'But what about Syria'. Would I be unreasonable to tell this woman to go and fuck herself?

[Runny]

I have a Facebook friend who I think it's fair to say has some very extreme political views that she's not afraid to air. Normally I think live and let live, but she really gets her knickers in a knot over things like the Western bombings of Syria, refugees, Israel etc. I should say I'm also against the bombings in Syria and have donated to refugee charities.

Since the Paris terror attacks she's become very vocal about how Western media organisations ignore the terror attacks that happen in the Middle East, lots of 'why don't we change our FB profile pics to Palestinian flags' and the like. I let that go, even though I think she's talking out of her arse and it's blatantly obvious why our media focus on stuff happening in Europe. Since then with every terror attack that's happened she's posted similar stuff, even when the Westminster attacks happened the other week. This person lives in Central London so it bloody happened on her died doorstep and she was still at it even then!

Then yesterday arrived, my feed was full of comments about how awful and horrific the events in Manchester were. She was uncharacterstically quiet for most of the day, then late afternoon she posts a status 'I weep for the children, children everywhere'. What followed was a load of guff implying it was a 'false flag' designed to rig the election in the Tories favour. I hate the Tories as much as the next person, but come on that's just lunacy!

She's been at it most of the night, posts about fucking Syria, don't forget about Syria. Seriously, there's a time and a place for her crack pot opinions, and I really want to comment telling her she's a fucking insensitive idiot for spouting this now. WIBU to do this? She seems to have a complete empathy bypass. I'm so angry reading her posts, she posts this guff just hours after children have been blown to bits at a pop concert. What the hell is wrong with her?

Bullshit justanother. Abdelhamid Abouuad, the ringleader of the Bataclan attacks came from a middle class Belgian family. His father owned a successful business and sent his children to private school. Mohammed Emwazi aka Jihadi John was given refuge from Kuwait as a child, he had a decent job in IT before he went off to kill and rape and torture innocents. Mohammed Siddique Khan the ringleader of the 2005 London underground massacre was a youth worker, a well respected member of his community. None of these were "on the scrap heap" for fuck's sake, they made a choice. There are many parts of the world with a long history of colonisation, why don't Indian Hindus and Sikhs or South east Asian Buddhists have the same towering sense of grievance and desire for bloody revenge in second and third generation immigrants? Also stop lumping everyone together as Muslims. To a Syrian, a British born jihadi of Pakistani origin who arrives is a foreigner, an invader - they don't have anything in common culturally or linguistically and they are feared and hated as they wage havoc on ordinary people. Someone whose parents are from Bangladesh or Pakistan has no fucking right to appropriate the suffering of Iraqis and use it as an excuse for being a psychopathic killer. And their apologists like you disgust me.

And their apologists like you disgust me.

Off you fuck bridge dweller

Wow, stunning argument there.

There are many parts of the world with a long history of colonisation, why don't Indian Hindus and Sikhs or South east Asian Buddhists have the same towering sense of grievance and desire for bloody revenge in second and third generation immigrants?

For the answer to that, you will need to ask that between India and Pakistan, which country was used to fight our proxy war in the name of Afghan Jihad in the 1980s. You will find your answer there.

A parents tears for their child's tragic untimely killing is the same the world over.

The media in the UK is biased, vile and nasty, you just look at the people they employ.

Syria is bad but South Sudan, Burundi, DRC, and Yemen are arguably far worse. Is she posting about them too?

Right Valentine and that explains what exactly? Syria isn't Afghanistan. Iraq isn't Afghanistan. You really think it has nothing to do with the Salafist poison spread by Saudi-finded mosques and madrassas in the past few decades? Or with the insular separatist upbringing of many of the young men brought up in Europe but with extremely conflicting hostile values? I'm the first to admit western intervention and meddling has been disastrous and destabilising in MENA but I cannot fathom how people can mindlessly blame "the west" for every act of terrorism. It's really racist and infantilising for a start.

She has a valid point

68 children were blown to bits last month in Syria by a suicide bomber and it wasn't hardly reported.

It is not just about Europe if that had beenUSA it would be all over our news but nothing hardly a whisper

It's like those kids didn't matter, the world didn't care.

Iraq isn't Afghanistan. You really think it has nothing to do with the Salafist poison spread by Saudi-finded mosques and madrassas in the past few decades?
I think what happened in Pakistan has everything to do Saudi funded madressas, our best friend Ziaul Haq (another installed and supported dictator of ours in a country that was secular before him; they had night clubs and bars in every hotel and throughout major cities for example) and of course the jihadis who were very useful and highly appreciated at that time.

