How can we show muslim radicals we mean them no harm?

Stop giving $20 billion each year to Israel.

Work to solve underlying causes of extremism (poverty, lack of education, suppression of womens right) rather than relying on reacting the the results.

We do mean them harm. Have you been living on a distant planet?

It is them that mean everyone who does not conform to their fascist barbaric ways harm.
They hate us because we are free .
Placating them is poor judgment .
It is naive to believe you can enlighten most of them .

Most of the recent terror attacks have come from very well educated people, so education wont necessarily solve the problem.
Here in Britain in a recent poll amongst muslims 33 percent sympathised with the concept of “Jihad”
I think maybe the Western way of life is incompatible with the way many Muslims think – but they still want all the benefits of western culture.
‘Don’t really know what the way forward would be – tough question to answer

@philosopher The motivations of terrorists are multiple and complex, but saying “they hate us because we are free” is not only completely inaccurate, but it also does nothing to address the realities of terrorism. Understanding the motivation of your enemy helps you to defeat him, through whatever means you use, making simplistic and inaccurate generalizations about the motivations of your enemy is useful only as a propaganda tool to stir up hatred of the enemy.

I certainly hope you’re being fascitious! I quite frankly don’t GIVE a damn WHY they blow themselves up, but I’ll certainly do all I can to help them go see Allah!

@philosopher All Muslims are not terrorists.

@CaptainHarley Nice hate speech.

@philosopher yet your head out of your ass. You are not free.
@Sandydog that is because the Muslim definition of Jihad is not the western one.

@Tomfafa, can you clarify exactly what you mean by Obama having a “Muslim background?”

Are you of the opinion that Obama is a secret Kenyan Muslim or something. It’s important to establish whether or not I should waste my time talking to you.

@Qingu I think we already know, don’t you?

@syz

Thank you. : D

Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t feel that way.

Oh, God, if I actually have to explain it to you, it’s hopeless. Banging my head against brick walls is not one of my favorite pastimes.

I cannot even conceive of being proud of producing hate speech. There is just so much wrongness there.

The original question asked how we change the minds of Muslim radicals. Once a person is radicalized whether muslim, “zionist”, anarchist, right wing, left wing, etc it is extremely difficult to alter their thinking – they will filter all statements and actions through the prism of their belief system whatever it may be.

Our energies might be better spent on defending ourselfs against radicals of all persuasions while reaching out to moderates.

@StupidGirl, @Sandydog “Jihad” originally meant only an internal struggle, only a handful of extremist Muslims have taken it to mean actual physical war, and the western media has gleefully accepted this as the definition of the term. A Muslim saying he supports Jihad very well might not be suggesting in the least that he supports terrorism.

@Tomfafa What exactly are you trying to accomplish with these questions?

I was under the impression that the “internal struggle” thing was kind of an exaggerated myth.

And to be fair, there are Muslim countries where majority populations openly support al-Qaeda and terrorist attacks, with the caveat that they probably don’t consider them “terrorism” but rather “armed struggle against the occupiers.” When you consider the tens of thousands of Muslim civilians that America has killed over the years, our support for dictators in Muslim countries, our coup and subsequent dictatorial replacement of Iran’s democratically-elected leadership, and our unequivocal and uncritical support for Israel, which is basically an apartheid state that came into existence via the same sort of terrorism that Israelis are now decrying on the other side, it’s fairly easy to see why they would feel that armed struggle against such forces is justified. You don’t even have to be a “radical.” You just need to feel like the Muslim community is under attack, which it pretty obviously is.

I support hunting and killing terrorists. I support Obama’s general plan for Afghanistan. But if we are going to play World Police, we need to ensure our military acts like a police force instead of an organization that fights wars of attrition. It needs to be accountable and it needs to ensure the rights and dignity of the communities it operates in, even if it makes hunting and killing terrorists harder. Because otherwise we’re going to continue breeding the resentment that breeds more terrorists and radicals.

@Qingu I don’t think it’s a myth. At least my Muslim coworker says that “jihad” is purely an internal struggle. I honestly can’t remember where else I’ve heard it (which I know is a hallmark of a myth) but it was from a fairly reputable source. I am quite certain though that my coworker, who is an Iranian Muslim, believes that “jihad” refers to an internal struggle. I can’t tell you for sure which viewpoint is more widespread in the Muslim community, so it might be exaggerated, but I can say with certainty that the belief in jihad as internal struggle exists and is not a myth.

@Snarp, I don’t think your Westernized, educated Muslim coworkers are representative of the world’s Muslim population. Though I would agree that “jihad is inner struggle” is probably common among Western Muslims.

“Muslim radicals” already know that we are pacificists. They understand much more about us than we do about them. Educate yourself on the topics and issues and meaning of “terrorism.” Learn to distinguish between Muslims and “radical Muslims.”

