Posted on 04/30/2007 3:44:17 AM PDT by rmlew
A Documentary by ABG Films on the Struggle for the Future of Islam and the Free World
Followed by Discussion with the Filmmakers
Martyn Baker, Alex Alexiev, and Frank Gaffney
Location: Regal Union Square Stadium 14
850 Broadway at 13th Street
New York City
Date: Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Time: 6:00 pm Doors Open
6:30 pm Private Screening Begins
RSVP CapitolHQ at nterzulli@capitalhq.com / 212. 588.9148
As you may already know, PBS has just been airing its series on America, its values, and its politics, entitled: "America at a Crossroad." What you may not know is part of the series, "America at a Crossroad" was CENSORED by PBS and was not broadcast in their series. The movie, Islam vs. Islamists, was produced Martyn Burke, Alex Alexiev and Frank Gaffney and it documents the real crossroads between moderate Muslims and the struggle within their own community and conflict with the fundamentalists to be heard.
Our friends at CapitalHQ, have quickly organized a private screening of this film.
Ping
PBS = al Qaeda News = BBC = Terrorist Central = AP
It’s good to see this sort of thing...the vast majority of Muslims are obviously not extremists - a point lost on many Americans, I fear. Assymetric conflicts, such as GWOT, require an incredible amount of cultural understanding to win and this sort of video helps in that understanding.
Interesting.
Useful idiots.
And the funny thing is: If the islamofascists ever took over,
these marxist rats would be the first to get their heads lopped off.
I guess every cloud has a silver lining.
In the military I get a different perspective of what people think I guess...one of “bombing them back to the stone age because they’re all terrorists.”
Put it up on that Interweb thing and people will watch it.
BUMP!
- True.
On the other hand, a lot of comparatively sane Muslims seem mentally incapable of dealing with the mere existence of Islamofascism. To some extent, they even deny it exists.
A large share of the Muslims believe 9/11 was staged by Non-Muslims like people working for the CIA or a conspiracy among the ‘ruling elite’ of the US.
My experience is that few Muslims who live in the West support any kind of terror attacks in the name of Islam, but simultaneously distrust of the West is at an all time high.
A major problem concerning the struggle to make the Muslim World more democratic is that most Muslim’s don’t want our help in this field, while there, simultaneously, is little that Muslim friends of democracy CAN do on their own against Islamofascist leaders like those residing in Tehran.
“My experience is that few Muslims who live in the West support any kind of terror attacks in the name of Islam, but simultaneously distrust of the West is at an all time high.
A major problem concerning the struggle to make the Muslim World more democratic is that most Muslim’s don’t want our help in this field, while there, simultaneously, is little that Muslim friends of democracy CAN do on their own against Islamofascist leaders like those residing in Tehran.”
Interesting...have you read the “Pentagon’s New Map?”
- No, I have not. But thank’s for the tip! I checked it out at wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon%27s_New_Map ) Seems well worth reading. I also found this article (will read it soon):
http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/published/pentagonsnewmap.htm
From the wikipedia article:
“The world can be roughly divided into two groups: the Functioning Core, characterized by economic interdependence, and the Non-Integrated Gap, characterized by unstable leadership and absence from international trade. The Core can be sub-divided into Old Core (North America, Western Europe, Japan, Australia) and New Core (China, India). The Disconnected Gap includes the Middle East, South Asia (except India), most of Africa, Southeast Asia, and northwest South America.”
This seems to be a correct and useful description.
One problem that poses a severe threat to several nations as well as the world at large is the incapability and unwillingness to question the system and actions of one’s own country in many ‘Disconnected Gap’ nations.
Instead of looking at parts of the world like the US or Scandinavia which are rich, dynamic and successful and asking the inevitable question ‘why isn’t our country doing this well?’, people in these countries are brainwashed into believing Socialism/Islam/Military Aggression provides a useful key to development. This alongside with blaming backwardness on some foreign force outside the nation like ‘Capitalist exploitation’ or ‘US imperialism’.
