Why do they hate us?

[CaliNORML]

When I heard this question I must admit I had no clue. My family set forth to study this very thing trying to see what small answers we could find. The main principle that repeated itself was the Ummah. Ummah is the word that defines the world wide Muslim community.

When America backed the Israeli occupation in 1967 the Muslim Ummah saw this as an act of western governments against Muslims. The taking of land and homes of Palestinian’s was almost akin to the taking of homes in Florida by a foreign power, other American states as far as Alaska would take up the cause of the Floridians and protest at such treatment. Just as the USA is one nation so too does the Muslim Community, the Ummah, view itself as one nation, and like America if you attack one part it affects the whole.

America must admit that the billions in loans, weapons, training and other support made us a player in this affair. It was also more than obvious whose side we were on.

Not all Islamic teachers use this action as a means to promote violence and preach it as an incentive to attack, harm, let alone kill westerners, some sadly do. Hate as well as tolerance can seemingly be applied according to one's views tn a group of words from any source.

The thing I don't understand quite yet is this "Faith" based initiatives being implemented in our own government today. These principals are very much akin to those teachings of the Qu'ran. We are told we will be a better Nation for implementing such actions in our country that are inheirent under Islamic Law.

It seems that politics and political actions are the main focus for the dislike of the Western world by Islam, admittedly a majority of the time they are mine as well.

KMS

 

[Crispy]

When I heard this question I must admit I had no clue. My family set forth to study this very thing trying to see what small answers we could find. The main principle that repeated itself was the Ummah. Ummah is the word that defines the world wide Muslim community.

When America backed the Israeli occupation in 1967 the Muslim Ummah saw this as an act of western governments against Muslims. The taking of land and homes of Palestinian’s was almost akin to the taking of homes in Florida by a foreign power, other American states as far as Alaska would take up the cause of the Floridians and protest at such treatment. Just as the USA is one nation so too does the Muslim Community, the Ummah, view itself as one nation, and like America if you attack one part it affects the whole.

America must admit that the billions in loans, weapons, training and other support made us a player in this affair. It was also more than obvious whose side we were on.

Not all Islamic teachers use this action as a means to promote violence and preach it as an incentive to attack, harm, let alone kill westerners, some sadly do. Hate as well as tolerance can seemingly be applied according to one's views tn a group of words from any source.

The thing I don't understand quite yet is this "Faith" based initiatives being implemented in our own government today. These principals are very much akin to those teachings of the Qu'ran. We are told we will be a better Nation for implementing such actions in our country that are inheirent under Islamic Law.

It seems that politics and political actions are the main focus for the dislike of the Western world by Islam, admittedly a majority of the time they are mine as well.

KMS

Actually I'd say you're absolutely right but I wouldn't limit my analysis to the 20th century policital (and more appropriately world power) landscape. I think the western powers' support of the creation of the Isreali state is only an episode in a centuries old conflict between two civilizations who's diverging development has only culminated into the climate that we see today.

I think "blaming" the West for present circumstances is too strong an assertion. Western imperialism, colonialism and the conflict that these actions have precipitated have yielded many un-intended casualties, amoung them the many Islamic regions as well as africa who had no interest in even understanding our impetus to engage in such endeavors. The ramifications of one civilization (Islam) falling subject to the "conflicts" of another (Christianity and the west in general), coupled with the psychological blow to Islam's own self worth in their own Civilizations decline I think has lead to a plethora of resentment, dis-belief and confusion that, in their un-reverseable decline, couldn't be resolved by them themselves.

We as the western civilization have inadvertently victimized a civilization to a degree that we now have a responsibility to see that their culture and civilization survive and prosper in the world that we've carved out in our own ignorance.

 

[CaliNORML]

Wow, I had not yet uncovered the history you speak of during the 1700's I must admit to my ignorance reguarding era. I know the decline of the Ottoman Empire, also brought low by a "birth/Heir" complication, yet I now realize that this adjustment after the downfall is a time I know little about.

Can you recomend any specific literature or Documentaries I can rent or seek out to help me study this era of history from the Islamic point of view?

KMS

 

[Crispy]

Wow, I had not yet uncovered the history you speak of during the 1700's I must admit to my ignorance reguarding era. I know the decline of the Ottoman Empire, also brought low by a "birth/Heir" complication, yet I now realize that this adjustment after the downfall is a time I know little about.

Can you recomend any specific literature or Documentaries I can rent or seek out to help me study this era of history from the Islamic point of view?

KMS

One of the good books I read about this recently was "What went wrong?" by Bernard Lewis. Its a short, concise, easy read book exploring the various differences between how our two civilizations emerged and the impact that we had on each other.

