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Community => Politics and Government => Topic started by: armandtanzarian on July 16, 2012, 11:08:09 am

Title: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: armandtanzarian on July 16, 2012, 11:08:09 am
Well look no further because we here in Malaysia are dealing with this shit right now.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-malaysia-islam-20120713,0,6132910.story

Quote
First came the banning of a gay arts festival and the book "Islamic Sex." Then the cancellation of U.S. singer Erykah Badu's concert after a publicity photo showed her with an "Allah" tattoo.

Next on the banned list was British author Peter Mayle's sex-education book "Where Did I Come From?" and, in May, "Allah, Liberty & Love" by liberal Muslim activist Irshad Manji, which calls for reform and greater tolerance within Islam.

Quote
With polls suggesting a recent erosion in support for Prime Minister Najib Razak and the ruling party, particularly among younger, tech-savvy voters, the government has been working overtime to solidify its support among the country's Muslim Malay majority. And one way it has done that, analysts said, is by fanning fear of secularism and the spread of religions other than Islam.

Having lived in the US for a few years its hard not to see the parallels between the wave of hyper-Islamization and the Moral Majority of the 1980s, except these idiots may have more power. To put this in context the next election is at the end of the year, and for the first time the ruling party has a real chance of losing power. So they pull this shit. Meantime the government has been plagued with billion-dollar scandals and a slowing economy where we're the slowest country outside of Singapore.

If anything, we need your advice on how to handle these newly empowered extremists. This wave of hyper-piety has led to the erosion of rights of LGBTs as well as non-Muslims in general, and its getting worse as the election gets closer.

More links:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/features/article/moral-courage-is-needed-says-irshad-manji/
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/1210015/1/.html
http://www.seksualitimerdeka.org/
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: kefkaownsall on July 16, 2012, 11:15:15 am
this is why we dont elect republicans
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: Distind on July 16, 2012, 11:36:37 am
If anything, we need your advice on how to handle these newly empowered extremists. This wave of hyper-piety has led to the erosion of rights of LGBTs as well as non-Muslims in general, and its getting worse as the election gets closer.
Let them get power, and note down every last damn thing they do wrong. It's not like they democrats ever beat the 'moral majority' it's just that enough of the people who fell for it realized the people backing it were even bigger fuckheads than the ones they replaced. Of course, republicans are at least 90% hot air and 5% sex scandal.

That said, your fuckheads are violent agressive and appear to be far more serious about this than the republicans are. The biggest real option would be countering their propaganda. Pointing out the flaws, falaicies and manipulation within what they're pushing. Though if they say anything really stupid that people can laugh at, that'll travel farther than any political analysis ever would. Pushing secular and intelligent people to be more politically active, and oppose their tactics openly might also work.
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: ThunderWulf on July 16, 2012, 11:36:59 am
Cue fundies blasting Islam while praising trying to make the US "Jesusland" and not even seeing a hint of the irony.
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: Osama bin Bambi on July 16, 2012, 11:39:46 am
1. Put the fundies' info on 4chan.
2. Point out the stupid.
3. Use the internet to spread your message.
4. If the younger people are interested in the more liberal side of politics, they are the group you want to mobilize.
5. ? ? ? ? ?
6. PROFIT!

Another option is to have oil and then have the US invade you.
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: armandtanzarian on July 16, 2012, 11:46:26 am
If anything, we need your advice on how to handle these newly empowered extremists. This wave of hyper-piety has led to the erosion of rights of LGBTs as well as non-Muslims in general, and its getting worse as the election gets closer.
Let them get power, and note down every last damn thing they do wrong. It's not like they democrats ever beat the 'moral majority' it's just that enough of the people who fell for it realized the people backing it were even bigger fuckheads than the ones they replaced. Of course, republicans are at least 90% hot air and 5% sex scandal.

That said, your fuckheads are violent agressive and appear to be far more serious about this than the republicans are. The biggest real option would be countering their propaganda. Pointing out the flaws, falaicies and manipulation within what they're pushing. Though if they say anything really stupid that people can laugh at, that'll travel farther than any political analysis ever would. Pushing secular and intelligent people to be more politically active, and oppose their tactics openly might also work.
1. They already have the power. If they didn't, how would the raids occur?

2. Right now part of the problem is a power struggle with the ruling party between the moderates and the fundamentalists. The current Prime Minister, Najib Razak, could be considered a moderate, but he's still too tainted by too many scandals for the opposition to ever accept him. At the same time the fundamentalists hate him because he's carried out a few (somewhat commendable) measures to remove the Malay supremacy in government and professional positions, which to the nutjobs amounts to an infiltration of Western elements into Muslim culture apparently.

