Dispatches: What Muslims Want

[Laivasse]

This is a TV programme going out in the UK at 8pm tonight. I would have stuck this thread in TV, but I figure the material is so unavoidably political that this thread would end up being moved here anyway.

The programme looks like it could be interesting. From what I've heard Dispatches have run a survey among British muslims and found that a quarter of them sympathise with the 7/7 bombers, and half of those (or maybe even a half of those surveyed, I forget) believe that 9/11 was a US & Israeli conspiracy.

It's easy to get caught up in reflexive hatred and think 'OMFG how could they believe that!', but at the core of this is the very real problem of how to address the problem of extreme muslim fundamentalism while addressing the fears and frustrations of everyday muslims. Personally I think this whole concept of 'radicalisation' is a bit of a misnomer, and not an exclusively islamic problem. I believe you can see a similar sort of process, albeit without the religious connection, in the way that frustrated working class whites turn to the BNP. The problem in my eyes is a combination of arrogant and detached government, sensationalist media, and a police force who increasingly think that they're more important than the civil populace they're meant to protect, among other things.

In any case Dispatches is often quite revealing, so I'll be watching this program with interest. The tagline for it on the advert had a still of a bearded muslim man staring at the screen, and some text although I missed the first line:
LIKES CHIPS
HATES TONY BLAIR
THINKS BRITISH WOMEN ARE IMMORAL
THINKS BRITISH MEN ARE DRUNKS
SYMPATHISES WITH JULY 7TH BOMBERS
WANTS SHARIAH LAW IN UK
ISN'T IT TIME YOU KNEW HIM BETTER?

Anyone else got opinions, or going to watch?

 

[bliink]

LIKES CHIPS
HATES TONY BLAIR
THINKS BRITISH WOMEN ARE IMMORAL
THINKS BRITISH MEN ARE DRUNKS
SYMPATHISES WITH JULY 7TH BOMBERS
WANTS SHARIAH LAW IN UK
ISN'T IT TIME YOU KNEW HIM BETTER?

Anyone else got opinions, or going to watch?

Sounds a bit inflamatory :imu:

 

[Korgoth]

well, british women are immoral, and because of this, british men are drunks lol no argument there D:

 

[Angry Lawyer]

LIKES CHIPS
HATES TONY BLAIR
THINKS BRITISH WOMEN ARE IMMORAL
THINKS BRITISH MEN ARE DRUNKS
SYMPATHISES WITH JULY 7TH BOMBERS
WANTS SHARIAH LAW IN UK
ISN'T IT TIME YOU KNEW HIM BETTER?

Highlighted for the bits that make him just as normal as everyone else.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Laivasse]

Hating Blair is abnormal? D:

 

[Angry Lawyer]

D:

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Mechagodzilla]

Mel Gibson stars in: "What Muslims Want"

[Mel Gibson], playboy and hot shot in [filmaking], thinks he's God's gift to [muslims]. After a little accident, he discovers that he is suddenly able to hear what [muslims] really think. First, [Mel] is pretty disappointed when he discovers that his beloved macho behaviour does not exactly contribute to being desired. Then, his upcoming dream position in the company is being given to a new team member: Darcy - not only a [muslim], but a [fundamentalist] one - is also is a very talented [filmaker]. So, [Mel] decides to sabotage his new boss by reading her thoughts and selling her ideas as his own. Unfortunately, love gets in his way.

Spoiler:

In the end, Mel goes crazy from an overload of muslim thoughts and drives around drunk, shouting anti-jew epithets at police.

 

[VictimOfScience]

^--Hahahaha!--^ Great stuff. :thumbs:

I'd like to watch that one. US showings?

 

[JNightshade]

Mel Gibson stars in: "What Muslims Want"

[Mel Gibson], playboy and hot shot in [filmaking], thinks he's God's gift to [muslims]. After a little accident, he discovers that he is suddenly able to hear what [muslims] really think. First, Nick is pretty disappointed when he discovers that his beloved macho behaviour does not exactly contribute to being desired. Then, his upcoming dream position in the company is being given to a new team member: Darcy - not only a [muslim], but a [fundamentalist] one - is also is a very talented [filmaker]. So, Nick decides to sabotage his new boss by reading her thoughts and selling her ideas as his own. Unfortunately, love gets in his way.

Spoiler:

In the end, Mel goes crazy from an overload of muslim thoughts and drives around drunk, shouting anti-jew epithets at police.

 

[Laivasse]

Oh well, I watched the programme. It was depressing viewing. It reminded me of everything I hate about the muslim community as well as everything I hate about the way this country is run and the political direction it's taking.

It answered no questions at all, least of all why young muslim males of all backgrounds are now holding more radical viewpoints than their parents and grandparents who were born overseas. To me, the basic conflict seems to be between the ultra-rigid, uncompromising and backward outlook of Islam and the essentially valueless secular shit-soup of the rest of society. In older generations the 2 poles seem to have been capable of an uneasy coexistence, but with the younger generations, who should supposedly be more anglicised, there appears to be a tendency to react against islamophobia and the immoral junkheap that is British society by falling back harder than ever upon their parents' views. It's like they essentially reinvent themselves as kind of holy visionaries, with a vision of life that they reckon is inherently superior to that of any non-muslim. People need some way of validating their worthless lives I guess.

I can't imagine this program working in the favour of muslims, either. I'm pretty sympathetic to them due to the treatment they get from the scaremongering government here, but what with the homophobia, 9/11 conspiracy theories, rants against free speech, arrogance and general ignorance on display, I came out of it pretty pissed off (not least at John Snow who with his brainfarting is a shambolic excuse for an interviewer).

This country has itself arse-backwards in its attempts to protect the more ignorant and western-incompatible parts of Islam, such as the hyper-sensitivity to blasphemy, without bothering to worry about the more basic rights muslims should be allowed to enjoy as British citizens, such as the right to walk past a policeman without worrying about having their head blown off. As long as the government continues to piss on civil rights and alienates more young muslims through its pursuit of the nebulous and intangible 'terrorist threat' - the type of which we've coped with before, and which is proportionally less dangerous than cars or smoking so far this time round - I can't see an easy end to any of it. I wonder if this country will ever produce a white non-muslim suicide bomber? That'd stir shit up.

Anyone else see the program or have any points?

 

[Is This Tea]

Dispatches have run a survey among British muslims and found that a quarter of them sympathise with the 7/7 bombers, and half of those (or maybe even a half of those surveyed, I forget) believe that 9/11 was a US & Israeli conspiracy.

That reminds me... According to this poll 1/3 of Americans suspect that federal officials assisted in the 9/11 terrorist attacks or took no action to stop them! I wonder how many think that Sirhan Sirhan was a programmed assassin!?

The survey also found that people who regularly use the Internet but who do not regularly use so-called "mainstream" media are significantly more likely to believe in 9/11 conspiracies. :rolling:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/279827_conspiracy02ww.html