It gives a good big picture view of the deep roots of our differences.

 

[JOHNYJ]

When I heard this question I must admit I had no clue. My family set forth to study this very thing trying to see what small answers we could find. The main principle that repeated itself was the Ummah. Ummah is the word that defines the world wide Muslim community.

When America backed the Israeli occupation in 1967 the Muslim Ummah saw this as an act of western governments against Muslims. The taking of land and homes of Palestinian’s was almost akin to the taking of homes in Florida by a foreign power, other American states as far as Alaska would take up the cause of the Floridians and protest at such treatment. Just as the USA is one nation so too does the Muslim Community, the Ummah, view itself as one nation, and like America if you attack one part it affects the whole.

America must admit that the billions in loans, weapons, training and other support made us a player in this affair. It was also more than obvious whose side we were on.

Not all Islamic teachers use this action as a means to promote violence and preach it as an incentive to attack, harm, let alone kill westerners, some sadly do. Hate as well as tolerance can seemingly be applied according to one's views tn a group of words from any source.

The thing I don't understand quite yet is this "Faith" based initiatives being implemented in our own government today. These principals are very much akin to those teachings of the Qu'ran. We are told we will be a better Nation for implementing such actions in our country that are inheirent under Islamic Law.

It seems that politics and political actions are the main focus for the dislike of the Western world by Islam, admittedly a majority of the time they are mine as well.

KMS

The western countries try very hard to convince their people that Islam is a respectable religion.Religious leaders like pope also try to convince people thst Islam is respectable and just like the other major religions of the world.One thing keeps messing these plans up, the followers of Islam. Whether its decapitating school children in Indonesia,murdering injured Copts in Egyptian hospitals.Or getting teenage girls to blow up other teenagers in Pizza parlors .Convincing the world that Islam is a respectable religion is a hard sell.
A muslim in Israel enjoys more rights than a muslim in most muslim countries.

 

[Crispy]

The western countries try very hard to convince their people that Islam is a respectable religion.Religious leaders like pope also try to convince people thst Islam is respectable and just like the other major religions of the world.One thing keeps messing these plans up, the followers of Islam. Whether its decapitating school children in Indonesia,murdering injured Copts in Egyptian hospitals.Or getting teenage girls to blow up other teenagers in Pizza parlors .Convincing the world that Islam is a respectable religion is a hard sell.
A muslim in Israel enjoys more rights than a muslim in most muslim countries.

Well I think the religion itself is only one piece of the equation. Keep in mind that Christianity has just as much blood on its hands if not much, much more through history. And also the people of the middle east, whether they were Christians, Muslims, Jews or something else, have been subjected to 1000s of years of invasions from every side looking to control what they've got.

I think it has more to do with growing up in a society learning to reject the cultures outside of yours because every one of those cultures has contributed in some way to the demise of your culture (intended or not). We as a country haven't been on the losing side in a battle of civilizations. Imagine growning up believing that no matter what your culture or society does, it always falls subject to what another culture or society is doing.

So it follows that Muslims of the world dig into their beliefs to find those elements that justify adopting Militant and even sadistic means to regain or retain their power and identity in the world. We did it in the Crusades, Jews did it in Bible.

If it were me, I would've moved out of that region a long time ago and set up shop (a new Temple, Church, or whatever) in some far off place where nobody would bother me about my where I worship.

 

[CaliNORML]

To a Muslim the land is sacred, it defines them, as an individual and a society. The major source of income is from the land and the production of it whether it be grazing animals or agricultural uses. Not onlky for life but it is of religious and historical significance, such as the required trek to Mecca.

The Israeli government has control over that land now as occupiers and is seizing "state" land they say is not claimed, but it is. They Government refuses to accept documents proving ownership from the Ottoman time, or the British Colonial Times, let alone Palestine, those are not rights, they are feinged ignorance and manipulation.

In the Holy City Jewish squatters can move into 15 rooms out of the 18 rooms
in a Muslims house that he occupies and refuse to return his belongings
with the blessing of the Housing Authority, that is not rights it's government sanctioned burgulary.


The government of this region is that of the occupiers, they are the judge, jury, laws, and enforcers, this is flat out not right.

What I see is the forcing by the housing authority of the Jewish state set
on the systematic intent of herding Muslims in slums and ghettos by building huge subdivisions of their own and not allowing the natives to build at all for their own needs. All of this as settlers lead a great open free community life where those settlements were never supposed to be, in the first place built, let alone built and funded by US loans.

KMS