X-Message-Number: 24663
From: "James Clement" <>
Subject: Avoiding Bigotry On Cryonet
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 2004 14:35:06 -0400

> I would suggest that most of the resentment comes from the
> realization by many Muslims that advanced countries are doing far
> better than any Muslim country has ever done, both in prosperity and
> intellectual advances, and they know very deep and dark in their
> hearts that most of this prosperity comes precisely because NONE of
> these advanced countries is a Muslim country or close to one
> (morally, not physically). We mock their Muslim identity simply by
> living as prosperously as we do.


What FACTS is this proposition based on?  Switzerland has a higher per capital 
GDP than the United States, yet Al Qaeda is not bombing Swiss embassies around 
the globe.  Nor are they at war with many of the other top GDP countries.  Other
religious countries such as Israel, India, and Japan also fall behind the U.S. 
in GDP, yet would you gloat that we are "mocking" their Jewish, Hindu and Shinto
identities by living as prosperously as we do?


As far as Muslim countries being so far behind the "advanced countries;" 
according to the 2004 Economic Freedom World Report, the "Freedom" ranking of 
various Muslim countries are higher than many "advanced" Christian countries: 
Bahrain is ranked 20th, above Belgium, Italy, Spain and Norway.  The United Arab
Emirates is 42nd, ranking it above France. Kuwait 48th above Costa Rica; Jordan
51st above South Africa and Greece; Oman 54th above Jamaica, Poland and Panama.
Even Saudia Arabia at 74th is above the Christian countries of Brazil, 
Columbia, Argentina, Dominica Republic, Honduras, Ecuador, etc. 


There are approximately 1.3 billion followers of Islam in the world, of which 
6-7 million live in the United States.  Only 15% of the world's Muslims are 
Arab; the largest group of Muslims in the world are in Indonesia.  It is just as
much a logical fallacy to generalize about all Catholics based on the ideology 
and tactics of Sinn Fein as it is to attribute the ideology of Al Qaeda to all 
Muslims.  Should Muslims blame Christianity for the poverty and dictatorships in
Central and South America?  Should Muslims conclude that Christianity is a 
warmongering religion since Europe's history has been one of nearly constant 
warfare between Christian countries (often over differences within their 
religion) and the two worst conflicts in human history (WWI & WWII) were largely
instigated by Christian countries?  Of course not.  In this respect, there is 
no difference between Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or Judaism.  


I HUMBLY REQUEST THAT WE KEEP CRYONET FOCUSED ON CRYONICS AND LEAVE 
PSYCHOLOGIZING ABOUT RELIGIOUS/POLITICAL/CULTURAL GROUPS TO OTHER FORUMS!




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