are the people of the middle east inherantly more susceptible to religious brain-washing than anyone else?

Question

or is it that religion exerts an undue influence on...

the law

politics

and especially the media

sorry i missed out a very important one and..EDUCATION infected by religion

Answer 1

It is difficult to answer with our own examples of Bush and B-liar both being religiously challenged themselves.
Bush talks to God, B-liar wants to be judged by God.

It seems you do not understand the Islamic culture at all.
For all Muslims the Koran is a total instruction, explanation and guide to their lives it encompasses all you are asking.
The Sharia law is derived from the Koran and covers all aspects of the legal system for Islam and Muslims.
We have our system of separation, such as Civil Law, Criminal Law, politics etc.
No one can claim to be the owner of what is right and wrong in the moral debate.

Answer 2

If you are talking about terrorists their motivations are rarely religious. They may use religion as a basic tool for recruitment, but by committing the murder of innocents they have already condemned themselves within their religion. If they truly believed in their religion then they could not commit the acts that they do.

If you are discussing Palestinian suicide bombers, I believe that their motivation is more one of desperation than religion.

Religious leaders around the world, in almost all organized religions use religion as a means to secure power and control over their flock of sheep, and to assure that they have a secure financial future.

Religion is the means, power and money are the motivation.

If this were not true then no church would have any expensive trappings, the leaders would not drive fancy cars or wear expensive clothing or jewelry until there were no more hungry people in the world.

The basic rules preached by all major contemporary religions are basically identical, so is the disregard of the rules they preach.

Answer 3

I'd Say NO.

No more than the people of the southern united states.
It's true religion exerts an influence on all parts of thier lives, But why is this undue? If you have faith in any religion you believe in the laws of that religion above the laws of the state regardless, and as the Taliban proved all religions are intolerant of things that attempt to discredit or denigrate them.

Answer 4

No, i think everyone on the planet wants to think there is more to life than just beign trampled under another group's boot heel.
For many people the only satifaction they get from situations of exploitation, that they have no control over, is that there is an invisible man in the clouds ready to reward them for their suffering, and punish the wicked for abusing them.
With that thought being in their mind, i believe rich wealthy people who have goals that aren't religious, use this notion as a tool for control to get those people to do exactly what they want.
I mean why else would heaven be paved with streets of gold?
now all you have to do is convince these poor, undereducated people that the job you have for them, is a religious one.

Answer 5

I think it has a lot to do with education levels. The higher educated people are, the more they've been taught to question things. People who aren't educated are more likely to believe everything they are told, especially when they're told by people like priests or imams or whatever. And lots of people in middle eastern countries are illiterate... Western people were very religious about 500 years ago when most of us here were still illiterate!

Answer 6

Bush has allowed Christian conservatives to have way too much power in decision making, like staying the course in Iraq because Jesus is coming back tomorrow or next week, and the holy land must be made safe.
This is just as scary as what you mention in the matter of undue influence.

Answer 7

I don't believe this would be a true statement. I think it is more related to the age at which the indoctrination begins. If you begin to teach someone a mindset in early childhood and reinforce this teaching through the course of their life the average person will end up being very focused and ideological. This applies equally to the teaching of all religions not just Islam.

Answer 8

i would say that the ALL people are susceptable to religious brainwashing... in the west it is democracy and free market religion, there is is islam, in china it is communism.

the thing with islam is that the base culture of the religion is respect both to be given and recieved, and it is their right to defend that. so the more the west insults them, the more upset and angry they become.... it doesn't need brainwashing to mobilise them from this point, it just needs leadership. it won't be too long until they have it.

the west have, and continue to disrespect... i wouldn't be surprised if they are doing it deliberately. bush wants war.... remember that.

Answer 9

I see this happening right here in the United States.
Alot of Bush's core support comes out of social agendas propagandized by conservative Christian evangelicals :
Intelligent design, gay marriage, and support for his war in Iraq are used to create wedge issues that could lead to votes for Bush.
No matter what form it takes, no matter where its done, these people are being misled and used.

Answer 10

Religion generally originated in the eastern countries. religon developed mostly on the foundation of the culture of the region in which he person or persons who created a partivular religon belonged .The hiduism is said to be the oldest of all religions . but it is not a religion in the sense we call other religions made by or creatd in the name of any particular person like Christianity and Islam.The hidu religons is a bundle of the philsophy of the people of a particular region which includes in tio the thoughts and views of the people about the life the social conduct , celebrations , marriages , life and death and worship of God etc .Since it includes the wordhip of God also , to which all other religons are specifically bound , the hindu culture is also called a religons and it has come to saty. The Hidus themselves did not have it a specific religons untill they were branded as such by the foreign forces that occupieed their country and ruled over them social conduct ,The Hindu religion is based on a scientific knowledge of the processes of nature andthe nature of birth and death as an inevitable process of nature and the conditioning of the mind of the individuals to accept it and to be prepared for the eventuality . .Religon has its base mostly and really on ignorance and fear .or a specific need for the person who created it .That is why we see in the religous scriptures of the widely spresd religions matters which are totally incorrect and unscientific and matters that hold a threat of punishment in a non-existent hell and tempting rewards of women for eternal sex for the followers of some religons .( Quoting of authority is omitted in order not to offend followers of some religons ). the brainwhashing has been ther ein all countries and religons and the number of adherents to any specific religion depends on the attraction the rewards promissed by the religion holds for the particular people . the offer of dozens of young women with swelling breasts by god for the followers certain religion has been very tempting to certain types of people in the middle east and also elsewhre and so lots ofg people who belivbed in it have embraced that religion . Sex has been and is still amajor attraction for many people of the world except those in the hidu fold whre it is not having the sway that it has in the west and other countries in the east and middle east .Sex in the inidian culture is known specifiaclly as "Chitrinbam"-meaning small pleasure and matrimony is considered to be a sacred union( for procreation of perect and pious children ) that should last for ever and unchangeable and not just a contract of sexual pleasure . for those civilisationsin which sex is life , the hindu thoughts were not very attractive and they embraced those religons that offered dozens of women for eternal sex as reward of God. The brain washing for sex has had its effec on a lareg enumer of people. Religion has its effects on people who are ignorant of the nature of the world and life and death.