Why do people consistantly and persistantly confuse....?

Question

....race with religion?

I'm sick of people being flamed for mentioning Muslims and being told they are being racist.

Muslim isn't a race it's a religion so please get your facts right. If people want to debate about religions then so be it, just don't start jumping up and down screaming "RACIST" at every available opportunity - it's getting boring and isn't even accurate.

LOL @ laughs-at-parrot

Can't believe I didn't spell consistently and persistently correctly! Good grief I must be slipping in my old age! What a dumb ***!

I wonder if there are discrimination laws to protect those of us who inadvertently become temporarily illiterate?

I'll look into it and sue you if I can find any!

Touché!

Witchywoo xx

race2

• noun 1 each of the major divisions of humankind, having distinct physical characteristics. 2 racial origin or distinction: rights based on race. 3 a group of people sharing the same culture, language, etc.; an ethnic group. 4 a group of people or things with a common feature. 5 Biology a distinct population within a species; a subspecies.

— USAGE Some people now feel that the word race should be avoided, because of its associations with the now discredited theories of 19th-century anthropologists and physiologists about supposed racial superiority. Terms such as people, community, or ethnic group are less emotionally charged.

— ORIGIN French, from Italian razza.

Oxford English Dictionary.

Still not sure that I would use the term to describe a religion but hey, that's my opinion and I've enjoyed reading yours - whatever you might have to say on the subject.

Answer 1

During most of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was held that humans are made up of several races. The oldest and most visible distinction was based on the colour of the skin: black and white. Moreover Mongol races were called "yellow", an obvious mistake as anyone having frequented Chinese and Japanese - or even true Mongols - can confirm. The distinctive sign in this case is rather the configuration of the eyelids. Today we know that genetic differences between humans are minimal and not at all related to so-called racial characteristics. Two blond Scandinavians may be more different genetically than any of them with regard to a Senegalese or an Indonesian.

Another element for the determination of "race" is cultural. Thus the "Aryan race" was supposed to be made up of people speaking Indo-Germanic languages. The "Semitic race" was seen as made up of people speaking Semitic languages. This would mean that speaking of "anti-Semitic" Arabs is total nonsense, as Arabs and Jews are both speaking Semitic languages, which moreover are closely related. In Europe language-based definition of race is completely impossible. The people presently occupying that continent are a hopeless mix of groups that have moved into it over millennia. Some have brought languages and others have adopted the language of the people they found on arrival. Thus the arbitrariness of language-based racism should be obvious to all. Albanians are descended mostly from the same people as Serbs or Macedonian Slavs. Today's Greeks are a mix of Slavs, Turks and some remanents of earlier inhabitants of their country. Even Anatolian Turks are a mix of older inhabitants of the region later superseded by Turkic invaders. Hungarians and Finns should be of the same language-based "race", although the former are as difficult to distinguish from their Balkanic neighbours as are the latter from other Scandinavians.

A particulary interesting case is the Indian sub-continent. Its inhabitants are of most diverse origins, although the Aryan (Indo-German speaking) invaders that arrived some 3500 years ago from central Asia have brought a degree of cultural homogeneity based i.a. on the caste system. In Durban it was claimed that caste is racially based, which of course is untrue, even if members of the so-called upper castes tend to be more fair-skinned than those of lower castes. But historically caste has to do with the occupation (priest, warrior, artisan, peasant). The only potentially racial discrimination might be that of the caste-less (Dalit) people, who are probably the descendants of older indigenous human groups.

In Rwanda and Burundi too the conflict between Hutus and Tutsis is based as much on caste than on ethnice differences. Tutsis have originally subdued the longer settled Hutus and made them their subjects. But the barrier between the two groups, prior to colonisation, was not absolute. Being a Tutsi meant owning a herd of cattle. By fulfilling this requirement a Hutu could become a Tutsi and by loosing his cattle and being forced to work the land a Tutsi could become a Hutu. Both groups speak the same language.


Intolerance and Discrimination

It would appear that "racism" is simply one of several manifestations of intolerance among human groups. Such intolerance is typical of animal categories living in groups and thus not at all a human speciality. It was however a very marked characteristic of human societies throughout the history of mankind. The outsider was seen as an enemy and if captured either killed or made a slave. At later stages, different groups were forced to live together, which mostly meant that one dominant group forced others into subjection. In some cases this subjection became increasingly light so that a degree of equality evolved among the various groups forming a large entity such as the Persian and the Roman empires.

Religious intolerance is largely devoid of racial elements, even if both the Jews and their enemies pretend the contrary. Today's Jews are not a race by any stretch of imagination, but they are held together by their religion. As they never were very numerous, strict adherence to their religion and clear differentiation with regard to all other religions became a matter of group survival. It led other, often more tolerant religions because they had many more adherents, to view Judaism with mistrust and sometimes hostility. But the real problem always was with Christians who began as a deviant sect of Judaism and later achieved a most effective and worldwide religion. Although its Prophet was very disappointed by the refusal of the Jews to convert to his creed, Islam never developed the kind of deep-rooted hostility towards Judaism that Christianity did. The current anti-Zionist and therefore anti-Israeli stance is based on the claim to Palestine and not on religious differences. Inevitably however, it has produced anti-Jewish attitudes in general, confusing all Jews with Zionists.

