Did you fear muslims before 9/11?

This is a very loose question. Did you guys fear, hate, dislike, sympathize with, rally against or stereotype muslims before 9/11?

Before 9/11 I never heard of anything anti-muslim or big terrorist groups being a problem to an extent to which is being publicized today.

I was just wondering if you guys had any strong views on muslims or if your views on muslims (positive or negative) were changed or affected due to 9/11.

Did people consider radical groups a threat before that? These groups existed before too but why are they suddenly being put in the limelight and labelled terrorists because of difference in opinions (not including the obvious terrorists acts such as beheadings, etc.)

How come so many peopel today have this image of muslims and so many people 'fear' them? Is it just because of 9/11? How many people actually know religious muslims or have been to the middle eastern countries and experienced any of the stuff they see on TV, firsthand.

I think its important to see if people actually have views based on actual personal life experiences. For example, were you or your relative or a friend or someone you know was beheaded? Or treated cruelly in a muslim country? or experienced some discrimination before 9/11?

Were there so many muslim protests over minor things in the past before? Did muslims cause an uproar or cause riots before? I am sure there must have been some, but how many people actually knew of these incidents prior to 9/11?

To sum it up, I think I am basically asking if people use 9/11 to bias their views against muslims or did they really experience or heard about somehting firsthand which caused them to have such large scale negative image of muslims regardless of 9/11?

All I knew about Muslims before 9/11 was that they worshipped Allah, read the Quran, were founded by Mohammed, and that there were lots in the Mideast, and didn't eat pig.

Since then, I've made a point of trying to learn more about them. I've read parts of the Quran, studied them in parts of history courses I took, read a book or two on them, and looked at a bunch of stuff on the internet, as well as talking to Muslims I know. (kind of sad it took such an event to make me learn about a fifth of the world's people, though)

The only stereotype I had about Muslims before 9/11 was that 'they were all Arabs'. I had no idea that the country with the most Muslims is Indonesia, or that a sizable minority of India is Muslim, for example.

I don't see any reason to fear Muslims, unless perhaps you live in Iraq near insurgents or something.

I didn't fear them then and I don't fear them now. What I fear rampant hate usually spread by extremists of any idealogy. I don't understand why some people think they can force their beliefs on others. Makes no sense to me.

no, not muslims.
only extremists..the ones that hijack planes and religions.
and, I don't really fear them. I feel sorry for their ignorant view of the world.
Their misguided attempts to turn back the clock to an almost paleolithic society.

How about you silencer? Do you fear any of them, or any people from any other religion?

I also forgot to mention some, extremist supporters..Who may go another route. No violence from them..but a more quiet form of support..such as
the "flying Imams"..The ones who work the system..testing the envelope.


I'd like to know, for sure..what goes on within the walls of Mosques within the United States. If hate is being preached, or condemnation of muslim extremism.
Anyone here have insight into that? Inquiring minds want to know..

Not talking terrorist, no, I didn't fear them then and I don't fear them now.

Muslims have a higher moral than many Christians have.

I only fear islamophobists.

Originally posted by khunmoon
Muslims have a higher moral than many Christians have.

One could also say that Christians have a higher moral, than many muslims.
But said morals are usually defined within the religion itself. So there is really no point in comparing the two.

I believe statements like this are one of the reasons we've spent hundreds of years alternately kicking each others butts. It's open to interpretation, and worse, it's open to mis-interpretation..

[edit on 22-12-2006 by SpeakerofTruth]

I used to travel in Muslim countries when I was young (30+ years ago), and the hospitality I met could make me ashamed, comparing it to my own culture.

That's what I was thinking about. The unselfishness of it. To offer anything in return would be an embarrasment.

i dont fear people living in caves 5000 miles away. And thinking back about how i used to think 9/11 was committed by 19 people who flunked flight school because they couldnt fly single engine planes, but managed to fly 757's directly into their targets, i cant believe how people still buy the official story.

Originally posted by silencer
Did you guys fear, hate, dislike, sympathize with, rally against or stereotype muslims before 9/11?

I have never feared, hated or disliked anyone based on race, color or culture. However, I've always been extra cautious around certain groups of people. Certain age ranges, people, backgrounds, cultures, etc... all fit into specific "most likely to [insert here]" categories.

That doesn't mean I treat them any different than any other person, I'm just a bit more cautious and keep an eye out for any unusual activities.

Before 9/11 I never heard of anything anti-muslim or big terrorist groups being a problem to an extent to which is being publicized today.

Terrorist groups have always been around, but pre-9/11 they were not in the in the media's spotlight as much as they are now.

I think the 80's and 90's had more terrorist activities than today. Remember the 1998 Embassy bombings.

I was just wondering if you guys had any strong views on muslims or if your views on muslims (positive or negative) were changed or affected due to 9/11.

Still the same postive view.

Did people consider radical groups a threat before that?

Yes, it's pretty hard to not notice them with all the terrorist activities that were going on.

