Are middle easterns good people overall? Or true terrorists?

Actually if I had a choice the Iranian people I like the best. They are NOT arab. The nuts running that country happen to be, but that does not make me hate all of them. As for Islam......I think it should be banned in the US along with all other religion. Time to push out the old and embrace the new. I believe in God, but not religion. Religion is there to keep the poor and easily led in line. That is all.

_pheonix_ had the best reply by far.
However, they did invent society...

Well Well here is an interesting thread indeed because unlike most of you I am 100% full blooded Arab and my familiy roots are of Christian faith. I was born in Arizona but my parents were born in Syria making me first generation.

What some of the uneducated people do not realize is that there is a big presence of Christians in the middle east. Lots of Christians and Muslims live next to each other as neighbors and this is evident when you see Churches and Mosques built next to each other and worship in peace. So to ANY of those who say just nuke the whole middle east and be done with it I have a few choice words for you that I will not post with respect to T&C.

I am very encouraged to see that the majority of the posters on this thread are indeed tolerant of others and some of you have seen the middle east and experienced it first hand. Yes most people in the middle east are very friendly people. Matter of fact some of my uncles, aunts and cousins have very close and dear friends who are Muslim and live as a friendly cohesive community. This is no different from most places in the world although there are areas of tension in some places.

Now, the mainstream media is going to project its agenda it wants to project. Rupert Murdoch the neo con, has no problems using all of his media assets to scapegoat the middle east and feed all kinds of biased information day after day after day demonizing the people in that region. The more people are exposed to this type of conditioning the more stereotypes people are going to have. But there are changes going on IMHO. People are starting to seach for more information and questioning what mainstream brings.

My thanks to all of you who are seeing the bigger picture.

Blessings,

Solar

reply to post by jedimiller

either way it is a steriotype but yes theya re misunderstoo just as much as we are by them they are good people it just depends on youre perspective

good and bad are points of view

I don't think the OP meant to draw so much fire with this thread, I kind of see what he's getting at.

Answer this question honestly, I mean really honestly; when you see a typical Middle-Eastern-looking person, perhaps even wearing a burka or such, don't you automatically think of terrorism or fear and feel slightly uncomfortable? And when you hear of terrorism, do you not automatically think of Middle-Eastern looking people?

Come on, admit it if you do. It's nothing to be ashamed of, it's the media's fault and no one can help being brainwashed.

I think that's what the OP was trying to say.

For the record if I was to answer that question, i'd have answered yes to that question a few years back, especially in the aftermath of 9/11. With all the news bulletins that come out about terrorism being commited by Middle-Easterners, you can't help but connect the two. To be fair though, i'm getting over the brainwashing as I moved to England recently where there is a significant Middle-Eastern immigrant population, so you kind of learn over time that they are just like everybody else.

Originally posted by jedimiller
but the question is, are they natural born fighters or really good people. because i've seen kids from iran holding guns when they are 7.

That doesn't mean that the whole population of Iran is bad. There are kids running around in London shooting each other in the head, so what?



[edit on 25/6/2008 by malganis]

I don't know what to say about the "it's all good" attitude. It's not 1965 anymore and we aren't all living on Haight Asbury. Our own govt. reminds us to be watchful of certain people. After all, muslims learned how to fly the darn planes right here in America. They didn't even want to learn how to LAND THEM. Duh. That good ol American trust that everyone is basically good didn't help us a bit back then. Sorry, but if I see a couple of middle eastern guys wearing backpacks and looking suspicious, near a heavily populated area, I am going to leave the area quickly while dialing 911. Better safe than sorry. Does this mean I hate muslims in general? No. But I know to be watchful now. ANd I consider that there are enough muslim terrorists that they have managed to stave off the supposed world superpower for 5 years, AND enough muslim citizens feeding and housing them, assisting them in covert travel, etc., that I would sound like a moron to say Oh most muslims are great people and love Americans. That's not true. Most of them LOVE Islam, and they are taught from birth about Jihad, and believe Islam is destined to take over the world, including murdering those who resist. Babies are taught, before they even learn to talk, "Kill the Infidels" -- there are muslims who would like to escape their country and the dogma they are ensnared in , and I would open my own home to them, but I think they are the exception not the rule.

