Communism vs. Islam

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

definately Islam

[Alcon]

Communism, although this is really apples and oranges. There are successful Islamic countries; there are no successful Communist countries.

Many peaceful Islamics would find this very suggestion offensive.

Still, though, apples and oranges.

[Cashcow]

Islam is a religion. Communism is a political system.

I won't vote.

[PBrunsel]

Communism.

BTW BRTD, your "Long Live the People's War" is more like "Long Live the War in which a group of Red Leaders will kill millions of people, deny it, and recive UN applause."

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

It's going to be pretty difficult for 15k troops to kill millions. And read up on the suspension of civil liberties and ridiculous abuses by Nepali security forces lately.

[Gabu]

The two are wholly incomparable, really.

[PBrunsel]

It's going to be pretty difficult for 15k troops to kill millions. And read up on the suspension of civil liberties and ridiculous abuses by Nepali security forces lately.

Well I know they wil lose the revolution, but if they do their government will kill millions, as all Communist nations do.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The girl in the picture on the right does not look like a cold blooded murderer to me. Yet she is a POW being held by the King's thugs.

[PBrunsel]

The girl in the picture on the right does not look like a cold blooded murderer to me. Yet she is a POW being held by the King's thugs.

That's the key "Does not look threatening to you." How would you know BRTD? Perhaps she is a terrorist thug. The King wouldn't hold her if she was not.

[Leif Ericson]

The girl in the picture on the right does not look like a cold blooded murderer to me. Yet she is a POW being held by the King's thugs.

That's the key "Does not look threatening [/i]to you[/i]." How would you know BRTD? Perhaps she is a terrorist thug. The King wouldn't hold her if she was not.

Yeah... I guess all those people Stalin killed really were guilty and threatening.

You're being hypocritical.

[John Dibble]

Islam is a religion. Communism is a political system.

I beg to differ.


For the record, Communism.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The girl in the picture on the right does not look like a cold blooded murderer to me. Yet she is a POW being held by the King's thugs.

That's the key "Does not look threatening to you." How would you know BRTD? Perhaps she is a terrorist thug. The King wouldn't hold her if she was not.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=615706
http://nytimes.com/2005/02/08/international/asia/08nepal.html
http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Students-allege-torture-in-Nepal-clampdown/2005/02/06/1107625058069.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4231605.stm
http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG4_sub.asp?ccode=ENG4&newscode=91654

I don't trust the King. This is a guy who had most of his family murdered so he could ascend to the throne after all.

[John Dibble]

The girl in the picture on the right does not look like a cold blooded murderer to me. Yet she is a POW being held by the King's thugs.

That's the key "Does not look threatening to you." How would you know BRTD? Perhaps she is a terrorist thug. The King wouldn't hold her if she was not.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=615706
http://nytimes.com/2005/02/08/international/asia/08nepal.html
http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Students-allege-torture-in-Nepal-clampdown/2005/02/06/1107625058069.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4231605.stm
http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG4_sub.asp?ccode=ENG4&newscode=91654

I don't trust the King. This is a guy who had most of his family murdered so he could ascend to the throne after all.

Not trusting the King is not necessarily a reason to trust the rebels. Many times rebels against tyrannical governments only want to replace the tyrant with a new one. If you feel there is good reason to trust the rebels, that's another thing, but simply being against the current regime doesn't cut it.

Also, a question - if you were a terrorist or just a rebel, would you want to look suspicious or would you want to look innocent? Would you want to look like the enemy or would you want to look like someone not involved?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The girl in the picture on the right does not look like a cold blooded murderer to me. Yet she is a POW being held by the King's thugs.

That's the key "Does not look threatening to you." How would you know BRTD? Perhaps she is a terrorist thug. The King wouldn't hold her if she was not.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=615706
http://nytimes.com/2005/02/08/international/asia/08nepal.html
http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Students-allege-torture-in-Nepal-clampdown/2005/02/06/1107625058069.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4231605.stm
http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG4_sub.asp?ccode=ENG4&newscode=91654

I don't trust the King. This is a guy who had most of his family murdered so he could ascend to the throne after all.

