Anti-Minaret Online Referendum

[Valmy]

Interesting. Only 38% of urban Swiss supported the ban, but rural regions had support in excess of 66%. Rednecks aren't relegated to merely the United States.

If by interesting you mean completely predictable then yes.

And yeah country people are country people the world over.

[Fate]

Interesting. Only 38% of urban Swiss supported the ban, but rural regions had support in excess of 66%. Rednecks aren't relegated to merely the United States.

If by interesting you mean completely predictable then yes.

And yeah country people are country people the world over.

You would think if Islam is ready to take over Europe by force, then urbanites who live side by side with the majority of immigrants might have more first hand experience with the jihadi menace.

[Sheilbh]

You would think if Islam is ready to take over Europe by force, then urbanites who live side by side with the majority of immigrants might have more first hand experience with the jihadi menace.

It's always the way.  According to polls in the UK immigration is more of a priority in constituencies with less experience of it.  It's always mind-boggling to me when I go to visit my family in rural Dorset.  If you get chatting in the pub and immigration or multi-culti or PC comes up you hear the most preposterously extreme views: the country's fucked because of foreigners, Islam's taken over and so on.  In Dorset multi-culturalism means selling Cornish pasties.

But I live in a very ethnically, religiously, racially diverse area of London and to be honest my impression is that actually it's sort of working

[garbon]

Same with diversity. Places like Spokane, WA or Wellesley, MA are less accepting of individuals from diverse backgrounds as they've no experience with them.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I find the muslims in my district to be better behaved than the white majority, they seem to be hardworking family-oriented people, you know.......their mosque doesn't even have a minaret 

When reading the papers I find it impossible to reconcile the lurid accounts of Islam with my day-to-day reality. Of course it is harder for a denizen of Dorset to make such direct observations.

[Valmy]

I generally like the Muslims (and I mean the ones that are actual Muslims not "Muslims" like the 2nd generation dude who is about as Muslim as Martinus is Christian) I know here, good peeps, but sometimes they say bizarre things that leave me thinking 'WTF?'. 

'Yeah Europe had alot of great philosophers but really Islam makes all their ideas redundant.'

'Um...ok.'  Yeah John Locke clearly had nothing to add after the Quran invented separation of powers but anywho.

However the Muslims around here are highly educated engineers and science types so they are probably not representative of the average Joe Muslim.

[garbon]

I generally like people (and I mean the ones that are actual People not "People" like a mass murderer or rapist who is about as People-like as Martinus is Christian) I know here, good peeps, but sometimes they say bizarre things that leave me thinking 'WTF?'.

'Yeah the music of the 80s made music today redundant. It's all just unoriginal copycatism.'

'Um...ok.' Yeah the 80s was the height of music and clearly there has been nothing to add after that decade but anywho.

[Admiral Yi]

If you polled practicing Christians with respect to #1, I suspect the vast majority would say God's law is above that of the State's, especially when in disagreement.

And follow God's law when it conflicts with civil law?  Of course not.

[Iormlund]

Very retarded.

Compromising on the principles of freedom of religion just to harrass a certain religion is very silly IMO.

I agree. Why stop at one when we can harass all of them?

[Grallon]

In the meantime however the government has -against the will of the majority- decided to initiate another legalisation-drive that at best will result in about 150K new residents, and at worst 400K new residents. That's a rise equivalent to about 4% of the current population... all in a few months to a year. And then politicians wonder why the people are ill at ease.

I think Belgium (or rather Wallonia) should become a recruitment pool for the Quebec Immigration Ministry - rather than Absurdistan or Botswana.  The french segment of the population is very close culturally to us and the country is perpetually on the verge of collapse when it's not overrun by 3rd worlders.

Similarly the european descendants in South Africa would be good candidates for England instead of endless streams of pakis.




G.

[derspiess]

I generally like people...

He has a point, grabon.  My buddy's wife's family (all Indian Muslims) are all very well-educated & in most cases seem pretty down to earth.  But the men in the family seem a bit prone to believe in conspiracy theories & whatnot.  I really like her family, but I steer clear of certain topics when I'm around them.

[garbon]

He has a point, grabon.  My buddy's wife's family (all Indian Muslims) are all very well-educated & in most cases seem pretty down to earth.  But the men in the family seem a bit prone to believe in conspiracy theories & whatnot.  I really like her family, but I steer clear of certain topics when I'm around them.

Sure. There are weird people in every group.

Men on the black side of my family are more prone to rape and assault.

[Valmy]

I generally like people (and I mean the ones that are actual People not "People" like a mass murderer or rapist who is about as People-like as Martinus is Christian) I know here, good peeps, but sometimes they say bizarre things that leave me thinking 'WTF?'.

'Yeah the music of the 80s made music today redundant. It's all just unoriginal copycatism.'

'Um...ok.' Yeah the 80s was the height of music and clearly there has been nothing to add after that decade but anywho.

That is not comparable at all dude.  You know what the music of the 80s is and you are familiar with it since you come from a common cultural context.  I don't know nearly enough about Islam and its cultural context to even begin to understand those sort of statements that come from them from time to time.  It puts me in a weird position of wanting to ask them  but we usually end up going in circles when we do.

I mean unless they are comparing 80s music in Swahili to American music and pointing out how redundant it makes it.

[garbon]

So take an Islam appreciation class.

[Valmy]

So take an Islam appreciation class.

Take an anecdote appreciation class.

You didn't get all pissy with Dick when he relayed his anecdotes so why are you all pissy with me?  Because I noted one thing I felt was sorta funny and different?