Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Speaking only of Muslims in Western countries, do you really think this is a particular problem? I get what you are saying about majority-Muslim countries elsewhere in the world, but I don't think many Muslims in the US or Western Europe think this.
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I think that's exactly right. But don't you think the members of those communities have taken it upon themselves to try to speak out against violence in order to keep those communities that way?
Surely it's hard to bring disaffected, angry, sometimes-crazy people back in to the fold when they're looking for reasons to commit harm. And people committing acts of violence like the one in Paris have seized on this one idea as a reason to accomplish their goal and are looking to interpretations of Islamic law (and in this case blasphemy) emanating from Muslim countries that grant them some type of justification for their actions.
There must be a spectrum of opinions on what should be done to those who commit blasphemy. But if the baseline idea that it should never be done by anyone for any reason is common and should never be tolerated, and there are places where it is punished harshly (by law or otherwise), doesn't it stand to reason that many more people will be offended when they see it such that they may take it upon themselves to punish people for it? If others never actually take that step but reinforce the idea that they're okay with it, doesn't the pool of people who become completely intolerant grow? I think once that atmosphere is prevalent, you have yourself a problem.
But I also see your point. If a Muslim community in a non-Muslim state is nowhere near as harsh as those in Muslim states, what exactly can those communities do to keep those on the fringes from seeking out alternative, intolerant interpretations and taking action based on them? I don't know.
Should there be some sort of responsibility on those who make up a moderate community in a Muslim state as they watch more intolerant members of the community become increasingly dangerous and influential to take that on? Seems unfair for sure, but they are clearly in the best position to do so.
TM
