Case in Point...

[vhawk01]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

And if THATS true then mocking them and getting them to show their true colors seems like a reasonable way to garner support from places it might actually exist. I have never wanted to name a bunch of sex toys Mohammed more in my entire life.

[/ QUOTE ]

But if you mock and ridicule them and simply refer to them as "Muslims" you are alienating everyone who doesn't believe those things but considers themselves Muslim. It seems like you are assuming that you can't change minds.

Actually, even if minds won't be changed and these people are going to continue to be ridiculous, mocking them could easily make our relations with them worse than it already is. I just don't see the positives and I see big negatives.

[/ QUOTE ]

You hit on a great point, actually, and its something I'm intellectually aware of but constantly forget because I give everyone too much credit. Let me try and give an example. If I made a statement like "God I hate all these stupid SMP posters who think they know everything and dont even listen to what I have to say" would you take offense? Why? I'm clearly not talking about you, I'm only talking about "that kind" of SMP poster. But most people WOULD take offense because...well I dont know why. When I rant on and on about the Christians that bother me, if you arent that kind of Christian why must you take offense? You arent all on the same team. You are all individuals. When people make fun of Minnesotans, I certainly dont take offense, unless they are talking about something that relates to me.

So, when we mock the actions and beliefs of CERTAIN Muslims, there is no reason whatsoever for the rest of the Muslims, the "good" Muslims that you are talking about here, to get offended at all. In fact the opposite should be true, they should be even more embarrassed by the "bad" Muslims and join in.

But that isnt what happens and I should know better.