General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Islam, as it is practiced by a majority of muslims in the world, is a regressive force. [View all]True Dough
(17,302 posts)Yours is one of the best posts in the thread. That "last gasp" of fundamental Islam that you refer to does not make it insignificant, of course. It involves large masses of people still clinging to archaic and pernicious ideology (I won't endeavor to put a number on it). The adoption of more progressive views could take another generation or longer. Change is gradual, frustratingly gradual, even with advancing technology.
I believe socio-economics and politics do play significant roles in some of the abhorrent practices in the Middle East, but Islam, at least with Wahhabists and other fundamentalists, is also at the forefront.
That said, Canada has welcomed 28,000 Syrian refugees since last year. Australia has taken in 25,000. No acts of terrorism ensued. Screening was in place through the UN and respective federal governments, so it's not like in Europe where millions of unvetted refugees -- including existing criminals -- flooded over borders.
Many of the existing Muslims in Canada, numbering almost 1 million, and in the U.S., estimated at 3 million, embrace Western values as they settle in. Maybe mom and dad retain more hard-line views, but their kids invariably start to blend in with their Western peers. Even if they're wearing hijabs, they become enamored of pop culture and social media, often get involved in organized sports and other extra curricular activities, drink alcohol, engage in premarital sex, befriend gay people, etc. They often drift toward more progressive stances due to peer pressure.
Anyway, here's an excellent column by the National Posts' Andrew Coyne with a great overview of where we stand in the war on terror:
http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/andrew-coyne-a-war-that-cannot-necessarily-be-won-but-must-be-fought-all-the-same