The approach to economic and democratic development in many of the ‘Disconnected Gap’ countries is ridiculous and futile, to say the least. Underdeveloped countries could learn a lot from examples like that of South Korea, a country that chose the path of industrialism, democracy and Capitalism instead of aid dependency and Socialism. There’s no reason this kind of development could be achieved by, for instance, Sudan or Cuba.
Significant for backward countries that there IS hope for in the near future, is their ability to admit their own shortcomings in the past. Whatever one thinks of a leader like Putin, it must be admitted that most Russians have realized that the Soviet Union turned out to be a fiasco. Today, more and more Russians are beginning to realize Capitalism is the only road to success. In Cuba, the denial of this very fact has become state religion.
Rich although ‘slow growth’ nations like Italy, Germany and France are other examples of nations where a lot of people have the courage to question their former national policies. The new conservative leader of Germany, Mrs. Angela Merkel, have admitted that the Scandinavian model of national ‘budget discipline’ combined with the preservation of 40 hours work weeks is a much better economic concept than the ones that have turned Germany, Italy and France into zero growth economies while nations like the US, Ireland and the Scandinavian countries have enjoyed annual GDP growth levels of around 3-6% for 15 years now.
I wish more countries would dare to ask the crucial question “If Capitalism, traditional work ethics and Democracy have worked so well in many other countries, what prevents us from giving it a try as well?”
A major problem concerning the struggle to make the Muslim World more democratic is that most Muslim’s don’t want our help in this field, while there, simultaneously, is little that Muslim friends of democracy CAN do on their own against Islamofascist leaders like those residing in Tehran.
I would point out that in the last elections in Malaysia & Indonesia the Islamist parties lost...badly very badly. in Malaysia they held onto their seats (in the north) by 1% of the vote.
(I posted an article on this at the time and I could find it if you want I suppose).
What we see with “Islam vs. Islamists: Voices From the Muslim Center” is part of the problem, the lack of PR both here and in the media) on the fact that the vast majority of Muslims don’t buy into Salafiism/Wahhabism.
(Note: No where have I said there are no problems inside Islam. I would never say anything quite so silly)
Correction:
Of course, it ought to read:
“There’s no reason this kind of development could NOT be achieved by, for instance, Sudan or Cuba.”
If you want a preview see
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=pentagonsnewmap
Hugh Hewitt did a series of interviews with Barnett on this book
Some people here in Europe think integrating Turkey with Europe through allowing Turkey to join the EU could have a positive effect on the spread of democratic values in the Muslim world. I guess this can be argued for, but I can also see the dangers of letting Turkey join the EU.
Turkish immigrants to the EU often behave very well. In Germany, where most Muslims are of Turkish origin, crime rates among immigrants seem to be much lower than in France, where most Muslims stem from Norther Africa or in the UK which houses a lot of Pakistan Muslims.
One important question, in this context, is this; what are the odds of Muslims worldwide wishing to become as Westernized as the anti Islamist people of Turkish origin?
Thanks a lot for the link!
One important question, in this context, is this; what are the odds of Muslims worldwide wishing to become as Westernized as the anti Islamist people of Turkish origin?
(an interesting question)
Westernized? If by Westernized you mean they will look like America...Spain then NO. If by Westerized you mean free open elections, a non-croupt government, capitalism (of some sort), Women freely participating in society, freedom of religion..etc, then that’s the goal and in the next 20-30 years I’d yes for large parts of the Islamic world. And in “parts” of the islamic world it’s already happening to a greater or lesser degree. This is one of the things the Persident means when he talks about a generational struggle.
Secular Turkey is one model, we must not insist on a one size fits all thing when addressing the Islamic world. We’re seeing another model working itself out in Iraq right now. We won’t know how this will work out for (at least)10-20 years.
/little miss mary sunshine
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