Quote:
Originally Posted by peter12
The Western world at some point has to stand up for its ideals in the face of growing and increasingly dangerous Islamic radicalism. Does this preclude a violent confrontation at some point? I think we are well into that stage.
I don't want to be so reductionist to say that "they hate us for our freedoms." That's mostly nonsense. I don't see the rise of radical Islamist sects around the globe as a reaction against western liberalism, nor do I see it as a backlash for American economic dominance. It's the emergent of a system of belief directly opposed to western liberalism, with the ultimate goal of replacing liberalism with a theocratic caliphate.
At some point, liberals (generally all westerners share some tenet of liberalism) must realize that by living in a democracy, you shed many previous forms of self-identification, such as race and religion. Here, the only thing you have (and it amounts to everything) are ideas. The assumption is that the differences between these ideas is settled freely and democratically. The disturbing rise of Islamic fundamentalism is expressly dedicated to tearing these assumptions apart and replacing them with monolithic religion.
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Excellent. Thanks for the clarification. Lots of thought provoking stuff.
I have to admit to still being unclear about what you feel the cause of increased Islamic radicalization is. I agree that they don't hate us for our freedoms. How much, if at all, do you think historical Western support of corrupt regimes and/or US and US supported military action against Arab and Muslim countries and citizens has played a role in fueling the radicalization fire?