Comments on: The Lure of Radical Islam, or ‘Boys Will Be Boys’

By: Thaddeus Dawson

Thaddeus Dawson — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:50:40 +0000

Great article. I observed wide spread conversions to Islam among black prisoners in the 1970 top 2000 period when I was designing jail systems.

However I would strongly disagree that,
“Of course, such behavior was “normal” in the seventh century. Then, wherever one looked, men of all races, creeds, and religions were raiding, pillaging, plundering, and enslaving their neighbors.”

Despite much false history about the “Middle Ages” the truth is that there was very little slavery in Christendom (Europe) from the fall of the Western Roman Empire (In Ireland it was abolished in the 800 AD period) until the colonialization of the New World in the 1500s led to slavery being reintroduced by the British, Spanish, Portugese, etc. Some of these were African slaves (by the Spanish and others) some were white Irish (by the British).

Of course the Muslims continued enslaved millions of Europeans in this period including some in the Iberian Peninsula.

By: rick stanich

rick stanich — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 03:23:14 +0000

Islam appeals to criminals because i SLAM is a vent for the male ego. I have spent time in jail, and know first hand , if you are not ready to SLAM your opponents , you will not survive.
i SLAM appeals to criminals because of the very meaning of i SLAM (submission), criminals do not submit themselves to the rule of law in an open and free society . However upon their incarceration , i do not doubt that criminals would be HAPPY to have those Laws Imposed upon them . In other words .”I have screwed up my life , and would gladly SUBMIT^ to a rule of law.”Please tell me what to do ” i SLAM fullfills the needs of the maleviolent force that is opposed to harmony

By: myth buster

myth buster — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 03:15:36 +0000

54. kochevnik, mind explaining how that makes any sense at all? Let’s start with 1500th century- you’re worried about priests from the year 150,000 now? Then there’s the non-sequiter about Secret Service uniforms. What are you trying to say?

By: SusieQ

SusieQ — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:42:20 +0000

Michael says, “but Islam is one route, especially for women also seeking a repudiation of Western values.”

That’s what I’m saying too. Western values is about money and that includes all levels of politics, the church, our culture and sports. It’s almost impossible for a young married couple in the West to afford a home, rent or mortgage, cars, health insurance and entertainment without both spouses working.

The positive result is that young women have learned to be self-supporting and not marry their man just to be taken care of the way our grandmothers and some of our mothers did. It’s positive for men because in general, they no longer have to worry about whether their wives married them for money.

And, as you said, if they want a traditional marriage, they can have it closer to home if they can afford it or the man is willing to work three jobs a week.

Maybe Western men think Islamic men are manly but I don’t know one woman, myself included, who agrees with that sentiment. That could be the reason why Islamic women say if given a choice, they’d rather live in the West than in Islamic nations.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:04:59 +0000

Susie Q: The point you bring up is not a true contradiction. Just as there are young Western men who seek ways in which to live out a traditional male role, there are young Western women who desire to fulfill a very traditional female role. This very traditional female role can be found in other places closer to home including some fundamentalist Christian and Orthodox Jewish groups, but Islam is one route, especially for women also seeking a repudiation of Western values. Ibrahim’s thesis holds up very well.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:52:39 +0000

I mostly agree with this excellent article, but I think it and the comments miss one large reason criminals convert to Islam in prison. Prison is a very dangerous place, especially for someone not a member of a larger group. You need someone to watch your back. You need the deterrence of the threat of a group retaliating on your behalf should something happen to you. Of the tough-enough prison gangs, Muslims tend to be the ones that lead the most wholesome lives. Though pirate-like compared with those of us who like to read policy blogs, (in most prisons) Muslim prison groups are actually significantly less pirate-like than other groups providing safety-in-numbers such as the Crips, Bloods, Aryan Brotherhood, and Hispanic drug gangs. But I strongly agree with the overall thesis of the article.

By: kochevnik

kochevnik — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:45:58 +0000

51@poetcomic1

>SS guards beat Catholic priests to death in Auschwitz in 1941,
>because they refused to step on a crucifix.

SS is Sedes Sacrorum, a 1500th century Catholic priesthood. They are known to wear Nazi SS and Secret Service outfits as fashions dictate.

By: SusieQ

SusieQ — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:45:16 +0000

Mr Ibrahim’s point about masculinity being the main draw of converts to Islam is only a very, very minor point. Why are some Western women converts to Islam?

What Ibrihim’s missing is the fact that in the West, we worship money, not God. Most people, if they’re honest, recognize this fact and do nothing about it because we don’t know what to do about it…and I include myself in this category.

A few people will join Islam’s crusade to supposedly wipe-out the worship of money even though there’s just as much worship of money in Islam; it’s not as obvious in Islam as it is in the West.

Another ‘weapon’ that Islam has going for it is that over 90% of the Western criminals in prison are Christians. That ugly fact helps Muslims to sling more mud at the West. Solution: clean up our own house.

By: myth buster

myth buster — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:18:58 +0000

I vote we prove how manly we are by vaporizing the Great Mosque.

By: poetcomic1

poetcomic1 — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:16:59 +0000

SS guards beat Catholic priests to death in Auschwitz in 1941, because they refused to step on a crucifix. The true Nazis were pagans who said that Christ is a ‘Jew God” invented by the Jews to make Aryans weak and harmless – it is a religion for sheep. It wasn’t, as you say, ‘manly’. Islam is Nazi Redux. The difference is we don’t have martyr priests anymore we have weenie whinie dhimmis in the Church who want to ‘dialogue’ right up till their throats are cut.