It really is. I’m noticing that the percentage of students who cannot process the message that “Iberian Muslims did not force anybody to practice Islam. To the contrary, they fostered an environment of religious tolerance. They liberated the peninsula’s Jews from slavery and did not persecute them for practicing Judaism” is growing.
The message is delivered very clearly in the lectures abd in the textbook. Yet I’m alarmed by the growing number of people who hear what I say (and read what the textbook says) and transform it into “Iberian Muslims forced everybody to practice Islam. They enslaved the Jews and killed everybody who didn’t convert to Islam.”
Every year I get more students with this particular hearing problem. This year, I also got 2 students who interpret a mile-long list of what the Muslims contributed to the culture of Medieval Europe (sciences, architecture, philosophy, engineering, etc) as “The Muslims contributed nothing but torture and death.” This never happened to me before, and I’m traumatized.
It’s scary when you say something and people hear the exact opposite.
Clarissa's Blog 
You’re clearly sarcastic. This is not a hearing problem, this is an islamophobic ideological problem.
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It’s really scary because I say something in the lecture, very clearly. It’s stated very clearly in the PP slides. And in the textbook.
But people go and read the exact opposite into what I’m saying.
And the worst part is that tomorrow they will tell somebody, “I learned in this course with Prof. Clarissa. . .” This is so wrong.
I’m now writing personal emails to those with the hearing problem.
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But Clarissa, you should stop to brainwash your students with your soccchhhhialissst islamo-terrorist ideology, ya know! 😉
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Islamophobia is about as real as Christianphobia…….as in……..not. Now are there a lot of ignorant bigots in the world, you betcha.
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Islamophobia and Christianophobia (I think you misspelled it) are both quite real. They are sometimes justified, but not always. I most definitely fear the Dominionist Xtians, for example.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominionism
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My fear of Dominionists is more theoretical than real given their small numbers and lack of legislative clout.
my fear of Islamic supremacists is a good deal more concrete given their numbers, track record and openly stated ambitions.
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The Medieval Muslims are not scary. They are all dead, too.
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Titfortat, please Google Christianophobia in the world before you come out with such ignorant comments. Christians are being massacred in certain countries because they are Christians. Here’s one:
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/christianophobia-a-faith-under-attack-by-rupert-shortt-8274142.html
and it’s been going on for years. If you read French, there’s a good account of a 12yr old girl’s experience of fleeing a bunch of Muslim killers who were massacring all they came across in villages as they rampaged through. Here (and if you don’t, you can Google translate):
http://www.resistancerepublicaine.eu/2013/temoignage-les-heurts-inter-confessionnels-en-terre-musulmane-par-eva/
There’s even a petition which dates back to 2011 but which gives some stats:
http://www.againstchristianophobia.org/
*Every five minutes a Christian is killed for his faith, excluding the victims of civil wars, or wars between nations..”
*105,000 people are put to death every year just because they are Christians.
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Personally I dont think any of these people have phobia’s, what they do have are deep seated hatreds. In my world there is a big difference between the two.
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Phobia is a synonym of hatred.
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Is it always irrational though? I was always under the impression phobia’s were irrational. If its not then I can honestly admit to having a phobia for radical islam.
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My guess is either:
a) they think you’re lying to them in the name of PC and so they should understand the opposite of what you’re saying
b) you’re not making it clear enough that these are very different people from those practicing current political islam (though explaining the differences clearly is liable to get you in trouble)
c) they’re too distracted, undisciplined or dim to understand a lecture (or textbooks)
d) some combination of two or more of a), b) and c).
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They do manage to process the information about the Jews and Christians, though. In spite of still having no idea who Jews are.
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That narrows it down. My guess is then they either think you’re not telling them the truth or they don’t get the difference between them and (for example) the current muslim inhabitants of Spain who are not a pleasant, educated or tolerant lot (I’m sure there’s lots of very nice individuals but en masse they make a poor impression).
