Do you believe, as I do, that the cause of Islamic terrorism is POVERTY and not ISLAM?

Question

High female illiteracy in these countries, high poverty, etc.

Islam isn't the problem, just the perversion of Islam.

We could pervert any religion to get people to do crazy stuff.

Anyone feel, as I do?

Answer 1

You know my feelings on this one.

Answer 2

I do not believe that Poverty is the cause of terrorism. The cause of terrorism are both social and economical, there is no one determinate thing. If that was true then why aren't Haitians - the poors per capita people in the Western Hemisphere the biggest threat the US has to face regarding terrorism. That is just not the case. Most home grown terrorists in the United States should come from Mississippi - our poorest state - that is not accurate. Social factors - including religion - can play a role in the indoctrination of people into seeing terrorism as a morally correct course - but that is not enough either by itself. Remember that just about all the 9/11 terrorist were not from families of no means. Most of them were well educated and financially at least of a level we would call middle class. So your thesis saying Poverty is the cause of Islamic terrorism just does not hold water and that's too bad because if that was the case it sure would be easy to fix the problem - but it wont.

Answer 3

That's ridiculous.

1. Many suicide bombers and violent Muslims have been from affluent countries.

2. If that were true, then we would expect the same kind of actions from people who are in poverty EVERYWHERE... but we don't see that. We see it primarily from Muslim nations.

3. Do you suppose that you have studied Islam enough to determine which Islam is "true," and which is the "perversion?" How do you know that peaceful Muslims are not the ones with the perverted religion? Do you ASSUME that all religion is by definition peaceful?

Answer 4

No

Did you know that the “Palestinians” could have had their own country as far back as 1948 had they accepted the UN sponsored partition plan which gave Israel AND the Palestinians a countries of their own on land which Jews had lived on for thousands of years before Mohammed ever had a wet dream about virgins? The Arabs rejected the UN offer and went to war with the infant Israeli nation. The Arabs lost and have been whining about it ever since.

Did you know that the Arabs in the disputed territories (conquered by Israel in the 1967 war which was started by Arabs) and who are not Israelis already have two countries right now? And that they are called Egypt and Jordan?

Answer 5

I disagree, Jim. A question: have you read the Koran? I have and it greatly disturbed me. From beginning to end, it is filled with violent commands to cut off the heads of infidels where ever they may be found (although cutting off a hand and foot on opposite sides is also recommended); beat wives so badly they are confined to their beds; virulent anti-Semitism and anti-Christianism (not a word, but you get my point); etc.

I view the "poverty" argument as the equivalent to the same argument liberals tried to use here in the U.S. re: its crime rate. You know -- "it's not his fault he robbed that store. After all, he grew up in a poor household." That's been proven to be rubbish in our case and I strongly suspect it's the same here. Besides, OBL has huge wealth, as do many other high-level Islamic functionaries. Shoe bomber Richard Reid was certainly not poor; neither were any of the folks recently arrested in the U.K.

The sad truth is that Islamic terrorism is an expression of the Muslim faith Muhammad intended to author.

Answer 6

I guess everything is possible. But why wouldn't the poverty stricken areas of the US be firing bombs at Canada or Mexico then? Why are they not full of terrorists? Gangs yes, but no terrorists, other than the few who sneak in to learn from us. But, you know what I mean.
But, why do the people who blow them selves up in Islam think that because the did so, their God will give them 1000 virgins, and everything else that comes with martyrdom? That will only happen if 1000 virgins happen to go to hell, where these suicide bombers end up. To me, that doesn't sound like the result of being poverty stricken, that sounds religion based.

Answer 7

The most terrorist came from Saudi Arabia. Every time i see earth quake somewhere in "farawaystan" i don't see Osama spending millions of US $ on blankets of any help at all. I see US helicopters doing the job. But still they hate US in every way. The problem is not poverty or illiteracy, it lies in they nature. Do you really want them to be educated? Think twice now they trowing stones at US embassy next it would be more sophisticated. So i don't believe that educating this creatures is a good idea at all.

Answer 8

To a point yes. But, and here is a biggie, there is poverty in America and almost all believers in a god are not terrorists. I cannot really think of one besides the government. Religious extremism is, in my opinion, the cause of terrorists. Yes, you can pervert any religion. Look what the righteous Christians did to the natives in America.

Answer 9

Poverty has NOTHING to do with Islamic doctrines on murder, mayhem, abuse of women physical and intellectual (i.e. Stoning)
the be-headings of innocents, violence, suicide and homicide bombings and using children as human Satchel Charges

It has all to do with the teachings of a religion that is drunk on a blood soaked hatred for Jews and Americans called Islam where martyrdom is rewarded with 72 virgins available to be ravished all trough eternity ... that is the Korans teachings very much present amidst all the other poetry and platitudes.

Poverty?????? The Middle East sits over oceans of crude oil oceans whats money got to do with it ! It's blind hate generational hate. wake up and smell the blood!

Answer 10

No, I don't believe it's so much poverty or female illiteracy as it is perversion by the powerful and wealthy for monitary means.

It's not so much Islam itself as any religion which has been corrupted by fanaticism.

Answer 11

I agree,

Loss of hope is the worst thing.

Ask yourself though, with all that Oil money, why are the average Muslims Poor?

Why are the women not literate?

The answer to #1 is because there are a few holding all of the wealth.

and #2. is a very product of the Male dominance within much of Islam.

The people in Islam that have all the money need the poor to have a "Bad Guy" to focus on so they don't think about all of the super rich oil barrons that hog up the money. They use Israel and the U.S.

Just my opinion.