Nagy: Tying 'Islamic' to 'terrorist' isn't really fair

[TexasTowelie]

Tibor Nagy is vice provost for international affairs at Texas Tech and served as U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia from 1999 to 2002 and to Guinea from 1996 to 1999.

Perhaps if a president with a name other than Barack Hussein Obama advocated not associating the term “Islamic” with words such as “terrorists” or “jihadists” or even “state” then he would get a more sympathetic reception — especially from those of us who have criticized his foreign policy as overly naïve and passive.

After all, his own newly minted term “strategic patience” to describe his foreign policy could well be applied to the tactics British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain et. al. used in responding to Hitler’s aggressions.

Interestingly, President George W. Bush, certainly not known for his timidity, also said: “All Americans must recognize that the face of terror is not the true face of Islam. Islam is a faith that brings comfort to a billion people around the world. It’s a faith that has made brothers and sisters of every race. It’s a faith based upon love, not hate.” (President George W. Bush, Afghanistan Embassy, Washington, D.C. Sept. 10, 2002)

Herein lies the difficulty: we often mix up the message with the messenger — as I don’t recall anyone ever criticizing President Bush about his many positive statements about Islam the way they have President Obama.

Read more: http://lubbockonline.com/editorial-columnists/2015-03-14/nagy-tying-islamic-terrorist-isnt-really-fair#comment-366542

[deathrind]

1. The Dogmatic Beliefs...

Of a suicide bomber is the driving force for the actions they carry out. Splitting the hair to say it is the individual not the religion that should be held responsible is disingenuous. Charles Manson never actually killed anyone yet he was held responsible (and rightly so) for the murders committed because he was the driving force behind the actions taken by his followers

[delrem]

3. You say: Islam is like Charles Manson.

I don't believe in God but I say, my ever lovin' God but that is a weird opinion.

It's a dangerous opinion, too -- in how it is mistaken and in the pernicious effects it has when widely embraced, as a justification for war against a whole religion, a whole people. A whole ethnic group.

Obama's distinction is a good one. It is a first step in pulling back from the brink.
We should celebrate it. I do.

[cpwm17]

4. That appears to be Thomas Friedman's view, and the view of most of the other war-mongers:

all Muslims are collectively guilty. It's certainly a dangerous path to take. We see where that led.

Thomas Friedman tells millions of people to 'suck on this:

[Act_of_Reparation]

6. You certainly are the more authentic liberal.

I hope that made you feel better.

[delrem]

2. The ongoing WoT destruction of the ME isn't fair. nt

[trotsky]

5. There are Islamic terrorists. There are also Christian ones.

If terrorists cannot be taken at their word to be identified with their religion, then aren't we simply labeling them all atheists? Is that the right thing to do?

[Act_of_Reparation]

7. It's pretty funny how even the most strident adherents to Marxist theories of criminality...

...turn into frothing reactionaries whenever it is suggested that religion may influence some criminal behaviors.

No one is born bad... except religious extremists, who just use religion to cover for their bad behavior.