Not trusting the King is not necessarily a reason to trust the rebels. Many times rebels against tyrannical governments only want to replace the tyrant with a new one. If you feel there is good reason to trust the rebels, that's another thing, but simply being against the current regime doesn't cut it.

Also, a question - if you were a terrorist or just a rebel, would you want to look suspicious or would you want to look innocent? Would you want to look like the enemy or would you want to look like someone not involved?

I know someone on DU who was in Nepal and has met the rebels. He says they are very friendly and get along very well with tourists. Largely they are just sick of their country's exploitation by big foreign businesses (mainly Coca-Cola) and oppressive feudal traditions.

Go look at some pictures of the Iraqi insurgents. Or bin Laden or al-Zaraqawi. They look evil and threatening. Not like an innocent young girl.

[John Dibble]

I know someone on DU who was in Nepal and has met the rebels. He says they are very friendly and get along very well with tourists. Largely they are just sick of their country's exploitation by big foreign businesses (mainly Coca-Cola) and oppressive feudal traditions.

And that's just fine.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Don't pretend those girls with guns don't look evil to those who they're pointing the guns at. There's an essential difference between the Nepal rebels and the Iraqi insurgents/Al-Queda - the Nepal rebels aren't pointing their guns and aggression at you and your family/country. On the other hand, the insurgents and bin Laden are pointing their guns at us - that automatically makes them seem more evil to us, and we get the image of Islamic insurgents in our head as evil. If the Nepal rebels started going after you, they'd appear more evil to you.

Also, do you think the insurgents look like that when they go home to their families? You can't judge someone solely on how they appear - there's a number of menacing looking people in the world who are completely nice guys, and plenty of nice looking people who are evil sons of bitches.

[TX_1824]

  Communism is the stripping of individual rights (civil liberties), the seizure of private property, the prohibition of individual thought, no free press, arrest and detention of political opponents, sweat shops that pay wages below livable standards, the creation of an oligarchial authoritarian system of government where only those in power can earn wealth and the middle class is non-existent, plus many more abhorant acts of oppression. How anyone can support communism is beyond me.
  
   A communist posting on this forum that uses pronouns such as "I", "me", or any other phrase that identifies themselve as an individual is going against the communist principle of eliminating individualism among the masses. The individual does not matter. Only the state. It is a system of government that never works and only promotes suffering among the people. Don't believe me. Ask someone over the age of 30 in eastern Europe what they think of Communism. Most of the pro-Communist today are around the age of 18-30 and have no idea what the true face of Communism is. Some are here on this forum and  aren't even old enough to drink. I think one just turned 21 recently. I'm 48. I lived in Israel in the 80's. Islam has some bad pratices, but is flexable enough to change. Just look at what is happening today in the Middle East. In a Communist state they would be killed en masse. A Communist state has no room for growth or progress. It is stagnant. Just look 90 miles south of Florida. You don't have people risking death to get to Cuba, but they are drowning it pitiful excuses for boats in an attempt to reach our shores. Besides, Islam is not a government.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I know someone on DU who was in Nepal and has met the rebels. He says they are very friendly and get along very well with tourists. Largely they are just sick of their country's exploitation by big foreign businesses (mainly Coca-Cola) and oppressive feudal traditions.

And that's just fine.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Don't pretend those girls with guns don't look evil to those who they're pointing the guns at. There's an essential difference between the Nepal rebels and the Iraqi insurgents/Al-Queda - the Nepal rebels aren't pointing their guns and aggression at you and your family/country. On the other hand, the insurgents and bin Laden are pointing their guns at us - that automatically makes them seem more evil to us, and we get the image of Islamic insurgents in our head as evil. If the Nepal rebels started going after you, they'd appear more evil to you.

