Fear of Islam: Justified or a phobia?

Xluna · 30-01-2010 04:39PM #1

The common definition of a phobia is "A fear or irrational hatred". I hear the phrase Islamaphobia thrown about often. However when so many disgusting,vile and putrid acts are commited in the name of a religion,and supported by a large section of the faith,is a fear and hatred of Islam a phobia or a justified fear and repulsion?

minidazzler · 30-01-2010 04:43PM

Define large section? There are over a billion muslims in the world.

So even if there are 1 million who are extremist, that is a tiny amount.

And religion has always been responsible for alot of deaths!

I don't think it's justified TBH, but I do see why it exists

Red_Marauder · 30-01-2010 04:44PM

What if you disagree with both poll options.

Why would you fear Islam. I know how the Catholic Church has treated children - it might make me dislike their church but it doesn't make me fear them

Hank_Jones · 30-01-2010 04:44PM

Personally I have no real fear of Islam, but then again that's due to the country that we live in.
If I was living in London or New York, I would imagine that I would have bigger fears regarding this.
But then again I don't really know any people connected to Islam.
I have read quite a bit about the religion, but I don't have any real life experience with regards to Islam.

D'oh, voted the wrong option, don't think I have ever done that before.

I think it's a phobia, up to a certain point.

Pompey Magnus · 30-01-2010 04:47PM

I fear any religion or set of beliefs which has a fixation on end of the world type scenarios combined with access to nuclear weapons.

Xluna · 30-01-2010 04:48PM

Hank_Jones wrote: »

D'oh, voted the wrong option, don't think I have ever done that before.

I think it's a phobia, up to a certain point.

Don't worry. I accidently voted for phobia so we cancelled our votes out.

My name is URL · 30-01-2010 04:49PM

Anyone that choses to live their life by a book of fairytales scares me

opinion guy · 30-01-2010 04:50PM

OP why single out Islam ? Why is there no option for fear of Christianity, Judaism, Shinto or Flying Spaghettism to name but a few ?

Turtwig · 30-01-2010 04:51PM

I fear any irrational ideology, religion or not, that has the ability to corrupt modern society and science and take us back to the dark ages.

Hank_Jones · 30-01-2010 04:51PM

Xluna wrote: »

Don't worry. I accidently voted for phobia so we cancelled our votes out.

Glad to hear that, nice doing business with you.

artanevilla · 30-01-2010 04:51PM

minidazzler wrote: »

Define large section? There are over a billion muslims in the world.

So even if there are 1 million who are extremist, that is a tiny amount.

And religion has always been responsible for alot of deaths!

I don't think it's justified TBH, but I do see why it exists

One million isn't a tiny amount.

dr.bollocko · 30-01-2010 04:52PM

opinion guy wrote: »

OP why single out Islam ? Why is there no option for fear of Christianity, Judaism, Shinto or Flying Spaghettism to name but a few ?

Islam in last week's sunday times "Not list."
Zoroastrianism is on it's way back to the top though.
I never liked Zorro myself.

m@cc@ · 30-01-2010 04:52PM

As with all religions, it's not the religion you should fear but human beings interpretation of it. Anyone can get their own agenda and then rework their interpretation of religion to fit in with it. Islamic terrorists are as much a threat to that 99% of peaceful Muslims way of life as they are to us.

Xluna · 30-01-2010 04:53PM

opinion guy wrote: »

OP why single out Islam ? Why is there no option for fear of Christianity, Judaism, Shinto or Flying Spaghettism to name but a few ?

Because the morality of the other religions have evolved. Islam today has the same mindset of Catholicism during the middle ages. I'm not a Christian or a Buddhist but to be fair you would have to manipulate the teachings of Jesus and the Buddha a lot to endorse torturing a raped girl,executing homosexuals ect. With Islam it's a bit less difficult...

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 30-01-2010 04:55PM

If I lived in the US or the UK I'd be more scared of my own govenrnment.

davyjose · 30-01-2010 04:55PM

My name is URL wrote: »

Anyone that choses to live their life by a book of fairytales scares me

You must spend a lot of time frightened so. Quite a lot of people believe in religion.

This thread is another example of ignorance. Islam is not the same as terrorism or extremism. It's just a religion.

davyjose · 30-01-2010 04:57PM

Xluna wrote: »

Because the morality of the other religions have evolved. Islam today has the same mindset of Catholicism during the middle ages. I'm not a Christian or a Buddhist but to be fair you would have to manipulate the teachings of Jesus and the Buddha a lot to endorse torturing a raped girl,executing homosexuals ect. With Islam it's a bit less difficult...

Don't confuse culture with religion; it makes you look foolish.