Wow, it amazes me how ignorant people can be in this day and age. Jedi, sometimes it seems like you just say things to try to get a reaction out of people. I really wonder what your motives are. These types of sweeping generalizations do no one any good. How could someone possibly believe that everyone from the middle east is an evil terrorist. Unbelievable, go read a book or something.

solarstorm:
Too bad I'm in Fla now...was based in Tucson several years ago...would've liked sitting down and talking about the M.E. Hummas, warm sweet tea and swarmas!!! (Allll Yummy if you've never had them) I'll never forget the first trip there after Shield and storm...went down to the corniche along the water and there were fishermen there catching small fish...I was talking to a couple of them who spoke excellent english and was looking at their rods and reels...just talking fishing stuff...next thing I knew...we were sitting down and drinking warm sweet tea (Best I've ever had) and eating with them some food they had brought (Lamb kabobs and chicken kabobs) They shared their food with me and had only known me about 30 minutes...I went out there every day until I left and had a blast just talking fishing and watching how they do things.

Originally posted by malganis
I don't think the OP meant to draw so much fire with this thread, I kind of see what he's getting at.

Answer this question honestly, I mean really honestly; when you see a typical Middle-Eastern-looking person, perhaps even wearing a burka or such, don't you automatically think of terrorism or fear and feel slightly uncomfortable? And when you hear of terrorism, do you not automatically think of Middle-Eastern looking people?

Come on, admit it if you do. It's nothing to be ashamed of, it's the media's fault and no one can help being brainwashed.

I think that's what the OP was trying to say.

For the record if I was to answer that question, i'd have answered yes to that question a few years back, especially in the aftermath of 9/11. With all the news bulletins that come out about terrorism being commited by Middle-Easterners, you can't help but connect the two. To be fair though, i'm getting over the brainwashing as I moved to England recently where there is a significant Middle-Eastern immigrant population, so you kind of learn over time that they are just like everybody else.

Originally posted by jedimiller
but the question is, are they natural born fighters or really good people. because i've seen kids from iran holding guns when they are 7.

That doesn't mean that the whole population of Iran is bad. There are kids running around in London shooting each other in the head, so what?



[edit on 25/6/2008 by malganis]

Oh really? Is it the media's fault that there are enough terrorists in the middle east to have staved off, with extreme heavy casualties, the supposed superpower-of-the-world? No, those terrorists have a huge network of moms and pops, feeding and housing them, providing overt travel, etc etc. The media has a lot of faults but the facts in Iraq and AFghanistan are indisputable. If it was just a faction of young muslim men waging war against the US, we would have ended it years ago; they have entire villages locking arms with them, you can take that to the bank.

reply to post by


By the way, no if I saw a woman in a grocery store w/ a burka and her kid, I would not be afraid. If I saw this same woman w/ a backpack, alone, pacing nervously in front of a large crowd of people, I might get concerned. If I had a suspiciious feeling, darn right I would call the authorities. Better safe than sorry and we still have the reports of muslim cells in the US; no way of knowing when or what they are up to.

[edit on 25-6-2008 by Bombeni]

Originally posted by Bombeni

Originally posted by Tomis_Nexis

Originally posted by jedimiller


Personally, I fear Muslims & Islam. They scare the heck outta me and I'd hate to be lost and trapped in a Muslim country.

That because you're uneducated and ignorant. You believe your ideals as they do theirs. Propaganda has beaten you senseless.

Well Jedimiller would be correct as far as Iraq or Afghanistan right now, it would be dangerous to get lost in those areas. Maybe that is what he is referring to.

If he is indeed speaking about those two countries then I point the finger at the US and fearing them just as much. Considering none of this would have happened if the US....nevermind.

Originally posted by PlaneIP
solarstorm:
Too bad I'm in Fla now...was based in Tucson several years ago...would've liked sitting down and talking about the M.E. Hummas, warm sweet tea and swarmas!!! (Allll Yummy if you've never had them) I'll never forget the first trip there after Shield and storm...went down to the corniche along the water and there were fishermen there catching small fish...I was talking to a couple of them who spoke excellent english and was looking at their rods and reels...just talking fishing stuff...next thing I knew...we were sitting down and drinking warm sweet tea (Best I've ever had) and eating with them some food they had brought (Lamb kabobs and chicken kabobs) They shared their food with me and had only known me about 30 minutes...I went out there every day until I left and had a blast just talking fishing and watching how they do things.