This is not the place to enumerate all the horrors committed in the name of God and religion over the last 2000 years. Let's be content with the present. In Northern Ireland we watch with horrified amazement what people who have the same ethnic background and speak the same language can do to each other in the name of religion. In particular the Protestant extremits in Ulster seem to defy any kind of human understanding. On one hand they insist on marching through Catholic neighbourhoods to celebrate a defeat inflicted by their ancestors on Catholic Irish some 300 years ago, with the clear intent of humiliating the latter each year again. On the other hand they are willing to use force to prevent Catholic schoolchildren to innocently walk to their schools past the garden walls of Protestant homes.

This extreme kind of intolerance was never mentioned in Durban. It is part of a more general trend plaguing today's humanity. Hostility in the Balkans is based on religion (Orthodox vs Catholic) and language (Albanian vs. Slav). Language is also what separates the Basques from Spaniards and French. The various antagonisms among sects of Islam are reminiscent of those among Christians. They are not based on language or ethnic background.

Discrimination is the product of the same thought system as intolerance. It means that ethnic, linguistic and social groups living together in a same area refuse to grant each other equal treatment. Normally it is the dominant group that discriminates the lesser ones. Domination may be in terms of numbers (majority vs. minorities) or power (conquerors vs, conquered, upper classe vs. lower). As the caste system in India shows, discrimination may be mutual. Most issues raised in Durban, and most internal conflicts that trouble countries today are the result of discrimination. In some cases,as in Norther Ireland or the Basque country, intolerance is the more instrumental aspect. It creates or promotes discrimination.

Answer 2

They might get called racist because the majoroty of people who rant about muslims are so short of brain power they do think Muslim means Arab or even Muslin is Arab and then they go on about minority groups where they conect Arab or Muslim with minoroty baffles me and the best one of all is nuke all the Muslims which planet do these people come from even in the UK a significant amount of the population is Muslim if people treated others in a way they would like to be treated themself there would be no need for any of this

Answer 3

Yes it is always confused. I heard Jack Straw on TV talking about the controversy over females wearing veils, and he was drawing comparisons between the muslim community and the WHITE community!

Sheesh! This man is in a position of power, he seems to have overlooked the fact that there are many white muslims out there, and there is no such thing as a white community (or so we would like to think).

If we are talking religion, he should have been comparing Muslim and Christian, or if we are talking colour it should have been black and white.

What chance have we got??????????

Answer 4

I entirely agree with you, they are like children in the playground shouting names. It is intended as a conversation stopper of course. Islam, I think, is even more complicated, not only is it not a race, although the way they all act in concert you would think that it was, but no, it comprises religion, culture and politics. So, if you criticise the culture and politics element, the children shout "racist", for that as well. In Britain, we have separated religion, culture and politics, but, in any event, we are free to criticise any of these elements. The religious element may come under increasing censorship in order to protect other religions. From what though?

Answer 5

The worst of it is that people think that there is just one set of beliefs shared by all muslims. There are different sects of Islam and different muslims in the same sect have different perspectives on what being a good muslim is.

The racism connection occurs when people say things like muslims can't be British or all arabs are muslims (lots of arabs are Christians, some are Droos, some are even Jewish, many are agnostics or atheists -- I bet there are a few arabs who are Buddhists too).

Answer 6

faith is the deciding factor for what ever your religion is,also lots are atheist without any faith as one might find.in the real old days ones religion would demand human sacrifice as a way . these days all religions are moderate and peaceful.but the people are not so peaceful and ones race does dictate a certain religion or faith,example Philippines mostly catholic.and u,s,a mostly Christian faiths.Muslims have been attached to the terrorist,so that's why so much hatred.

Answer 7

What religion are you? What race are you? what's your gender? Where do you live ?How much do you make? These questions and many many more are subject to ridicule and there are those of us out thier that don't care about the answers to any of these ridiculous judgements.There are still people out there that will accept you for you! Just be aware and alert,stay away from the negatives and stick with the positives and you'll do just fine. Pray to YOUR higher power and belive in it everyday and everyway of your beatiful life!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 8

well... the thing is... many people on the Republican side don't seem to understand the difference... they use muslim, persian, arab as all the same... I mean, are Republicans referring the Indonesia (which if I remember correctly, is the nation with the most muslims) when they say things like "we should bomb all the muslims"... most likely, they are not...

there seems to be a linking between the middle east, Islam, terror and evil for many that there is no dividing line between...

it's pure ignorance, but at the same time, people with those views could be racist when referring to muslims actually...

I mean if I use a word for black people that really doesn't mean black people... but I still clearly have negative views of black people by my usage... am I not still a racist?

Answer 9

Observe who is making a monkey out of themselves in self exposing they were idol worshiping The Mummy from the graveyards with self images of standing idols of self racism in breaking the first golden rule of our creator"s unversal constituition and universal laws and getting themselves being strike down by our creator expose with Bam's earthquakes in Iran Dec.26th2003 ,The Asian Tsunami in Acheh, Indonesia Dec.26th 2004 and Pakistan earthquakes in 2005.
At loss with self lack of knowledge on being strike down by our creator in breaking the first golden rule on planet earth.
How the intercepted distress signal seek assistance to stop further punishment and destruction of human errors of the community led to the missing x-files on planet earth.

Answer 10

We are all confused.

We have been propogandised to be confused by the moguls of the media.

They are of the same clan as own Masters who control our destinies via the international banks -- one of them said, "I do not care what laws a country passes for itself as long as I can control its monetary supply" (Nathan Meyer Rothschild).

As for the rest of us -- hoi polloi -- it's divide and conquer, bread and circuses.

Wake up!

Answer 11

Well, that is because generally the comments made are against Muslims, are generally directed toward the Arab world Muslims, this then does make their comments bigoted, which is also many times called racist.