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Islamophobia in the west is people being ignorant and condemning of what the average Muslim believes. Radical Islam in the west looks like this.
http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/05/24/this-is-war-multiculturalism-doesnt-work
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Strange article. “There is no separation between mosque and state in the Qur’an; there is no separation between civilian and military in the Qur’an.” Not is there in the minds of the US fundamentalists, one of whom invaded Iraq and Afghanistan because his God told him so.
Fanatics are all the same. The attempt to prove that some fanatics are worse than others is doomed from the start.
And this part: “Multiculturalism doesn’t work. You cannot have two competing cultures in the same country.”
Of course, multiculturalism doesn’t work. But as for two competing cultures, look at the US once again. There are 2 competing cultures, big way. And one of the is precisely what the article denounces: doesn’t respect the separation between church and state, believes everybody should be guided by literal readings of an ancient text, etc. So? What is the journalist’s suggestion? Deport the 16% of American Puritans back to where they came from?
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Fanatics are all the same. The attempt to prove that some fanatics are worse than others is doomed from the start.(Clarissa)
Look around, some are worse than others.
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“Look around, some are worse than others.”
– No, they aren’t. I have no idea what purpose is served by classifying freakazoids into a better and worse kind.
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Tell you what, I’ll take the born again Christian demonstrating in the front of an abortion clinic over someone chopping me up with a meat cleaver any freaking day of the week. There is a big freaking difference.
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” I’ll take the born again Christian demonstrating in the front of an abortion clinic over someone chopping me up with a meat cleaver any freaking day of the week”
– Because Christian fanatics have never killed anybody? Seriously? All they do is demonstrate?
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Tell you what, when is the last time you read about a Christian setting offs bombs at a marathon or chopping someone up with a meat cleaver. How about the last time you heard a born again Christian yelling “Jesus is great” just before they detonate themselves in a crowded area. There is a BIG FREAKING difference between radical Islam and the vast majority of religions out here. For that matter, can you imagine a Jew in a bazaar with other Jews present and them yelling “Yahweh is great” and then going boom. Really, not happening at any where near the same frequency.
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“Tell you what, when is the last time you read about a Christian setting offs bombs at a marathon or chopping someone up with a meat cleaver.”
– Oh, that’s child’s play compared to a fundamentalist Christian invading countries because God told him to and murdering crowds of children by throwing bombs at them.
“There is a BIG FREAKING difference between radical Islam and the vast majority of religions out here. ”
– Tell that to the relatives of the thousands upon thousands murdered by Bush Jr in the name of his religion.
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If you think Bush invaded any country because of his religion you really are a little out of touch with why World powers do what they do. Mind you, that way of thinking isn’t that far removed from the fanatics, delusional. 😉
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“If you think Bush invaded any country because of his religion you really are a little out of touch with why World powers do what they do.”
– And neither did Bin Laden act because of any religion conviction. Of course, these freakazoids only use religion as an excuse. But the stupid and the desperate listen to them. And when a fanatic – or a person fanatics listen to – gets his hands on advanced weapon technology, we are all screwed.
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BIn Laden is not a world power and the reality is that he was motivated by his religious conviction. One of the irritants that Bid Laden spoke of was the proximity of the American military and Mecca. He despised that. The individuals who are continuing the ideas purported by Bin Laden and Al Qaeda are very much religiously motivated. There is presently no comparable religion(violent actions) to radical Islam in the world today. Some freaks really are freakier than others!
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“BIn Laden is not a world power”
– Yes, exactly. So he – or his today’s equivalents – is a lot less scary than the arsenal of the US in the hands of a person who says he needs to invade Iraq because God told him to.
“One of the irritants that Bid Laden spoke of was the proximity of the American military and Mecca.”
– And Bush blabbed about God endlessly. Or do you not remember that?
“There is presently no comparable religion(violent actions) to radical Islam in the world today.”
– You are going in circles. We have already discussed this.