Xluna · 30-01-2010 04:57PM

davyjose wrote: »

Islam is not the same as terrorism or extremism. It's just a religion.

Do you honestly think that if the 911 hijackers did'nt believe they would be rewarded with an orgy for their "sacrifice" they would have had the balls to commit that suicide mission?

m@cc@ · 30-01-2010 04:57PM

Xluna wrote: »

Because the morality of the other religions have evolved. Islam today has the same mindset of Catholicism during the middle ages. I'm not a Christian or a Buddhist but to be fair you would have to manipulate the teachings of Jesus and the Buddha a lot to endorse torturing a raped girl,executing homosexuals ect. With Islam it's a bit less difficult...

Hmm, you see you say that and yet, I wouldn't like to ask what happened to raped girls in Ireland 50 years ago. Why doesn't this happen today? Not because the religion has evolved, but the people have evolved and take little notice of the church. And as for homosexuals, I'd be interested to know what the Catholic church would do to them if it got away with it.

Xluna · 30-01-2010 04:58PM

davyjose wrote: »

Don't confuse culture with religion; it makes you look foolish.

It seems the poll agrees with me but whatever. Religion is a primary component of culture and a predicating factor in determining socio/cultural values and laws.:rolleyes:

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 30-01-2010 05:00PM

Xluna wrote: »

It seems the poll agrees with me but whatever. Religion is a primary component of culture and a predicating factor in determing socio/cultural values and laws.:rolleyes:

Of whose culture...? Not all culture has to be associated with a nationality.

m@cc@ · 30-01-2010 05:02PM

Xluna wrote: »

It seems the poll agrees with me but whatever. Religion is a primary component of culture and a predicating factor in determing socio/cultural values and laws.:rolleyes:

Ah, if ever there was a yardstick to base your opinions on.

Turtwig · 30-01-2010 05:02PM

davyjose wrote: »

It's just a religion.

The most naive statement one can possibly make : "It's just a religion, what harm does it do?"
*Searches for another planet to live on*

robinph · 30-01-2010 05:02PM

Red_Marauder wrote: »

What if you disagree with both poll options.

Why would you fear Islam. I know how the Catholic Church has treated children - it might make me dislike their church but it doesn't make me fear them

In that case you should be voting for the "phobia" option then as you can see no reason to fear Islam. Therefore you see people who do fear it as having a phobia.

Xluna · 30-01-2010 05:04PM

m@cc@ wrote: »

Ah, if ever there was a yardstick to base your opinions on.

I was addressing someone who said my opinion made me appear foolish. Looking foolish and being foolish are two different things. It depends on who's making the observation.

Biggins · 30-01-2010 05:06PM

What scares me is that someone that rigidly follows a book written hundreds of years ago espousing a series of laws that were applicable to society then - then thinks that those ancient laws still absolutely apply to today's societies.

Societies move on as do legal interpretation of adopted newer laws which have been created to move with the actual times.
Someone that is still sticking steadfast to old laws that are now possibly outdated and non applicable to a changed society that has moved on in progressiveness, is by definition and by thinking, is still living in the past.

The price we might pay by someone still living in the past, using some outdated judgements and methods - now THAT scares me.

Red_Marauder · 30-01-2010 05:08PM

Xluna wrote: »

Do you honestly think that if the 911 hijackers did'nt believe they would be rewarded with an orgy for their "sacrifice" they would have had the balls to commit that suicide mission?

There are over a billion Muslims in the world.

If terrorism is mainstream part of their religion, why aren't we seeing it all the time? Why are we still going on about an event from nine years ago?

m@cc@ · 30-01-2010 05:09PM

Xluna wrote: »

I was addressing someone who said my opinion made me appear foolish. Looking foolish and being foolish are two different things. It depends on who's making the observation.

Your point has nothing to do with the poll. You're commenting on the morality of the religion, not whether it's justified to be fearful of it.

Xluna · 30-01-2010 05:10PM

m@cc@ wrote: »

Your point has nothing to do with the poll. You're commenting on the morality of the religion, not whether it's justified to be fearful of it.

I would have thought the morality of the religion would have had a lot to do with whether it deserved to be fear or not.

robinph · 30-01-2010 05:11PM

Xluna wrote: »

It seems the poll agrees with me but whatever.

That is probably because people are reading the question more like "Are you scared of people with beards?".

Xluna · 30-01-2010 05:13PM

Red_Marauder wrote: »

If terrorism is mainstream part of their religion, why aren't we seeing it all the time?

We are. Look at how terrified women ect must be in their societies.

Fear of Islam: Justified or a phobia?

Justified fear or phobia? 77 votes

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