EDL....

[DandyFloss]

I am a regular who has name changed for this thread.

I would like to have a discussion about EDL. I want to know exactly why people find them so abhorrent and why it is such a taboo subject.

I dislike militant Islam, it is a dangerous movement and it really frightens me. A family friend was killed in 9/11 and it was a horrible horrible tragedy.

I have two mixed race children, my DH is mixed race, I would not say I'm racist or xenophobic.

As far as I can gather EDL oppose militant Islam, and this alone.

Why does this make them racist? Surely militant Islam, although a very small proportion of Islam, should be opposed?

Loads of muslims have committed and tried to commit atrocities in the UK, and yet not all muslims are evil. However, the EDL don't blow people up, but are all evil anyway?

I looked up 'jihad'. See my answer a few message up

The EDL have set fire to mosques with people in them and attacked Muslims and people who aren't white.

I'd call those atrocities.

Loads of other groups have committed atrocities too. Canary Wharf ring any bells?

I have often pondered where the bigoted opinions are coming from. There is more education on different religions, schools actively promote equality. Information is readily available. Not everyone in the country reads the DM! I don't really believe it is all passed down in families. There is no real 'reason' for the ignorance of the past.

My mother and her husband are very bigoted, neither my brother or I are. My mother says stuff very much like Fla but the last time she lived in a northern town area was in 1967!
We used at have many rows discussions to which I was dismissed at 'not having a clue what you are talking about'. I know my mothers attitude is that if someone is forcing her to accept something she rejects then that is good enough to confirm she is right!

People may not be full paid up EDL but I think there are a lot of people who hold dubious views. I heard a staff room exchange along the lines of 'I'll believe Muslims are the same as us when they hold mass protests 'not in my name' and dress like the rest of us'

Is it fear of 'strangers'?
Fear of changes around them?
Is the dislike a result of an individual meeting someone acting to a stereotype therefore confirming their preconceptions which they then attribute to a community?

How can we as a society 're educate' people to accept others?
I find it sad that in this day and age we can't accept each other and only deal with the extremists of all beliefs.

You looked it up after using it inaccurately? Do you routinely use words whose meaning you do not understand or do you make a special case for words associated with Islam?

Cat - how do we know it was the EDL? Have there been convictions?

There have been plenty of convictions of muslim terrorists, and yet you are not tarring all muslims with the same brush.

No, I used it accurately according to my understanding of the word as it most acceptably accurate.

If, deep within a religion, it has another meaning well........I wouldn't know that, would I?

Boaty - people fear that their country will become another Lebanon.

waves Northern mining village here, fucked prideless and messy due to the demise of mining and the increase of welfare state usage.

Also married to a Muslim man and not under any pressure to convert from ANY of the community.

Fla that's jacks your defence doesn't it? Being part of the community I can say there are racists and extremists on both sides and they are thankfully both inthe mminority

Take each person for themselves and you may surprise yourself by liking your neighbours.

You used it inaccurately because your understanding is wrong. I won't speculate as to the reasons why you have such issues with comprehension.

Don'tPanic - but what about the many people where I live who want sharia and openly brag that it's just a matter of time before we're paying tax to them?

Don't start getting personal Wallison just because you are not winning this argument through being pedantic.

Yes, you have 'winner' written all over you.

Sunshine - thanks or the the link to 'Hope not Hate', I've joined too.

Wallison - I repeat my earlier message. Getting personal is breaking MN guidelines.

There are many many accepted words that actually do not mean what people think they do. 'Jihad' is one of them. If you took out a full-page advertisement in the Times to tell people the proper meaning according to you, then more people would understand correctly, wouldn't they?

I'm sure there are. For some people.

some terrorists are Muslim - ergo all Muslims are bad - what kind of logic is that

I remember being treated like shit for having an Irish name and an Irish father in the 70's and 80's - I have never hurt anyone

It's simple prejudice - there is no other word for it

Well, 10/10 for DandyFloss

She/he started a thread that was always going to cause controversy and name-calling, and then buggered off to leave you all to it.

Good call!

I thought everyone knew that 'jihad' can mean killing non-muslims to advance islam.

How many Adventure? How many in total have said this to your face, not your mate or your dad's mate or your grannys flatmates cat?

Then work out the % of the total muslim population.

The problem with talking the views of a few then hating the whole is that the empirical data is flawed, thats called by data programmers "shit data in =shit results out"

My husband would fucking HATE Sharia law, so would all his mates, he considers anyone killing in the name of Allah to br fundamentally missing the damn point of their religion therefore not a muslim. So by my personal experience ALL muslims are peaceful kitten cuddling lovely people.

Only that isn't true either is it?

You didn't answer my question about taking out an advertisement? Will you be the one to educate the masses Wallison?

oh and the EDL are evil for their blind hatred of innocent people, their violent behaviour towards innocent people and their bigoted attitude

hth

you say 'jihad' I say 'Crusade' ...let's call the whole thing off...all together now, you say Jihad and I say Inquisition ....

Oh and to him and the majority of muslims "Jihad" means struggle. Nothing to do with war or killing