Kilroy Silk was right

Well for a start, one is a sweeping racist generalisation, and one isn't

Yea, thats where the thought police come in. I just see them as some mans opinions. What one person thinks is complete bollocks another person thinks it is the God's honest truth.

There are people on this site who think that there are lizard men inside the earth in league with men in a great conspiricy. You, no doubt, would totally ignore that but, call someone a rascist because they believe that no Arabs have ever contributed to society? One is relatively easy to disprove isn't it? Is it rascism or ignorance?

Variable

Originally posted by Variable
... call someone a rascist because they believe that no Arabs have ever contributed to society? One is relatively easy to disprove isn't it? Is it rascism or ignorance?
Variable

Racism is bred out of ignorance. What one group doesn't know,
or want to know about another group.

[edit on 4-7-2004 by LL1]

variable, the original question was

Name one arab that has contributed anything of value to the benefit of any society

Questioning a race's usefullness to society is racism. I'm not trying to stifle debate. You have a racist debate if you want. Just stop trying to pretend the subject (Arab usefullness to society) is not racist.

rac�ism ( P ) Pronunciation Key (rszm)
n.
The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.

Discrimination or prejudice based on race

The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition


zero lift

I am seeing ignorance on both sides here.

First off, Deus Ex, the Visigoths were only barbarians by the Romans standards. They werent the only ones who were engaging in sacrifice, king worship, ect.

Many Roman emporers claimed they were descended from the gods. Both the Romans and Greeks engaged in Human sacrifice. The Romans also went and slaughtered innocents (see the massacre of the Helviti). The Romans themselves started out as illiterate Barbarians who could not read, who slaughtered and conquered thier way to an Empire.

The idea that the Visigoths were wholy illiterate savages with no culture is also innacurate. They had a very complex and deep mythology. They were part of the Germanic collective, which had the sacred runic system, both for communication, divination, and religous signifigance.

The Visigoths sacked Rome because everyone hated the corruption of Rome at the time. Romes historic and BARBARIC brutality towards people beyond thier borders was legendary. It came to bite them back in the face.

The Visigoths destroyed and sacked Rome because of thier corruption, cultural weakness, ect. They destroyed it. The Celts were also considered Barbarians by Roman standards too, yet thier druids had very complex knowldge of medicines, astronomy and time, law, judgement, ect.

Call the Visigoths savages and barbarians, and you may as well call the Indians of North America and the South, the Africans, and everyone else barbarians as well.

The Germanic tribes contributed much. We call 6 of the seven days of the week the old names of Germanic gods. The very language we speak is a Germanic language. The holiday of Easter and the celebrations surrounding it were from old Germanic rites. So is the Yuletide. Our fairy tales we tell our children stem from older Germanic legends. Scientifically, they were not "advanced" (its a little hard to waste time studying the stars and doing math when the skies of your homeland our clouded over half the time and your growing season is so short you spend most of the year in a battle for survival.)

And to validate another point made by someone: Why havent the Muslim clerics openly denounced and rallied Muslims against Bin laden? the only thing I ever hear is quiet condemnation, very weak. Even several Muslims I know are pretty ticked off that the higher Muslim clerics around the world have not taken an agressive condemnation against these terrorists. They say by remaining silent, the clerics are only showing support for Bin laden, and thus, making life harder for the rest of the Muslims who dont agree with him.

Another point: Racism is inevitable in a multi racial society. Multi racial societies simply do not work or function well. they inevitably lead to chaos and breakdown. This can be a good and bad thing, as some societies, well past thier time, are in need of such disorder and a breakdown. others, it can be catastrophic for all. It all depends. California is a very good example of racial problems with so many people living on top of one another. racism exists on both sides, youll never be rid of it. Get used to it.

Arabs have actually contributed quite a bit, minus the advances to garnered from Greece and Rome. Much of what is considered high magic or Hermetic practices stem from Babylonia, Assyria, and Sumeria. Our numbers are Arabic numerals, the Romans used letters for numbers. Spanoish arcetecture? A layover from the Moors.

Could go on and on......but I wont.

Ill agree islam is a real # religion and a danger to humanity. So is Christianity. they both stemmed from the same source: Judism. Remove the idiotic religons, and what do you have: people. people who can contribute and advance.