@ChicagoLady, since when has America ever been pacifist?

I mean how many countries have we invaded in the past 50 years?

@Qingu: Even Christian pacifists will respond when provoked. Far different from a “radical” Muslim (which this question is about) gleefully beheading an innocent civilian on public television.

@CaptainHarley So let me get this straight… I have evidence of you being a racist, irrational gun nut. Most abusive parents fit that description. Therefore you should be locked up and kept away from everyone you care about.

…iiinteresting.

@ChicagoLady, your statement is bizarre. What Christian pacifists, and what does that have to do with your assertion that America is pacifist? Are you one of those lovely people who thinks America is a Christian nation?

There are a lot of Christians in the military, especially the air force. They don’t behead people on TV but they do drop 500 pound bombs on thousands of civilians on TV. Though to be fair you don’t typically get to see the carnage from these attacks TV. I imagine the suffering they cause to innocent people is many, many, many times worse than a few beheadings. And by the way, the countries that we do this to—Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan—did not attack us.

apart from physical harm, secular culture does pose a threat to them.

I guess the underlying intent to your question is “How can we stop them attacking us, and do so peacefully?” Am I correct? If so, then I’m not sure that they will accept anything other than us all converting to Islam. We have enclaves of Muslims here in Sydney, and they are generally the areas where the violence happens. I was talking to a man last week who told me that he was physically thrown out of an arabic shop, and given the reason that they only served Muslims. Imagine if we tried to do it to one of them!!

@Harold You are correct… I hear that there are muslims who claim Australia as their own and want it back… anything to that?

@Harold You are the first! Happy new year to you!!! er… what’s left of it, that is.

@Qingu: My lovely Qinqu, you continue to twist and turn and add new meaning (apparently your own interpretation) to what I said. The question inquired about “Muslim radicals” and I responded with my opinion. If you feel a need to persist in arguing, kindly go elsewhere. I wish you peace. I was under the impression that all views were welcome on Fluther.

Supporting Israel isn’t exactly helping your cause.

Neither does the war in Afghanistan, the secret war in Pakistan nor the other secret war in Yemen.

I’m pretty sure they aren’t too happy most of the civilized world’s leaders are outspoken in plans to eradicate or dismantle their operations.

@delirium… LMAO! Conclude what you will. Ask my friends what I’m like, especially my African American friends. They could use a good laugh. : )

@syz… I didn’t think so. The world is a far more dangerous and complex place than the politically correct mice in the cloisters of academia would like to believe.

With chocolates and flowers?

@Tomfafa – yes, I have heard those claims too. In some parts of Sydney you would think that you WERE in an Arabic country. I definitely feel my safety threatened in some areas of my own home city.

Having said that, I have a friend who is a leader of a mosque, and he is a great person. I definitely do not think that all muslims are like that.

Happy new year to you, too!!

@Harold I will agree about arab people… they can be some of the most hospitable and generous people on earth, they have been mostly kidnapped by a cult of deceit and death.
......
I am sorry for starting such a serious discussion and freaked out some members here…

How do we stop Christian missionaries invading the cultures of other countries with bibles?

All of this typecasting is pretty frightening. You can be an Arab and not a Muslim. There is radicalism in most religions, and some of the scariest radicals are under the Judeo-Christian umbrella.

Seriously though…I don’t think that this shallow, biased, scaremongering, gullible, naive and ridiculous ( but perhaps, well mean’t) question, is worthy of any more serious an answer ( other than the few admirable attempts posted @syz @Snarp @StupidGirl @MagsRags @Grisaille @clairemagdalenaclaire and @Qingu ) than my above, flippant, posting. At a stretch, I might comment that the term “Muslim radicals” is merely a manifestation of the latest candidate for enemy of choice. One of a long line.

So let me see if I have this right: The Nazis and the Japanese really didn’t want to attack America but had to do so because we somehow stood in their way, and Russian communism really wasn’t a threat to us even though they were gobbling up the world at a frightening clip, and now the Muslims aren’t really our enemies because… why?

I guess they think we are just paranoid. I live in NYC . I know people who some how survived 9/11 . I have listened to their personnel stories.

Oh! And while we’re on the subject, being opposed to radical muslims has NOTHING to do with racism, which I think is just ridiculous. If anyone can define “race” for me I would be most grateful. “Race” is a fiction in the minds of those who need someone to look down on. I have no such need.

Race is a fiction, but racialism exists everywhere.

If anyone thinks we are not free in America you can always move to Iran. They have many Muslins nations. Why aren’t they all welcome in one of them ?
Freedom is a relative concepts as most things are. We are freer than any Muslim nation.

Yeah! Goddamnit! Fuckin’ ragheads!