Beepster
So why not say ISIS wannabe?
Or Al Quaeda derpclowns?
Yanno... like how we call the Klan what they are when they do something crappy or what we call neo Nazis when they do something crappy or eco terrorists when they do something crappy or when the IRA would do something crappy, or when bikers do something crappy, etc.
My whole bleeding point is just saying/implying "Muslims" or "Islam" is inaccurate. These are specific radical groups. Yes they are a major problem and need to be thwarted at every turn as much as possible.
Muslims in general are just people and I find it gross that they have to take on all the hate and blame for these jerks running around hurting people.
I think what a lot of people fail to acknowledge is that Islam (or any other religion) is not a race or an ethnicity. It's a collection of ideas. As adults, we are quite free to embrace or reject any set of ideas we like. We're also free to judge people for the ideas they hold, since the ideas you choose to embrace are a reflection of your character. I firmly believe that religion, as an idea, is dangerous and will always lead to violence, oppression, cruelty and subjugation. The reason being that when it comes to religion, there is no appeal to reason. You cannot challenge a religious statement with logic - no matter how illogical or easily debunkable it is, the religious person can always appeal to some intangible "other world" and dismiss objective arguments without having to offer a single fact or rationalization. "It says so in this here book that was written by God" is apparently enough. And thus there is no limit on this earth to what can be justified by mysticism.
You are adult enough to understand that when someone says "x% of Muslims...." they mean exactly that, x% of a group. They are not saying "the whole group." Therefore, it is not a generalization of a group. It is a distinct proportion. Now then. Whether or not it's worth getting worried about the attitudes and beliefs of a distinct proportion of a group, depends on how big that proportion is (and what it translates to in absolute numbers).
0.01% of 100,000 people is not only an overwhelming minority, it's also a very small number of people in total. 20% of a billion people (for example), is an extremely significant proportion, and a huge number of people in total. Should we be worried that such a large group of people thinks that suicide bombings against civilians are honorable if they're done in the name of their religion? Of course! After the 7/7 London Underground bombings, surveys showed that as many as 25% of British Muslims supported the bombers. The figure was even higher among the under-30's. You can dance around this all you like with warm and fuzzy platitudes about togetherness, but the fact remains that this is and will continue to be a huge problem as extremism in these communities flourishes - unreported, hidden and supported by a significant proportion of the community.
Also in that Pew study - 50% of Egyptians have a positive view of Hamas, and 30% have a positive view of Hezbollah, both groups with direct and indirect links to terrorism. By saying this, am I claiming that all Egyptians support terrorism? Of course not - that would be factually incorrect. But would these figures make me think twice about taking a trip to Egypt (or investing in the country if I were some big shot businessman)? Of course they would.