I'm beginning to hate muslims.

[derekpara]

On TV I've just watched an English Muslim convert refusing to condemn ' his Muslim Brothers' for attempting to kill innocent women and children. I know it is wrong, but I am beginning to feel hatred towards Muslims.because I feel personally threatened Please tell me something to counteract this growing feeling of hatred.

[dot.hawkes]

I have never been one to go into great depth over anything, but i know this isn't about religion it is terrorism , which is a criminal act. I just think that some of these would be terrorists have been recruited and groomed and that it has been a plan for many many years to get to this.

[horselady]

I know exactly what you mean, I'm beginning to feel a bit differently now, like you say, it's like someone standing in front of you personally threatening you. Some of them show such intense hatred for non-muslims, it's frightening.

[laurence2]

They stick togeather {muslims} no matter what, it staggerers me that all of a sudden muslims are protesting that the ones arrested yesterday are innocent.

Undercover surveilance for 7 months AND THEIR INNOCENT, how silly of us to say their guilty

This country/goverments have made us a laughing stock over the last 20 or so years, its about time they got some backbone and tell these preachers of hate etc where to go

The amount of people i see now who detest muslims is incredible, i know its only a small percentage that are causing havoc, but we live in a society now where we blame all for a fews actions

[crj1978]

I am not feeling hatred towards all muslims but I can empathise completely as to why you are feeling this way. It is a very small few who choose to commit these evil crimes, and the majority of Muslims are peace loving people i'm sure, but I think because of the threat to our country and people, you are not alone in having these feelings. I have not yet had a chance to try and find out, but does anyone know what the Muslim leaders in this country have said about yesterdays terrorism plot being foiled?

[Pippa68]

The last time Muslims stood up to be counted was 7/7. They gathered to let us all know they were just as appalled as we were..but did it make anyone feel better? nope. So what is the point in them doing it again? actually, why should they? why should they be lumped in with a bunch of terrorist loonies?

I am not beginning to hate Muslims. I just hate the terrorist extremists, and I can separate the two quite easily.

[Ralph]

Listening to a muslim convert is probably like listening to a reborn christian about the love of Jesus or a Man Utd fan about how they're going to win in Europe next year. They're all fanatics that can't change the subject, won't change their minds and are driven by an overwhelming sense that they're right.

There is absolutely no way that this person is representative of anything but the smallest section of the population, hardly balanced reporting but you don't want to hear from and won't remember the granny that utterly condemns this sort of thing.

But this isn't really why I'm typing a reply here. I'm concerned that we've been here before. Mark Twain said that history doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme. An entire section of the population of the world is being systematically dehumanised. It's much easier to kill something that isn't human.

Hitler did it to the Jews, Milosevic did it to the rest of Yugoslavia, the Israelis and the Palesinians have done it to each other, the Hutu's and the Tutsi's also had a good go at it. The results cannot be good and history always points out the stupidity of the idea. It's happening again it would appear.

Every year, we're told to remember what all those people in the wars died for. It looks like we remember them, but forget the lessons. Lest we forget? We already have.

I understand why you feel ike you do, but try to understand the seriousness of the implications of going down this road.

[Xanthippe]

How can you feel hatred for millions of people because of the appalling actions of a few, derekpara?

My children and I were jostled by drunken yobs last year, but I didn't jump to the conclusion that all my fellow Englishmen/women were violent drunks, even though such incidents are regularly reported in our city centres and in foreign holiday resorts during the summer season.

Im not suggesting it's easy to be tolerant and I never thought I would appreciate the benefits of the British stiff upper lip, but it really is better than succumbing to hysterical paranoia and condemning a whole culture for the actions of a nasty minority of extremist loonies. Best wishes.

[Pippa68]

Very eloquently put, Ralph :o)

Strangely enough I was thinking about the similarities between George Bush & Hitler earlier. If you tell someone something often enough, they will believe it to be true.

