Religion of peace and guns

[pointster]

[GURGLETROUSERS]

On the contrary Pointster (speaking out, they do, but they don't seem to gain much traction in the global media) the press over here frequently features articles by outspoken integrated Muslims. But such people are very few in number. (One such is standing for election as Mayor of London, and states things as they are).

We have a problem with some Muslim communities which run a form of 'closed shop' where they won't even speak out to the police when they have to investigate crimes committed by their fellow Muslims. (Remember the Rochdale Pakistani white girl sex slave racket .)

Rightly or wrongly, many over here see the term 'moderate' Muslim as very flexible indeed in protecting their own.

[swchandler]

If one was to readily accept the findings outlined in the Israel Video Network's video, there is no way to escape those who believe and follow Islam. When you talk about hundreds of millions of folks that adamantly believe in the medieval practices inherent in Sharia Law, and the numbers are ever growing, how are folks going to protect themselves? They can't, particularly with hundreds of thousands of radical terrorists infiltrating the world unleashing wanton disaster and destruction almost everywhere. No doubt, a doomsday scenario of epic proportions.

So what's to be done? Even if hardcore intelligence and due diligence by governmental authorities can thwart 90% of the destructive terror attempts, how can we prevent the 10% that couldn't be stopped? What are you going to do to be 100% sure that we're safe from religious radicals? Do you start wiping out all Muslim fundamentalists? How do you win against a religion where up to a third of them don't see eye to eye with western values and beliefs? Who are the good Muslims and who are the bad Muslims? Even if you can discern who the bad ones are, what do you do with them?

Say that we implement the ban on Muslims entering the country like Donald Trump has proposed, what do you do with the vast numbers of Muslims already in the US? What can you do to keep the growth of converts to Islam down in this country?

I'll ask some different questions. What do you do with Americans that are over-the-top against Muslims and fear for the worst? How far will these folks go, and what will they do to protect themselves against perceived threats? What's necessary to keep America free and safe at the same time?

[isobars]

[mountainbear]

And is this the type of Government experts that we have protecting our safety? https://www.facebook.com/askrocco/videos/10153756162167716/?theater

[J64TWB]

Facts on American Muslim population.

They are a minuscule portion of the U.S. population
It's difficult to come by hard numbers because the U.S. Census doesn't collect religious data. But the fear of Muslims taking over and imposing Sharia law is unfounded. By some estimates, Muslims make up less than 1% of the U.S. adult population. By 2050, their numbers will grow -- to 2.1%. Of all the Muslims in America, 63% are exactly the kind Trump wants banned -- immigrants.

They're better educated than most Americans
U.S. Muslims have the second-highest level of education among major religious groups in the country; Jews have the highest. And a greater proportion of them have college degrees than the general U.S. population.

They have more gender equality
While in many parts of the Muslim world, women are confined to second-class status, that's not the case among American Muslims. Virtually all of them, 90%, agree that women should be able to work outside the home. American Muslim women hold more college or postgraduate degrees than Muslim men. And they are more likely to work in professional fields than women from most other U.S. religious groups.

They've been here since the birth of the nation ...
Scholars estimate about a quarter to a third of the Africans brought to the United States as slaves were Muslims. Most were then forced to convert to Christianity.

... and they're not just clustered in big cities
American Muslims live in cities big and small all across the United States. The first mosque built in America was in, of all places, Ross, North Dakota, back in 1929.

They're as religious as Christians ...
The general perception of Muslims has one thing right: Most Muslims are very religious. About half say they attend the weekly Friday prayers. But that makes them similar to Christians: About 70% of Christians say religion is important in their lives, and about 45% go to a weekly service.

... but they're not as dogmatic as they are portrayed
Much has been made about fundamentalist Muslims and their strict interpretation of the Quran. But most American Muslims are different. A Pew religious landscape survey found that 57% of American Muslims say there is more than one way to interpret Islam's teachings. A similar number say many different religions can lead to eternal life.

There have been Muslims involved in terrorism ...
From September 11, 2001, until the end of 2014, 109 Muslim-Americans plotted against targets in the United States. And terrorism by Muslim-Americans killed 50 in the same time period. Contrast that with the deaths from other mass shootings just last year: 136 -- more than twice as many as all the deaths from 13 years of Muslim-American terrorism.

... but they've also spoken out against it
After every terrorist attack at home and abroad, the refrain rises, "Where is the Muslim condemnation?" American Muslims have spoken out -- and done much more. A Duke University study found more terrorism suspects and perpetrators were brought to the attention of law enforcement by members of the Muslim-American community than were discovered through U.S. government investigations. And a Pew survey found that roughly half of U.S. Muslims say their religious leaders aren't speaking out enough against Islamic extremism.

[swchandler]

mountainbear,

In the latest video link you posted, it's pretty clear to me why Republicans might be having a hard time getting anything done. If they wanted answers to specific questions, I would have thought they would have provided the Department of Homeland Security with a detailed list of questions identifying the various topics and issues they wanted answers to before the committee meeting. That makes perfect sense to me. Wouldn't you agree? I think that a productive meeting is founded on everyone being prepared to discuss and cover the topic at hand.

Seems to me, the Republicans aren't that organized. Often, they're simply fishing, and clearly wasting our taxpayer dollars. I have to say, leaving those that have been summoned in the dark about what they're being questioned about is inappropriate, and then trying to make sophomoric points grandstanding like they did is an extremely poor show. Tea Party amateurs at work.

[mountainbear]

I am sorry, I didn't realized that she probably got an overnight call to show up before the Congress and talk about issues that have nothing to do with her expertise...

[isobars]

She learned from The Master's Benghazi and email performances.

[swchandler]

Believe me, if she had been fully informed about the questioning and the full extent of the details needed, I would think that the House Republicans heading that committee would have had a sound bearing for hard criticism. But, as most thoughtful folks realize, they weren't that smart or organized.