Thanks Plane...u gotta love the middle eastern food. Most of it is very clean burning and healthy although the baklava can surly give you a sugar spike beyond reality lol. I remember when I was 9 and went to visit my relatives in Syria, my uncle took me to the beach of the Meditterranean Sea and got to experience spearfishing. I mean you want to talk about a fresh catch, it was truly something. And you are right, the lamb and chicken kabobs are truly to die for. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Solar

reply to post by Bombeni


The clanism of specific population groups isn't actually "muslims" over here, your simply guilty of another generalization, the plague of western thinking.

Turks and Moroccans do NOT get along, both are Muslim and only when there is a controversy related to Islam, you'll see both groups protesting , but don't mistake, they don't protest together.

Same goes for forming regional density's. In Belgium, we have cities where there's a lot of Turks and cities where there's a lot of Moroccans, but rarely both. And when there are both, like in Brussels, the area's with the 2 don't mix and are often at opposite sides of town.

Brussels also has the notorious "Matumbo" area, which is specifically Congolese, you won't find any other African nationalities in that specific area, because they simply don't get along. Neither will you easily find Hutu and Tutsi Congolese mixed in the same street, they've been in tribal wars in Congo for ages and the fear they have for each other still runs very deep.

Here's something a Hutu friend of mine told me once:

Only for to the White man is black black.

Just like most whites call all squint eyed yellow looking people Chinese and all black people African and all sand brown people Arabs or muslims.

And the weird part about this is that, people blame the media entirely for this, while, if you just look at the information and reporting on Iraq, you'll see its filled with information about the different factions at play there.

People bitch about the education system, media, government, ... being to blame and manipulating us.

Well, don't point fingers before looking at yourself deep and hard first.
Only when you allow them to manipulate you, they can do so.

And why shouldn't they? We make it so easy for them by having more interest in how messed up Britney Spears is at the very moment or how many times Paris Hilton has shown skin today, then to pay some attention to what the frick is going on in the world.

CHANGE STARTS WITH US


[edit on 25/6/08 by thematrix]

reply to post by Bombeni


STOP worrying about middle eastern looking people, and start worrying about being robbed, getting run over, car accidents, being stabbed, being killed by someone, being beat up, etc etc etc.

Worry about stuff that happens everyday, and kills thousands of people.

The media makes a HUGE thing about terrorists, when in reality terrorism in your country is NOTHING compared to everything else that happens. Don't you see that odd?

Odds are while you phone 911 you accidentally strangle yourself with the phone cord, while singing the song "Take my breath away"
That is more likely than getting bombed. haha



[edit on 25-6-2008 by _Phoenix_]

i am an american and i do not hate them, they are just people like you and me.there are bad people everywhere the media just made them the poster child for now.

Extremists exist where any strongly held belief exists (not just religious beliefs either). Often these types of people work in groups (not always for the exact same reasons).
However, the fact that there appears to be a correlation doesn't mean there's a strong relation.

IE:
"all middle eastern evil people are middle eastern" doesn't mean "all middle eastern people are evil"

or

"all American evil people are American" doesn't mean "all Americans are evil"

etc....

[edit on 25-6-2008 by mysterychicken]

any one who hates every middle eastern person is in some cult like the KKK.

has the US goverment brainwashed that many people ? making them think that arabs are that bad of people?

there is good and bad in every race.

but il leave you with one point.

Iraq befor this war was one of the most modern middle eastern countrys.

some of the best medical facilitys and education.

america entered it and turned it to ruble

reply to post by AGENT_T


I have to agree with you. The terror groups that everyone basis their opinions on are the extreme radicals. In every country, you have groups of people that interpret things in their own manner and then take it to the most extreme point. I am American and will be the first to tell you that we have just as many (if not more) extremists and "terrorists" here as there are in any country on this planet.

I work everyday with people of Muslim faith from many Mid East countries and we co-exist in our relative normal lives no different than anyone else of color, faith, or gender.

It has been said that Ignorance Is Bliss. Well, ignorance is also the primary catalyst for fear. "We fear that which we do not understand".

Well. all my middle eastern friends are terrorist.
So i assume all middle easterners are too.

even though they hold good jobs they still threaten to blow me up when they lose at poker.