Though Shalt Not Say....
Islamic terrorism
The European Union, tiptoeing through a minefield of religious and cultural sensitivities, is discreetly reviewing the language it uses to describe terrorists who claim to act in the name of Islam.
Now I understand that Muslims may dislike the term, but take a look at what they have decided to use in its place:
we talk about "terrorists who abusively invoke Islam"
Now if I were a Muslim, thats probably how I would refer to them. But seeing as they refer to themselves as Islamic, I fail to see the problem in us using the same terms.
I also never cease to be amazed at the priorities of people dealing with very real threats to the lives of innocent people. "Forget about the problems, lets be careful about the words we use. "
5 comments:
Your point is well made, EU, but we will all be aware of moments when sloppy words have cost us dear.
History is littered with problems and conflicts caused by either the sloppy, inaccurate use of language or indeed the deliberately provocative use of language designed to harness the prejudices of the masses.
In today's world, it is often sub editors who are the cause of this problem, as they seek ever shorter and simplistic headlines.
I personally am not yet prepared to label the whole of Islam as terrorists, however contentedly that phrase may trip off the tongue.
Islam is a faith and a religion not a terrorist organisation. Allowing a sub editor's easy headline to infer otherwise is a dangerous line indeed.
I personally am not yet prepared to label the whole of Islam as terrorists
Most certainly not. I am very much an individualist and judge people by their own actions.
I just find the sense of priorities warped.
Richard Baily:
The phrase "Islamic terrorist" is not equivalent to saying that the religion of Islam is a terrorist organisation unless one applies sloppy logic.
It's bit like saying, all crows are birds; all crows are black; therefore all black birds are crows.
The newspeak phrase from the EU is, quite frankly, absurd as to is your argument.
Quite. Where are the calls from Islamic bodies calling for the terrorists to stop invoking Islam? Where are the calls for a restraint in the way Islamic bodies use language to criticise those who call them Islamic terrorists?
I think everyone should stop fighting and have a cup off tea with biscuits
Eco friendly one
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