I also doubt that children are deliberately targeted in Syria, and children there are equally important, but come on, get real, do you really think that we could possibly have the same empathy for Syria as we have for casualties on our doorstep. Yes we going into Iraq started it all, but if she wants to report on Syria, then become a journalist

SO what I am trying to point out is when you compare India with Pakistan, you need to keep in mind that Pakistan was the ground we rented when wanted to fight our proxy war with Russia in Afghanistan, and NOT India. Therefore, no madressas were installed in India and no generations were brain washed.

but come on, get real, do you really think that we could possibly have the same empathy for Syria as we have for casualties on our doorstep

That makes you look deranged and inhuman. Don't try to speak for all is "us".

Who sold the weapons and bombs to kill the Syrians? Who made money from selling those bombs knowing they would be used to kill humans

but come on, get real, do you really think that we could possibly have the same empathy for Syria as we have for casualties on our doorstep

I agree, this DOES make you look deranged and inhuman. I get equally upset at both of these events - and I haven't been to either place.

What happened in Manchester is awful. But it's one horrific episode. Children in Syria (and elsewhere) have lived their whole lives with this happening every day - try and imagine that.

Wow, stunning argument there.

The only 'argument' you had was a lot of whataboutery doesnt negate any of my points, not a single 1 of them

No not in humane at all, of course it's more natural to have more empathy for your own countrymen whoever they may be

People, children especially, being killed by other people is a terrible thing. It happening close to home is a good moment to reflect on children being needlessly killed throughout the world.

It's good moment to reflect on the fact we are all humans, and one of our jobs as grown up humans is protecting small humans. All of them.

I would find her views offensive, but I guess she is entitled to her opinion. I wouldnt have her as a Facebook friend tbh and would just block her, as I'd be too tempted to call her out on it. Couldn't share my space with someone with such opposing views to my own.

I don't agree with foreign intervention bombing or getting involved in the Middle. East but people saying we bomb people in Iraq or Afghanistan so we should expect to be attacked by terrorists is utterly bullshit.
Many of the terrorists have NO connection to countries we have had involvement in, 3rd generation grandparents from Somalia for example or Saudi.

None of their children or family have been injured by the west It's like me getting pissed off that someone decided to bomb Canada so I decide to attack them even though I have never visited Canada or have any connection to there.
People don't understand what Jihadism is, it's an ideology they believe you are Kuffar, the lowest of the low and subhuman, they think the yadizis are polytheists so the men must be killed and the women taken into sex slavery as spoils of war. They want to go to jannah(heaven) which is easy if you matyr yourself as you will go to heaven straightaway, they do not believe in this life so have no regard for it. The little girls who that man killed are Kuffar (non believers) so have no value to them they believe they will be in hell. I think people need to educate themselves what an extremist believes no matter if we pulled out of the Middle East we would still be Kuffar to them who have no value as would all who disbelieve in their ideology it's like a cult.

Agree with daytona79. OP if you dont like what she posts unfriend her instead of being patronizing and bitching about her on MN.

yellowox The problem we have though is that people of colour and especially asians are being 'othered' in the country they were born, disenfranchise people in their own country and youre going to get anger, and there are evil people out there willing to direct that anger

Who is disenfranchising them? They have the same rights as any other citizens and enjoy a far higher standard of living and opportunities than they would at home? Who is "othering" them? The Manchester bomber's family appear to have been fanatically religious and unintegrated. Whose fault is that?

I come from one of the countries which is under occupation, which is being bombed every day.
My kids are brought up there, I fear for them when we go back there. I fear for my children here in the UK too. So I can understand that how mothers feel here and in my country.
I have some people on my facebook saying the same things. On the issue of the West ignoring the dead Syrian kids, that's not true. All major Western outlets, both on the left and the right, cover big news from the Middle East. Places like voice of America, Dutche Welle and the BBC have services in so many languages for coverage of local news. As far as General public is concerned, so many people living in places like London that I know pay into charity that supports places like Syria. There are also political pressure groups in places like the U.K. And USA that focus on lobbying for causes such as Syria. So it's a stupid accusation that people in the West don't care about Syrian kids or other foreign causes.
When it comes to the issue of foreign policy, yes British foreign policy has caused harm abroad. But this doesn't justify killing kids in Manchester.
People should be more sensitive when talking about these people things. In my experience, it is mostly those that live yore comfortable life and are keyboard warriors that claim things like this.

Even if you could make the case that these people are disenfranchised and feel on the scrap heap (and that doesn't seem to be true for many perpetrators of these crimes), loads of people feel disenfranchised or thrown on the scrap heap of life. Plenty of people grow up poor, with no prospects. They don't bomb children though.
There is no excuse or justification for what they have done!