretty interesting points. Anyone care to refute?

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I dont think that Muslims have any recourse in the United Nations (they cannot get any resolution passed that in anyway castigates Israel, ever!), nor do they care for public opinion (at least not in the West).

It is human nature to complain when they lose and rule with an iron fist when they win. We are actively suppressing Iraq with might, the Palestinians are suppressed actively by the victorious.

I dont see anything particularly new or enlightening in the piece.

[MoreWineII]

Professional victims imo

[HeavilyArmed]

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The Palestinians are in terrible shape: their economy in tatters and their nation split by a fence and pockmarked with foreign checkpoints.

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I remember finding some data on Palestinian economic indicators and all is not bleak.

- YTD rock throwing at Israelies up 24% over 2005.
- Suicide bomber recruitment programs up 12%.
- 'Drive Jews into the Sea' bumper stickers up 50% (but not so many cars to put them on).
- And they are outbreeding all of the Western world. If that's not a positive indicator, I don't know one when I see it.

Seriously, Palestinians can fix their lot in life via a 12 step program and step 1 is to recognize Israel's right to exist. All else follows.

[DVO]

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The Palestinians are in terrible shape: their economy in tatters and their nation split by a fence and pockmarked with foreign checkpoints.

[/ QUOTE ]

I remember finding some data on Palestinian economic indicators and all is not bleak.

- YTD rock throwing at Israelies up 24% over 2005.
- Suicide bomber recruitment programs up 12%.
- 'Drive Jews into the Sea' bumper stickers up 50% (but not so many cars to put them on).
- And they are outbreeding all of the Western world. If that's not a positive indicator, I don't know one when I see it.

Seriously, Palestinians can fix their lot in life via a 12 step program and step 1 is to recognize Israel's right to exist. All else follows.

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Lol. NH sir.

I'm tired of this bizarrre perception that Palestine is anything but the architect of their own demise. Israel isn't perfect but they sure as hell have a right to exist.

I hope they have learned by now that giving an inch results in immediate demands for a yard...

[Utah]

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Israel isn't perfect but they sure as hell have a right to exist.

[/ QUOTE ]Lets say they dont have a right to exist. It doesnt really matter. They are not going away. Maybe the Palestinians has gotten one of the worst deals in the 20th century. That doesnt matter either.

The Palestinians should still act in their own self interest and try to prosper with the hand dealt to them. I dont understand why they do not. What am I missing from the equation?

[iron81]

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What am I missing from the equation?

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[The once and future king]

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when Muslims beat infidels,

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Contempory example please.

[The once and future king]

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What am I missing from the equation?

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William Wallace, freedom fighter or terrorist?