Is it to early to say some muslims did this?

[abaris]

Seems like a lot of lunatic fringes are popping up all over the Middle East and Europe lately. Must be something in the water I guess.

Yeah, quite right you are. According to Europol statistics a whopping 2 percent of all terrorist attacks in Europe are motivated by religion.

It's always nice to read an informed post.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/defa..._web_1.pdf

Thanks for the heads up, abaris. Presume you're referencing the above? I couldn't see a specific mention of the 2% but I'll take your word for it.

That said, the actual % is irrelevant. An attack is an attack. Also doesn't take into account the foiled attacks (I presume) and the resources dedicated to combatting it, of which (in the UK) it is increasing and increasingly misguided. Repeatedly missing the mark on how to tackle extremism within Muslim communities but not actually making any reference to it (and we know it's there, we see it on a daily, weekly, monthly basis).

There is a blurring line between ascriptions towards political and religious MOs. Also depends on how a state/individual cites the divide between the two (arguably impossible to define). The report cited doesn't class the Woolwich murder as a religious attack for example, even though the attackers said they murdered drummer Rigby in the name of Allah.

There is a throughly convincing argument that, in the case of Islam, a divide on notions of the Temporal and the spiritual is nye impossible, especially in competing extremist ideological organisations that do exist in Europe and have throughly entrenched networks here that operate through mosques and their constituent FBOs. This has been seen even so far as the MCB and the London central mosque from 2003, but weirdly Blair et al still used the MCB as their go to group on all issues 'islam' (even though one member was an advocate for the murdering of Rushdie following the publication of the satanic verses, and several cited the 7/7 bombings as being a conspiracy false flag attack). Various FBOs operating from the mosque have well known connections to extremism and to funding excursions abroard, even ones used by central and local government (tower hamlets anyone?)

2% seems like an arbitary figure. Could be a lot more or less, but considering there is little academic consensus on the matter even now I'd like to see the methodology working that out. Maybe it's in the report,I'm don't know,mbut I'm willing to bet it's based on what the state's themselves define as terrorism, in which case there is unlikely to be any sort of consensus on the issue.

Anyway,none of the above was actually relevant to my point. What I was saying is that, even when the connection to religious extremism is as clear as day (as in the Woolwich murder case or the Charlie attack), there are a neverending line of people lining up to say that islam isn't an issue, and that its just a few lunatics on the fringe. That's not what I redognise in my day to day life, and I fucking study religion and FBOs in my home city for a living. Extremism is much more prevalent in 'Islamic religious' communities than any of these people are willing to admit or, unfortunately, investigate.

[Forsaken]

Noooo! Not the Muslims! The internet police will be on us in no time.

[lifesagift]

This frustrates me. Intrinsically I'm allowed to draw things. A flower, a dead body, a swastika etc. Who decides that I can draw these things? we all do I guess?

So mohammed..... I can't draw Mo! who decides that? well not 'us'!! it's a militia that decides that it seems !

Problem is I don't believe in allah or mo, and therefore don't feel compelled to listen to your nonsense about I shouldn't draw your fantasy ruler.

Now if I drew a fairly good likeness of your mum (who does exist, for sure) with a cock in her mouth, then I'd expect a smack in the face... that's just!!

[Dystopia]

Hey I'm reading an article that says it is related to a synagogue. Can someone confirm?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/1...0H20150215

[Regina]

I'm gonna say yes, too early, if there's no proof.

It's probably is Muslims, but it's not always. The Norway shootings in 2011, I immediately assumed was Muslims and then it turned out not to be so... can't always be sure.

[Dystopia]

NuclearJaguar it's either a Muslim or a white supremacist. Since this conference wasn't favourable to Muslims (free speech and all) I'm going to make my bets...

[Chas]

The easy answer to this is to ban guns.

I'll bet that gun was possessed illegally.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

Looks like the guy was a gangmember who had a history of violence. Omar Abdel Hamid el-Hussein:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...Islam.html

[Dystopia]

How many more have to die before politicians and social commentators stop blaming terrorist attacks on the "failure of western governments to integrate Muslims in western societies"?

[I am not kidding, there are politicians saying this has nothing to do with religion and it's the west's fault]