Ethnic Divisiveness - Taken To Its Illogical Conclusion

Extremism is nothing more than reasonable thought that has been extended to an unreasonable conclusion.

• If two aspirin reduce pain, 50 aspirin will eliminate it forever (well, yes, this may be true)
• If cutting back calories is good, eating nothing is best
• If rain is good for crops, floods are best

Part of the problem in dealing with extremists is their inability to understand that context in which a statement is rational. Another part of the problem is falsely equating one condition as a logical extension of another (more = better).

Another part of the problem is semantics: "The message of Islam and Muslims is modesty, fairness, security, stability, sympathy, harmony and kindness," said Dr Shaikh Abdul Rahman Al Sudais, the veteran Quran reader and imam of the Holy Mosque in Makkah. (cited from Jihad Watch)

This sounds pretty reasonable except that the extremist interprets that to apply only to Muslims:

The exiled radical Islamist cleric Omar Bakri Mohammad is continuing to reach his followers in Britain through websites and internet chatrooms.... In one session a man calling himself Mizaan, who spoke with an English accent, said: “We should all of us glorify terrorism and we should incite religious hatred.... Speaking animatedly, Mizaan stated that the world was divided into two camps — Islam and kuffar (non-believer) — which would always be at war. He repeatedly urged his listeners to take part in that war... (The Times)

It is not difficult to follow the "logical" progression: Islam is good; that which resists good is evil; non-believers are resisting Islam; non-believers are resisting good; non-believers are evil; we must struggle (Jihad) against evil; we will always be at war with non-believers.

i.e.; more = better



Thanks, Wiley.