Terrorism in the name of Islam
To use the expression of a few insensitive symbpls/words/cartoons as a justification for murder is perverse. > > To justify the killing of innocent people in the name of one's religion is to pervert the true tenets and values of one's faith. > > Some people have come to the conclusion that all terrorists are Muslims. ..and therefore all Muslims are terrorists.This kind of generalization is narrow-minded and results in the unfair stereotyping of the entire group > >
.Islam--like all religions--is a peace-loving faith.
Unfortunately there is an extremist/fanatical/fundamentalist segment within the Muslims who seek to further their political goals by interpreting scripture for their own selfish purposes...and they justify killing those who disagree with them (including mainstream Muslims who denounce them). > > .In the same way emperor Constantin used Christianity to consolidate his power in the Roman Empire.The IRA used Catholicism in Northern Ireland to kill Protestants.In India, Hindus murdered the Muslims. > > Throughout human history countless other groups around the world have used their religion to advance their political ambitions...and have comitted all manner of atrocities in the name of theirwrong understanding of God. > > Some people have come to the conclusion that it is "religion" itself (rather than religious zealotry/fanaticism) that is responsible for most of the conflict and suffering in human history. > > But this is putting the cart before the horse.
(for an insightful analysis of religion and war read "Fields of Blood" by Karen Armstrong)
Every revolution, power struggle,and war seeks to justify its cause through religious validation: > > "Our fight is a holy fight! > > God is on our side!" > >
God is not on the side of anyone who kills his creatures! >
**********************
Read this letter (page A11) titled:"Debating the extent of extremist support" > > > > http://issuu.com/blackpress/docs/i20150114050208975/1?e=1205826/10938578
I do not know how accurate the numbers are that are presented in this letter(statistics are vulnerable to distortion and can be used to justify Islamaphobia)
However amongst the billion people that embrace the Muslim religion are a high proportion of deprived uneducated poor who feel oppressed and are readily manipulated, indoctrinated, and radicalized.
Wrong beliefs lead to wrong actions and a wrong life!
Oppressed creatures out of desperation will often resort to violence in their quest for justice! > > > > Extremist groups like ISIS are attractive to the ecomlmically and socially marginalized.
To counter this radicalization movement we must strive to reintegrate the marginalized back into mainstream society (through jobs and education).
Terror attacks such as this force society to strenghen its security and surveillance networks...which in turn erode our civil liberties and our privacy.
ReplyDeleteSoon surveillance satellites will be peering into our homes
monitoring all our communications and cameras and militia with carbines will be on every street corner.
Welcome to the new normal!
Conservatives push through
Delete"Antiterrorism Act 2015"
making Canada a surveillance state.
This legislation gives Canada's spy agency sweeping new powers to monitor the communications and harass anyone deemed to be a terrorist sympathizer as "would be" terrorists or as someone "promoting terrorism".
This legislation
lowers the threshold of proof for detention of potential terrorist suspects who can now be jailed for 7 days without charge.
DeleteEconomist Martin Armstrong warns that the twin attacks in France will be used by world leaders to push for restrictions on Internet privacy and the total elimination of encrypted communications.
http://www.infowars.com/economist-world-leaders-will-exploit-charlie-hebdo-to-eliminate-encryption/
http://m.thestar.com/#/article/opinion/editorials/2015/02/19/heed-this-call-for-better-oversight-of-canadas-spy-services-editorial.html
Deleteformer prime ministers Jean Chrétien, Joe Clark, Paul Martin and John Turner warned this week, Canada has no “robust and integrated accountability regime” for our multiple security agencies.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2015/02/19/22245496.html
CSIS oversight urged by ex-PMs as Conservatives rush Bill C-51 debate
http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/politics/csis-oversight-urged-by-ex-pms-as-conservatives-rush-bill-c-51-debate-1.2963179
Watch "22 Minutes: Connie - Anti-Terror Legislation" on YouTube
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1IliGODznk&feature=youtube_gdata_player
new spy technology:
DeleteRoger Tolces , who specializes in electronic countermeasures, reported on a new potentially invasive radar technology that allows law enforcement to peer through walls, and inside homes. The radar device, placed against a wall, lets operators see individuals as far back as 50 ft. into a home, he detailed. Further, when the technology is combined with drones, it can be used to literally peer down into a house. While law enforcement can't legally use the radar without a search warrant, Tolces expressed concern about the weakening of our constitutional rights, and specifically the right to privacy in one's home.