I happen to lean towards the 'conspiracy theorists' regarding 9/11. In fact, I believe the US governent are the real conspiracy theorists!

[wonderwoman1]

totally agree with you pippa...not ALL muslims are terrorsits...its only the few that the "teachers" know they can brainwash...unfortunately because of our government and that dimwit accross the pond, nothing will or can be done. they are here now and wont rest until the whole world is converted to their way of thinking. Most muslims are disgusted by what is going on and it hurts them that they are being tarred with the same brush.

[ll_billym]

I don't feel any hatred toward muslims as most of them are totally against terrorism. The fact is is that the terrorists we do have are muslim. The sooner the UK government and the UK muslim councils agree on this, the sooner we can all start acting in a realistic way to the problem.

[maxximus]

yes derekpara, that is precisely the effect the media propaganda is supposed to have on you. how else could you sit through these past years of watching innocents including women and children getting killed in a variety of horrible ways on your television at dinner every night. based soley on the word of two greedy corporately controlled governments, no proof, no facts, no convictions only their word, that it is so. they don't really care what you think, as they will tell you what to think. and they care even less what the muslim's think.

[maxximus]

sorry, by the way. very good post ralph cheers!

[Trotbot]

I don't recall a groundswell of opinions against Catholics during the IRA campaigns (and nor should there have been). The newspapers could always find rent-a-quote bigots to support any actions then. Extremists do not speak or act for the majority, which is why they need to go to extremes to gain attention. It is simple enough, sadly.

If you change your views, start treating all Muslims in the same hateful manner then it will give others reasons to try extremism as a way of expressing themselves. Some will always move towards extremism, others need an event that changes their views.

How many young people wanted to join the IRA after Bloody Sunday? I don't know, but it was almost certainly more than on the Saturday before.

[tellboy]

I am sick of the news when I hear over and over again that "The Government are appealing to the Muslim Community"
The Sikh Community and the Hindu Community must be pi**ed off that they are never appealing to them,

[noxlumos]

Trotbot, there was not a groundswell of anti-Catholic opinion as far as I know in the UK but there was certainly plenty of anti-Irish opinion ( which I think those who don't understand the subtleties of the problems in Ireland used in it's stead) with Irish business and many Irish centres being attacked. I have cousins who live in Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool and they were all aware of it. The Irish centre in Digbeth was attacked several times in the wake of the Birmingham Pub bombings, but there was not the vast media machine that maxximus describes then to really indoctrinate the mass of the British public and give it any unified bite. I truly feel very sorry for the Muslim community and I have no problem seperating them from the maniacs that want to kill people.how can anyone readily confuse the two?
Derek, were you in the paras?

[derekpara]

Thank you all for some great answers on both sides. No, I don't condemn the majority for the actions of a minority and know that the vast majority of Muslims are peace loving and hard working people. I am only describing the gut feeling , based I suppose, on fear for my family and our country. Not very well put.,I'm afraid , but I wish someone would do something to bring about real understanding and peaceful co-existence. Regarding Bloody Sunday, Trotbot, that's another issue, which I could debate !. And yes, Noxlumos, I was - but am a totally different person now, I think.

[matt66]

derekpara if you were a paratrooper you will know what a missile fired from 15,000 feet does to a street let alone a house. You know what happened and is happening in lebanon. You know that 500 children died in a month. as an army man (and most of them hate violence) do you think it is right for our govt not to ask for an immediate ceasefire in lebanon.

[derekpara]

Matt. Yes, I do know those things, but on the wider issue I believe that the public knows only as much as 'they' want us to know. We are treated the same now as when I was in the army - like mushrooms; kept in the dark, and occasionaly someone would come along and throw 'sh*t over us.!!

[whiffey]

All of us live in a free Western society. We have the precious freedom to exchange such views as these. However much anybody hates Bush, Blair, war, ask yourself this from the comfort of your protected armchair.

If push came to shove, which would you prefer to be top dog, Bush and USA, or Osama Bin Laden and ???