3. The ruling party controls all mainstream news. Even if the Sedition Law (which prevents news organizations from reporting "anti-government" news) is currently being repealed, the main stockholders of the main papers and channels are all party insiders and cronies. Meanwhile opposition-leaning Malaysians rely almost exclusively on internet sites and news (which are usually not blocked). So there is an interesting dichotomy here; the Right watches TV and listens to radio, and because they're rural rarely go on the Net. While the urban Left take their news from websites and dissidents, but hardly read the paper or watch the 8pm news.
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: Art Vandelay on July 16, 2012, 11:51:15 am
Another option is to have oil and then have the US invade you.
In a similar vein, you could try inciting a separatist uprising in your local area, then have Australia invade you.
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: armandtanzarian on July 16, 2012, 12:03:51 pm
Another option is to have oil and then have the US invade you.
In a similar vein, you could try inciting a separatist uprising in your local area, then have Australia invade you.
Not us but the Pattanis in South Thailand have been trying since 2005 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Thailand_insurgency). They might've already killed 5000 people but maybe you guys can give it a go.
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: kefkaownsall on July 16, 2012, 12:15:53 pm
maybe if the election fails you could try to get indonesia to aid you
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: Art Vandelay on July 16, 2012, 12:18:12 pm
Not us but the Pattanis in South Thailand have been trying since 2005 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Thailand_insurgency). They might've already killed 5000 people but maybe you guys can give it a go.
Yeah, but that would involve assisting Muslims fight non-Muslims. No western government would even consider such a thing right now.
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: KZN02 on July 16, 2012, 06:08:03 pm
Of course, republicans are at least 90% hot air and 5% sex scandal.
I'm afraid to ask about the last 5%.
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: The Right Honourable Mlle Antéchrist on July 16, 2012, 06:47:45 pm
Of course, republicans are at least 90% hot air and 5% sex scandal.
I'm afraid to ask about the last 5%.

Whirlwinds caused by Lincoln spinning in his grave.
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: Sylvana on July 17, 2012, 02:25:56 am
Malaysia faces a difficult situation. Unlike in the US where the fanatics are a minority, it seems that there is significant support for religious fanaticism in Malaysia, and unfortunately the people will have their way. Whenever you have religious extremism in a country the people you have to worry about least are the government. It is the local communities who will be the ones stoning gays and Christians and whatnot, not the government. All the government does when tainted by extremism is to turn a blind eye. The best chance is the youth, but even that is unlikely with how normal religious indoctrination works.
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: DogmasDemise on July 17, 2012, 05:49:31 pm
"Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?"

Let's see, to answer that question:

- the sexual revolution of the 60s would have never happened because you'd all have been kept on a tighter leash
- you'd all most likely be lashed or imprisoned for dating in the name of defending "Islamic family values"
- harsher stance on homosexuality
- more censorship
- more religious discrimination against atheists and other non-Muslims
- blasphemy laws
- apostasy laws
- generally more religion into the public sphere (kinda like Malaysia)
- more cruel punishments for thievery and other offenses (chop chop!)
- and refugees would probably be deported back to Saudi Arabia to face blasphemy charges that carry death sentences, you know, like Malaysia did to Hamza Kashgari
- goodbye gender equality


(And of course it goes without saying that they'd take an even more harsher stance on prostitution, drugs, porn, net neutrality, abortion, evolution and stem cell research. Because we know that anything the Christian right-wing nutjobs do, Islamic right can do "better".)

So yeah, if the right was Islamic, I can only say one thing: You'd be fucked.
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: ironbite on July 17, 2012, 06:21:35 pm
No no no there sunshine, the right answer is We'd Be Fucked.

Ironbite-We'd be fucked.
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: DogmasDemise on July 17, 2012, 06:28:33 pm
Point taken.

After all US policy does have international implications so yeah I guess we'd all be fucked.
Title: Re: Ever wondered what US Culture Wars would look like if the right was Islamic?
Post by: armandtanzarian on July 19, 2012, 10:12:58 am
- and refugees would probably be deported back to Saudi Arabia to face blasphemy charges that carry death sentences, you know, like Malaysia did to Hamza Kashgari
A wonderful point about Hamza Kashgari. Hamza is a Saudi Arabian who tweeted that God doesn't exist, which led to calls for his death or arrest. He fled the country as a result, and on that Thursday, we found out he was detained in Malaysia's airport en route to New Zealand to obtain refugee status. When we found out, the local activist groups and Bar Council drafted an order to retain him in Malaysia as a refugee, knowing full well he faced near-certain death in Saudi Arabia.

However, on Saturday/Sunday when the order was completed, the Minister responsible for this came back and told us "nope, we deported him already". He'd spent less than 48 hours on Malaysian soil before he'd been extradited.

Contrast this with the case of the Iranian suspected of bombing 3 Thai locations in February. He was only extradited in June (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9353479/Malaysia-court-orders-extradition-of-Iranian-over-bomb-plot.html), 4 months after detention and only after a court-ordered extradition.