I was having a discussion with my uncle and my father about the current situation with terrorism and the Middle East. During the discussion, I kept emphasizing that the majority of Muslims are good people and probably don't support terrorists and their actions. But then they said that they're all keeping quiet, and that by doing that, they're indirectly supporting it. By ignoring it, it's going to continue.

Then, they went on to say that in order for the terrorists to commit these acts, they need money for weapons and other equipment. Who provides it? Right after 9/11, millions of Muslims across the US were caught having connections to al-Qaeda, and many of them are in prison for it.

So why aren't "good Muslims" speaking out? Is it because of fear, or are they quietly supporting it?

I didn't challenge his faith. I am just posing the possibility that it may be false. I follow the same faith! You are right though, the use of such fallacies is pretty absurd. I am well aware what ad hominem and straw man are as well as several other ones too but that doesn't mean I should point them out as soon as they arise. Its just stupid. I said this argument was pointless b/c it was just going around in circles.

I didn't say that he shouldn't point out fallacies. A fallacious argument should be uncovered. However, if his intention was to make you understand his point, he would've been more diplomatic and less of a militant intellectual.

I suspected you were sillakilla420 after observing several common factors that are associated with ghost accounts. I asked a member of the staff do a check (since I believe having duplicate accounts is against the rules), and indeed, your IP addresses matches with sillakilla420. If you would like concrete proof of this, I can ask a staff member to show everyone. I don't understand why'd you do something like that, unless you wanted to make it seem like there were people other than yourself standing up for your ideas.



You're getting it all wrong. I'm not changing my opinion simply because you are not convincing me. I've had my position on certain issues changed over message board posts before. Just because you haven't presented a good arguement doesn't mean that I'm stubborn. You've been doing this the entire debate; when you fail to present a good arguement, you start attacking me instead of the arguement. That's not how it works.



How can you be open to other gods when God gave us the first commandment? Second, this arguement does not work in this scenario because Allah is the same god as the Christian and Jewish God.



Yes, I chose Catholicism. I didn't choose when I was baptised, my sponsors chose for me. But when I went through the sacrament of Confirmation, I made the choice on my own.

Why do you think I try to study theology so much? This doesn't happen unless you are constantly questioning and testing yourself.



I'm sorry, I suppose I'm giving him too much credit. Those terms are pretty much understood by the Debate regulars, but I got too caught up in the arguement to realize he's a new guy. I guess the fact that he called me a kid made me think he was older and therefore more mature and wiser. I guess I was off.

Quite frankly, I'm tired of sillakilla420. His posts are rude, pretentious and convoluted. I can speak calmly to yourself and most of the other posters here, but either he's trolling on purpose, or he just doesn't know how to carry out a civil debate.



a) I've asked this question, and it's been left unanswered. Why are Muslims afraid to stand up against radical Islam? If the leadership and the majority are against it, what need is there to be afraid?

b) There are politicall active Muslims, but I don't think they're doing anything about it. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, Louis Farrakhan is a powerful Muslim leader, but instead of being a good role model, he's a controversial figure.

It's not too hard to figure out what a "straw man" is. Even if I didn't know what that is it doesn't take a genius to figure it out


From my few posts I didn't intend to "attack you" since that's how you feel. I'm open to other Gods because it makes sense. I don't worship any other gods, but I know there is a possibility the God we worship does not exist. I also have respect for others beliefs, which it appears you don't. What if the Bible had said 'Kill the unbelievers'? Would you follow this rule stated in the Holy Book, or would you go against it? I mean you are a devoted follower, and since you say "You can't just not follow the law because you don't agree with it" I guess that means you would have to follow it too.

The leadership isn't necessarily against it. Dr. Sultan (from CA) spoke out against Islamic militancy through an interview, and she has received multiple death threats from clerics and other Islamic leaders.



Well, you have to realize that it's very difficult to actually initiate something, since many Islamic nations (e.g. Syria, Saudi Arabia, etc.) are closed societies in which the people have little political efficacy. The first step to reducing the indoctrination of Muslims into militancy is literacy. Next, the international community must pressure Islamic governments to provide their citizens with civil and political rights. Because it's so difficult for other nations to intervene, however, the empowerment of civil society is crucial in producing change--but currently, millions remain illiterate (i.e. unable to read the Qur'an), are deprived of their basic human rights, and are basically indoctrinated into obeying the clerics through public education, suppression of the media, etc. The creation of a more open society in which citizens themselves are empowered (think Orange Revolution) is a vital prerequisite to reducing the prevalence of Islamic militancy.

There is some progress, however. According to the Washington Post, the number of Muslims who support terrorism/Bin Laden has declined. However, more Muslims feel that religion is playing an increasing role in politics--and they see this as a good thing. But this doesn't mean that they support the clerics, or that they support terrorism. According to the Post:



In summary, Muslim support for terrorism is decreasing, but regime change and the establishment of an open society are still critical to reducing terrorism.