Also, do you think the insurgents look like that when they go home to their families? You can't judge someone solely on how they appear - there's a number of menacing looking people in the world who are completely nice guys, and plenty of nice looking people who are evil sons of bitches.

They're pointing their guns at the photographer, who was almost certainly friendly with them since it looks like a staged shoot. But I know no one in Iraq, and since I was against the invasion and am totally against our current government, it hardly seems like my country or something involving me is over there. But I still think these guys look like evil SOBs:

I'm not going to ask, first of all, why the hell someone would do something like go to Nepal to meet rebels. And, honestly, I do not care what your friend on DU has to say. Personal experience for a few days is hardly worth mentioning, especially when it is not yours.

you didn't ask, but I'll answer anyway, he did not go to Nepal to meet rebels. Nepal is a very popular tourist destination.

Ted Bundy lived in this very neighborhood. Went to my middle school. Charming, social fellow. Many sociopathic people are smooth, handsome, and disarming, and can talk about brutally murdering innocent people with a smile on their face and not even a tangential understanding of what guilt is supposed to be and feel like. A photograph proves nothing other than that they can comb their hair, crawl into the fetal position, and smile for the camera. Everyone's an actor when the pay is good, so to speak.

You think a POW is able to prepare to look good for the camera?

[Alcon]

Ted Bundy lived in this very neighborhood. Went to my middle school. Charming, social fellow. Many sociopathic people are smooth, handsome, and disarming, and can talk about brutally murdering innocent people with a smile on their face and not even a tangential understanding of what guilt is supposed to be and feel like. A photograph proves nothing other than that they can comb their hair, crawl into the fetal position, and smile for the camera. Everyone's an actor when the pay is good, so to speak.

You think a POW is able to prepare to look good for the camera?

She is angry, frustrated, and sad. Just because she is not at that moment enraged does not mean she is not capable of becoming so.

Do you believe someone's entire personality can be captured in a photograph? Seriously. Come on.

[John Dibble]

They're pointing their guns at the photographer, who was almost certainly friendly with them since it looks like a staged shoot.

Entirely besides the point. Do you think the people they point their guns at on the battlefield think they look innocent and friendly?

[TX_1824]

They're pointing their guns at the photographer, who was almost certainly friendly with them since it looks like a staged shoot.

Entirely besides the point. Do you think the people they point their guns at on the battlefield think they look innocent and friendly?

Those guns have to be at least 60 years old. They appear to be breach loaders. If you want someone to consider you a national threat you should probably get least a kalashnikov. I'm sure in that part of the world there are plenty.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

They are militiawomen, even though they are aligned with the communist rebellion they don't belong to the main group. The core army is much better armed.

[opebo]

Communism and Islam are similar - both are based on the idea that someone can know what is best for another person.  That said, living in an Islamic theocracy would obviously be far more unpleasant.

Oh, and BRTD is right, the king of Nepal is a vicious thug.  The only kings that aren't are the ones that have no power.

[minionofmidas]

The girl in the picture on the right does not look like a cold blooded murderer to me. Yet she is a POW being held by the King's thugs.

That's the key "Does not look threatening to you." How would you know BRTD? Perhaps she is a terrorist thug. The King wouldn't hold her if she was not.

Except that he most definitely is a terrorist thug. You should maybe follow his suggestion and read up on the situation in Nepal. It won't be enough to make you into a follower of Nepali Maoists, but it will be enough to make you stop believing in anything this guy does.

As to the original question: Put way too crudely.
Do you mean: Would you prefer to live in an Islamist or a Communist country? Or what?
And if so...are we comparing the Taliban's Afghanistan to Fidel Castro's Cuba (Communist is better in a heartbeat) or modern Iran to Pol Pot's Cambodia (Islamist is better in a heartbeat)?

[Beet]

Its Communism vs. Islam, not Communism vs. Terrorism. Of course Communism is worse!

[opebo]

Its Communism vs. Islam, not Communism vs. Terrorism. Of course Communism is worse!

Not if Islam has any political power.