Is it racist to call ISIS fighters barbarians?

[onager]

10. No. Ignore the Language Police.

And our latest neighborhood cop will probably barge in to complain about this thread any minute now. Also to give us another superfluous lesson in Racism 101.

Speaking of which...here's an interesting article on racism in Egypt from Al-Ahram in Cairo, 2002. Let's see somebody plot this on their Axes Of Privilege - black Americans visiting Egypt are treated very well, because they are assumed to be rich. While black African visitors are treated like crap, because they're suspected to be poor:

A question of colour
Is racial prejudice on the rise in Egypt, or are Egyptians merely obsessed with skin colour? Gamal Nkrumah searches for answers

...However, racial prejudice is not exclusively directed at those from sub-Saharan Africa. Upper class Egyptians, often fairer than their poorer compatriots, invariably look down on lower class Egyptians who tend to be darker in complexion. There is a subtle correlation between lower income and darker complexion. The Egyptian upper classes and elites tend to be noticeably lighter in complexion than their poorer and working class compatriots. "They labour in the sun," is sometimes the cynical explanation.

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2002/598/li1.htm