Is the threat of Islamic terrorism being exaggerated?

[ck4829]

Now keep in mind, I am not going to say Al Qaeda or Islamist terrorism are not threats. But, could there be other things that are worse than Al Qaeda? Are there groups and people who are taking advantage of this climate of fear?

Take this for example
The Making of the Terror Myth
"Since September 11, Britain has been warned of the 'inevitability' of catastrophic terrorist attack." But, have any catastrophic terrorist attacks happened in Britain?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1327904,00.html

After 9/11, people told us that suicide bombings could would happen on a regular basis in America. That hasn't happened yet.

I clearly remember that after the school massacre in Beslan, all of the people on Fox News were saying it would only be a matter of time before there is a school massacre here in America. That also hasn't happened yet.

I also remember that the RW'ers are saying Muslims all around the world are launching a war to destroy the west. Is this also being exaggerated? I, for one, don't want to fight my fellow Americans.

In reality, I believe the Christian Right poses more of a danger to America than Islamic terrorists. Keep in mind, I am not speaking about Christians in general (Just about my entire family are Christians), just the fringe that is slowly growing more powerful. They have the same goals, they want to see people dead, they want to destroy democracy, they want control of the government. The Christian Right and Islamic Terrorists have the same lust for blood and power, just under different names.

[opihimoimoi]

1. Yup, same ideas ... diff Gods

[rogerashton]

5. Same God, actually.

Allah is just the Arabic form of Elohim.

[firebee]

15. and "God" is the english form of Elohim???

[rogerashton]

16. Sort of.

It is from the Germanic "Gott," which would originally have refered to the Pagan gods of the nordic cult.

The Hebrew Scriptures have several words for "God," including "Adonai" (young lord, that is, legitimate lord, the root of the common Christian term "The Lord") and of course the unexpressible four letters. However, "El" is the common Semitic root meaning God. Elohim is the form that occurs in Genesis.

[HawkerHurricane]

2. Yes.

Yes, it is a threat, and yes it's being exagerated. The combined might of every Muslim nation is less than ours. The 'war of civilizations' is really the last gasps of the Muslim superstate that ceased to exist over a thousand years ago. I worry about them conquering us as much as I worry about the reborn British Empire coming to take us over.

[catmandu57]

3. I'm more afraid of the homegrown loonies

Religion is a powerful drug, a drug that's best either left alone or taken in small doses for the weak minded. Our fundies are taking doses far too powerful for their,and, our good.

[BlueEyedSon]

4. Of course. The red menace is over.

There needs to be SOME reason to continue feeding the military-corporate-gov't beast....

[Forkboy]

6. It's a war pimp renaissance

[Forkboy]

7. I worry about my own government more than being attacked by Muslims

[izzie]

8. They take the place of the "Godless Reds"

We need something to move into the place for a reason to keep the MIC going at top speed.

[truthpusher]

9. yes n/t

[spooked911]

10. Yes of course, and even worse, much of the terrorism is actually

inspired by US government agents. To wit-- 9/11.

[radwriter0555]

11. What islamic terrorists? Bush's PNAC hired the 911 hit men. They were

just hired thugs.

Bush is using islam the way hitler used the jews.

[MaryH]

12. How Will We Ever Know?

As long as the information we get comes from unreliable sources we may never know the real truth.

It was rather odd that all of the terror alerts just stopped after the election.

[radwriter0555]

14. Look in your heart and trust your instincts.

...

[porkrind]

13. "Is the threat of Islamic terrorism being exaggerated?"

Of course. It's a boogeyman to scare you with. More people die from falling off ladders each year.

Should we have a "Department of Home-Ladder Security"? Should we declare a "War on Ladders"?

Somebody stop this fucking planet, I want to get off!

[Disturbed]

17. Neo Fascists, Multi-Corps, Fundies

and an assorted conglomeration of Neo Nazis, White Power Groups etc. These are a bit more worrisome than Al Q.

[xchrom]

18. it's an extraordinarily limited number of people

compared to the number muslims in the world.
why violent terrorists in such limited numbers aren't treated like criminals instead of this ''war'' thing that happened, has strictly do with our corporate masters wanting to teach the muslim world a lesson.

[radwriter0555]

19. You're right. There's like 8 of them. SERIOUSLY...

The world isn't being overrun with muslim terrorists.

bush is using islam the way hitler used the jews... he stirs up fear and hatred in order to 'protect' the people that serve him, just like hitler did.

[Stinky The Clown]

20. Kerry actually had it right with his "nuisance" meme

Not to say even one death at the hand of a terrorist is a "nuisance", per se, but as an overall concept, that's where it belongs. Apart from 9/11, how many deaths in the US or to US nationals abroad are the direct result of terrorism? To be sure, to be absolutely clear, to be CERTAIN, there are terrorists out there who will strike us again .... and maybe more severely than 9/11, but there **are** worse threats to our way of life.

The latter day robber barons.

Religious extremists of **all** stripes

The weak dollar crowd

The isolationists

Al Qaeda is but one of many threats to our country, and likely not the worst.

[femme.democratique]

21. Of course the threat is widely exaggerated as al'Qaida = al'CIAda

[Lydia Leftcoast]

22. If you have broadband, look at the three-hour BBC documentary

linked from this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2876040

They claim that Al Qaeda was made up by an informant for the U.S. government and that the "terrorists" being trained in Afghanistan were training not to strike at the West but to foment Islamic revolutions in Islamic countries. Furthermore, neither American nor British troops were ever able to find evidence of a high-tech underground command center in caves and tunnels at Tora Bora--just ordinary caves, some with ammunition stored in them.

[InvisibleBallots]

23. Yes, and the threat of the Christian Fundies is exaggerated as well

The threats from Islamic terrorism and Christian terrorism is being exaggerated, for political reasons.