Israel (now broader Mid East discussion)

Arathrael said
OK, first, what has this tweet about some guy being deported from France back in February (and the other one saying someone should be deported from Britain) got to do with Israel? Or is this just the 'baarbogast dumps anything in his twitter feed even vaguely related to Muslims' thread now? I keep checking in on this thread for news and discussion about the current events in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon, not for random blowhards on twitter trying to use this stuff to amplify division and hatred.

And that said, what are you even on about @KiwiSaint? Since when have Western countries like France not been doing this? That guy, deported back in February, is one of many deported from France going back decades. Here is an imam being suspended and then deported to the Comoros in 2022 after making discriminatory remarks against women. Here is an imam being deported to Egypt back in 2010 for incitement. And from that article, "The Egyptian national was the 29th imam or Islamic preacher to have been deported from France since 2001, according to the interior ministry."

The notion that Western countries haven't been doing things like this for decades is fiction, and a key part of right-wing rhetoric that seeks to stir up hatred against minorities: "Group X is evil, and your government isn't doing anything about them! They're going to let them take over! Great replacement! Rise up! And don't forget to like and subscribe, also buy our cellular defense pills, dog food, and EMF badges."

It's all part of the grift - the dangerous, self-defeating, harmful, grift - and it's embarrassing.

It’s not a grift and it’s not embarrassing, it’s just in opposition to your world view and that’s ok.
What I’m on about is my world view and it’s that Islam is a religion of intolerance. Whether it’s reactions to a Koran burning, or a cartoon about the Prophet Mohammed, or a book critical of Islam (Rushdie), the reactions of a not-so-small minority are over-the-top. And then there is the silent majority of moderate Muslims that tacitly accept the voice and rule of radical elements.
Now, what does this have to do in a thread about Israel? The conflict is essentially a conflict of religions and ideologies…Judaism/Zionism vs Islam/Jihad. It’s the radical elements of BOTH sides that have always and are currently driving this conflict.

I’m not sure you can argue against the fact that in recent years there has been an upswing in immigration to Western Europe from Islamic countries…many as refugees fleeing from oppressive regimes and seemingly unending conflict. You have to acknowledge that embedded within that immigration wave, are radical elements. Is this by design or happenstance, I would suggest it’s the former. I acknowledge that there have been deportations of some radical Imams, but how long were they allowed to poison the minds of their followers before it happened?
Islam leans more heavily as intolerant vs integrative. If the radical, intolerant elements are allowed to immigrate and establish footholds in Western countries, it’s going to not be a peaceful future. The negative ramifications will be felt by both non-Islamic as well as moderate Muslim communities.
Regarding the tweets, it would be naive to think that these are not driven by ideological algorithms, commercial interests, etc. and are biased to one side or the other. However, within all the bullshirt, there is usually a kernel of truth. I celebrate every instance of the deportations, arrests, whatever the response to these radical elements.
With all that out of the way…how about that Spencer Rattler news?