Since the USSR invaded Afghanistan, I had concerns about the radical members of Islam. Not the workaday Muslims who just want to feed their kids and pay off the mortgage.

Radical anything, be it religion or secular, is dangerous to those of us who are not radical about much of anything (except my Seahawks).

Muslims, Catholics, Methodists or Baptists most working folk just want to feed their kids and pay off the bills. Most have no desire to force others to follow their faith. It is unfortunately the very very small minority in all groups be they religious or ethnic that are extremists. Extremists are the ones that concern me. You will notice I said concern not fear. Fearing a group based on any reason is to give them way too much power over our lives. Deal with hate by facing it head on but not by hating that group back. Fear is a useful emotion as long as we control it and not allow it to control us. Hate on the other hand does no good that I can see. Hate causes pain and death imho.

Originally posted by silencer
Before 9/11 I never heard of anything anti-muslim or big terrorist groups being a problem to an extent to which is being publicized today.

You need to get out more. Either that, or you are very young and weren't around to hear of things.

islam-watch.org...

how many people actually knew of these incidents prior to 9/11?

Just because people in the west didnt' pay attention doesn't mean that the terrorism didnt' exist.

Prior to 9/11, if you ever did any research, you would have already known that muslim extremists had left several marks of terrorism across many countries and that the U.S. would eventually make it on their list. No surprise to me that 9/11 was committed by muslims.

Secondly I studied enough about their culture and the general treatment of life that I consider Islam to be an evil entity plaguing the earth. And frankly I don't care if anyone thinks I'm paranoid because I've seen the facts and I don't need to hear anyone else's opinions on them.

i've always been afraid of 3 things

political extremists
religious extremists
and needles

the problem with religious terrorists is that they combine 2 of the things i fear into 1 horrible form of extremism

To be honest with you , yes, before 9/11 I was probably extremely prejudiced against Muslims mostly due to the fact that many of my relatives were telling me about horrific stories about how my relations in Lebanon were being killed simply because they were Christians, but as time went by I relaized and learned that it wasn't just because they were Christians, but that Christians were also doing horrific things to the Muslims in Lebanon.

There is always a reason for something folks. People just don't do horrific things for nothing. We are supplying the guns and ammo for things like this to continually happen.

[edit on 22-12-2006 by ThePieMaN]

This thread is fantastic.

The thread topic for a start, makes implications that we are now scared of Muslims. You've actually just done what extreme groups want from you - you place all of the people that are in someway linked to them into the same group as them.

This is exactly what groups such as the Irish Republican Army used to do. They wanted the English [and to a lesser extent] Scotish and Welsh to make out as though all people from Ireland are extremists. This then means we act in a negative way to all of those people, we create our own stereo-types. This then means those people begin to act hostile towards us, label us all as being negative because of their nationality [religion, culture, etc] and begin to side more with the extreme groups.

It's a rather interesting sociological cycle that you've just fallen into. It's rather sad really and it's how every extreme group works.

As for being scared of them? Why should I be? If you read the Qur'an, bother to get some education on it and not to just read internet websites written by bigots than you tend to do fairly well. However, like every book you can take things out of context and if you're that way inclined you can twist it to your own agenda.

As for now? As I've said to many people on this site. I'm a white male, in my 20's, who likes to drink, go clubbing, have parties at my house. The local mosque is on my road, I have primarily Muslim neighbours and none of them have ever acted in a bad way towards me. In fact, most of them are the nicest people I have met in my life.

I don't fear them now.
I don't fear them ever.
Nor will I ever group anyone together because someone like them has done something.

I'd not expect to be treated like a rapist, murderer, pedophile, etc, and my god white men do that.

[edit on 22/12/2006 by Odium]

I dont fear Muslims now...in fact, i relish the chance at getting at any of them i can. Fear them? Hell no. Do i wanna destroy them? Hell yes.

Hearing about Bin Laden first in a magazine interview (Time or Newsweek) I believe around the time of the African embassy bombings. The thing that got my attention was that Bin Laden was planning for a 100 year war with the West back then. It was then that I knew that Bin Laden and his group were going to be a problem the West was going to have to deal with and confront. I figured it would be a more "overthrow of Western leaning Arab Countries" rather than a 9/11 attack that we had to fear more. Anyone that thinks things through Multi-generationally like Bin Laden has is not to be taken lightly.

Do I fear Muslims, no. Do I fear radical Islam, Yes. Their (Radical Islam) vision of the world does not coexist with Ours. Something will have to give. We both cannot occupy the same space at the same time. One vision will end up surviving.

Originally posted by princeofpeace
I dont fear Muslims now...in fact, i relish the chance at getting at any of them i can. Fear them? Hell no. Do i wanna destroy them? Hell yes.

Do you mind clarifying that? You "relish the chance at getting at any of them that you can"? That sounds like you are threatening muslims in general. Pretty messed up.