http://click.email.premierenetworks.com/?qs=b19a2a7a7b2e2cfbf2699beaa294a7576054e152bc655ef5dca69e6d8530a5da
protestors could be branded as "terrorists"
Deletehttps://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/you-could-be-branded-terrorists-rcmp-officer-to-200310092.html
C-51 just made its way through the Senate without any amendments and will return to the House of Commons for a third reading, then final approval to become law.
DeleteProfessor Hasan Cavusoglu:
Bill C‑51, known as the anti‑terrorism bill, has drawn criticism for provisions that many feel are excessive and open to abuse. One of these provisions allows government agencies to share information about Canadians for reasons of national security. In March, before the bill was passed, associate professor Hasan Cavusoglu of the Management Information Systems Division at the UBC Sauder School of Business weighed in on the privacy risks for Canadians.
What is the significance of the new information‑sharing provisions in Bill C‑51?
Privacy concerns over Bill C‑51 stem from the Security of Canada Information Sharing Act, which is tucked in Bill C‑51. The act is portrayed as a means to empower law enforcement agencies to prevent terrorist attacks by quickly accessing information about potential terrorists from several government agencies. The scope of information‑sharing is quite broad; it goes beyond just sharing information about suspected terrorist activities and threatens Canadians’ privacy.
What is the privacy risk involved in sharing information between government agencies?
The vagueness of the scope of the law could potentially lead to surveillance of the public for any purposes deemed appropriate by the government. This is the major criticism of the law: the power granted by the new act would result in an unjustified and significant loss of privacy for Canadians in return for a negligible improvement in the nation’s ability to prevent a terrorist attack. The loss of privacy is excessive.Are these anti‑terror provisions warranted?The government justifies the bill by instilling fear, uncertainty and doubt, which is a tactic used by marketers and politicians to influence people’s perceptions by disseminating inaccurate or false information. There is no question that terrorism is a threat in Canada, like anywhere else. But one has to understand how likely it is. Dying as a result of a car accident is 1,000 times more likely than dying as a result of a terror attack. Dying in a terror attack is less likely than being killed by a lightning strike.The potential benefit of the information‑sharing act is that more information will be readily available to law enforcement agencies. This could be a good thing: more information could potentially improve the odds of stopping terrorist acts. But once again, fear, uncertainty and doubt are at play – information regarding a potential terror suspect in various government institutions can already be accessed through the judicial system if a case is made.
What other concerns do you have about the bill’s information‑sharing provisions?
While the act seems to facilitate information sharing between 17 governmental institutions, in fact it grants authority to the government to expand the list. The government can share information with other countries about Canadians if they see fit. Since there is no clear oversight, there is no guarantee that information of a significant portion of the Canadian population cannot be handed over to other countries as the government deems it appropriate. It’s not clear who will monitor those who are accessing information.The vagueness of the scope, the lack of oversight, and the potential expansion of the reach of the act make privacy advocates very concerned about the law. In fact, privacy commissioners across the country are opposed to the proposed act. It’s also concerning that the government does not want to hear objections: the privacy commissioner of Canada, who was appointed by the government, was prevented from appearing before the committee in Parliament.It seems that the bill is politically charged. The need is not well justified considering its risks against personal privacy. The government appears to be rushing the bill due to the upcoming election. Add onto that, the room for abuse due to poor oversight and I am not convinced this is the proper answer to mitigate the terror threat.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/canadian-government-websites-under-cyber-attack-182132911.html
DeleteStop Bill C-51
DeleteUN Human Rights Committee raises concerns about C-51
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/bill-c-51-not-in-keeping-with-canadas-international-obligations-un/article25642360/?service=mobile
https://openmedia.ca/blog/globe-and-mail-un-human-rights-committee-raises-concerns-about-c-51
If one so much as expresses empathy for the pain of those one's society has consensually labelled the "enemy",... one is now at risk of being labelled a "terrorist sympathizer" or a "terrorist supporter".
