tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15028593.post115868900060025596..comments2023-10-19T02:51:55.625-07:00Comments on Low on the Hog: Jeff Alworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02930119177544342495noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15028593.post-1158856499628501322006-09-21T09:34:00.000-07:002006-09-21T09:34:00.000-07:00One last thing on this. I do believe Islam is a f...One last thing on this. I do believe Islam is a factor in all of this. I categorize it slightly differently than some of the other factors, which look to me like root causes. That's why I called it an "ccelerant"--added to any situation, religious belief can catalyze a population. Islam has been used and in many cases exploited to muster mass support. <BR/><BR/>But no one could reasonably Jeff Alworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02930119177544342495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15028593.post-1158825874945723112006-09-21T01:04:00.000-07:002006-09-21T01:04:00.000-07:00There are a couple aspects that are peculiar to Is...There are a couple aspects that are peculiar to Islam vs Christianity. Christianity went with the idea of "render unto Caesar what is his" and Isalm entwines faith and government. Christianity in its prophet's words is peaceful (I didn't say practice),Islam despite Muslim denials, is not. These very things aggravate all the factors Jeff aludes to, but it also means that Islam IS a part of the Chuck Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13656874242638324636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15028593.post-1158700484814158372006-09-19T14:14:00.000-07:002006-09-19T14:14:00.000-07:00There were violent religious extremists in the Mid...There were violent religious extremists in the Middle East long before we got there. Our foreign policy has certainly been a disaster and we’ll never fix it with violence. On both sides, religion is playing a part in dictating that foreign policy. It leaves little room for negotiation or mutual respect. Yes, we’ve exacerbated the problems of poverty and lack of education in the region. Yes, Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15028593.post-1158692692992207902006-09-19T12:04:00.000-07:002006-09-19T12:04:00.000-07:00Why is it that we feel compelled to identify a sol...Why is it that we feel compelled to identify a sole source? All of these factors play into it. The problem is, you can't strip away the variables and see how they function in a pristine, uninflected environment. If you put people in a very tough situation, they become far more interested in radical solutions.<BR/><BR/>As to the education business, it's another bogus example. While it's true Jeff Alworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02930119177544342495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15028593.post-1158691097057745892006-09-19T11:38:00.000-07:002006-09-19T11:38:00.000-07:00Good article. You do, however, lean heavily on th...Good article. You do, however, lean heavily on the "poor and uneducated" explanation for the rise of extremism, as well as the unemployment factor. Harris' argument specifically sites the number of educated terrorists in refutation of this point (engineers strapping bombs, etc...). You also seem to be focusing on the Mideast countries themselfes. Doesn't explain educated muslim extremists in Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com