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arsenal of the US in the hands of a person who says he needs to invade Iraq because God told him to.(Clarissa)
Wrong 3 lettered word. The reason was oil not god.
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You quoted what bin Laden SAID. I quoted what Bush SAID. Let’s maintain some consistency in this discussion. Two people explain their actions as religiously motivated, yet you choose to take one of them at his word while reading the other one’s mind.
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Here’s the thing Clarissa, Bin Laden can do whatever he wants if he thinks God is telling him to. It doesn’t matter what Bush thinks about God because he has to jump through a lot more hoops than just saying God told me to. Oil baby, Oil.
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Look, if you honestly find some Muslim radicals God knows where to be more scary than the Christian fundamentalists who have so much power in the US, that’s your right. It is a position that I will not be able to understand in a million years but you are entitled to it.
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Look at it from this perspective(as I do). I live close to several fundamentalist Christians and Jews. In fact I have lived around some for most of my life. I have never had to worry that they might want to go on a religious war against myself or anyone in my neighbourhood. Now, I know most Muslims in my community wont be doing that anytime soon either. BUT, and it is a big but, there are some radical Islamists in my community that do harbor these kinds of ideas(just arrested 2 recently). They may be only a very small minority but in comparison to the Jews and Christians and Sikhs and Hindus, they are a whole lot bigger and more likely to do some FREAKY shit. So, with that said, you can think that the fanatics on both sides are equal, as is your right, but for the life of me, I will never in a million years understand how you can logically think that. 😉
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“They may be only a very small minority but in comparison to the Jews and Christians and Sikhs and Hindus, they are a whole lot bigger and more likely to do some FREAKY shit. ”
– You are forgetting that they have no access to the governmental structures, unlike fundamentalist Christianists. Their freaky shit is very local and tiny in scope. However, when the religious fundamentalist Bush creates a global economic crisis that hits all of us, that scares me personally a lot more than the possibility that some crazy person will yell “Allah!” instead of “God!” while attcking a victim.
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You do realize Bush has been gone for over 5yrs? In those 5yrs can you name me another batshit crazy Christian? I can name a few radical Islamists if you would like. 😉
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“In those 5yrs can you name me another batshit crazy Christian? ”
– I can name hundreds but all you need to do to discover them is take the roster of the US House and Senate and look at the list of states’ governors. Here are some names to start your search: Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.
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Here are some names to start your search: Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.(Clarissa)
And just before they blew themselves up they yelled, “Jesus is great”.
You need to get out more. 🙂
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I’d so much rather Paul Ryan just did that, rather than continuing to destroy our economy.
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Interesting article:
“as Thomas Doherty forcefully establishes in his wide-ranging and brightly written new book, “Hollywood and Hitler, 1933-1939,” Nazis were all but invisible in American movies at the time when depicting their savagery might have done the most good. Doherty, a film historian and professor of American studies at Brandeis University, points out that a great majority of American studios went out of their way to avoid any mention of the ominous political developments in Germany from the moment of Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 until well into 1939, when the outbreak of war in Europe had come to seem inevitable.
The motivation was largely commercial: the studios, with one important exception, did not want to risk the loss of a major European market by offending Joseph Goebbels’s Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda, whose censors decided which foreign films would be shown in Germany.”
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http://www.juancole.com/2014/02/americans-increasingly-minorities.html
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As usual, Cole is avoiding everything that could be interesting about this analysis. There is a growing number of non-religious people in the US. Among the young, there is a secular revolution happening. So the interesting question here is not the boring and outdated “How many people hate minorities?” but a more interesting “How many people hate religion?”
If I were asked my opinion of Judaism, Catholicism, Mormonism, Protestantism, Islam, Russian Orthodox, etc, I’d say my opinion is extremely negative of all. And I’m profoundly opposed to the idea of a president who identifies publicly as Christian (or any other religion).
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http://www.patcondell.net/ha-ha-islamophobia/
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