Delete#1 issue in the world threatening disintegration of society : economic inequality
ReplyDelete1% own as much wealth as the 99% combined
85 individuals own as much wealth as 3.5 billion of yhe poorest people on the planet
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jan/20/oxfam-85-richest-people-half-of-the-world
http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesinsights/2014/03/25/the-67-people-as-wealthy-as-the-worlds-poorest-3-5-billion/
US President calls for tax hike on the rich
Do not think of knocking out another person's brains because he differs in opinion from you. It would be as rational to knock yourself on the head because you differ from yourself ten years ago.
ReplyDeleteHorace Mann
"Whoever says he loves God,
ReplyDeletebut hates his fellowman,
is a liar"
-- 1 JOHN 4:20
It is often said that knowledge is power; but who hath duly considered or set forth the power of ignorance? Knowledge slowly builds up what ignorance in an hour pulls down.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Eliot, Daniel Deronda
Kailash Satyarthi, Peace Prize winner(for saving children from deprivation and injustice) says education is key to combating extremism
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbc.ca/m/news/world/kailash-satyarthi-peace-prize-winner-says-education-is-key-1.2987401
Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi
has advice on another problem threatening vulnerable children these days: extremism. He says countries, including Canada, could do more to protect children at risk from falling prey to radical groups."If the children were educated, and could have got good quality education, they might have been looking for better opportunities in life rather than being used by these forces," he says."So we have to figure out what is the best defence, what is the best defence spending, and that is education."
think global:
ReplyDeleteDr. John Moser has proposed that the solution to many modern problems of humanity is to create a world in which there is only "us," forever shedding the concept of "them." He posited that the population of the planet has coalesced into a veritable 'supercivilization' as a result of the high level of interconnectivity amongst all people. As such, Moser surmised that issues such as terrorism and climate change are really due to humanity not yet realizing or accepting that it has entered into this global civilization. He suggested that, in order to combat the issues which arise from a 'supercivilization,' denizens of the planet need to begin embracing cooperation, ideally under the supervision of a "global institution" which would provide leadership aimed at making positive changes for the planet. While the prospect of a global government may raise concerns and suspicions, Moser argued that it would be better to willingly design such an institution now rather than have a similar, but less-beneficent, scenario be thrust upon the population due to outside forces.Additionally, he called for a change in perspective from the general population where people begin identifying themselves as 'human beings' first rather than deriving an identity from their nationality or tribal group. .Should humanity not adjust to its role as part of a 'supercivilization,' Moser warned, it could fall victim, in the form of a mass die off, to the challenges that have emerged from this new era of society. He specifically noted that the misallocation of resources aimed at maintaining the status quo will only result in further weakening the population against other problems which will then grow stronger in the face of less resistance. Furthermore, he observed that, since the planet is now overwhelmingly interconnected, a disastrous event or terror attack in one part of the world could result in a "synergistic catastrophe" where the entire civilization is destroyed.
http://thesupercivilization.us/
new twist to "globalization"
Deletehumanity has become a global village:
what happens in one region of the planet affects us all.
Previous communication/transportation barriers no longer create
regional separation/isolation.
Nation state borders no longer effective.
This means that the rich can no longer separate themselves from the suffering of the destitute!
Tbe pain of those who suffer is felt by all humanity!
Exodus
ReplyDeletemass migration out of Africa as desperate people risk their lives in search of opportunity and a meaningful life in Europe.
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/11/07/dodging_death_on_the_mediterranean.html