[lit-ideas] Re: How many are the Jihadists, and shall we worry about them?
- From: "Simon Ward" <sedward@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 19:06:57 +0100
Lawrence, you're coming across like a sullen fourteen year-old. You complain
about foolish insults being levelled at you forgetting that you've already
labelled people idiots.
Pipes said: "If Islamists constitute 10 percent to 15 percent of the Muslim
population worldwide, they number some 125 to 200 million persons, or a far
greater total than all the fascists and communists, combined, who ever lived."
Given that, we must assume that Pipes has calculated the number of fascists and
communists, combined, who ever lived. How many is that, Lawrence? You can
restrict it to committed individuals if you like, but we still need to know how
many that is - how many who ever lived. And would that include communists
outside the Soviet Union and Fascists outside Nazi Germany? Who get's to label
the fascists?
Conversely, wht consititutes an Islamist? Somebody who is willing to kill
themselves for that cause or someone who thinks the Jihadists have a case but
wouldn't put their lives on the line. In other words, how many represent a
valid threat and how many might support that threat without being part of it.
This isn't quibbling, it's Pipes being facile, and you, Lawrence, leaping on
board with nary a look.
Simon
----- Original Message -----
From: Lawrence Helm
To: Lit-Ideas
Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 6:43 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] How many are the Jihadists, and shall we worry about
them?
Gad, here I go getting roped into another really really stupid quibble. Are
Communists party members? Were Fascists members of Fascists parties. I
assumed so and said so in the note Simon quoted and then didn't read.
Simon assumes not. He assumes everyone who ever lived in the Soviet Union
was a Communist and everyone who ever lived in Nazi Germany was a Nazi, as
apparently Judy does in support of Simon, and gloms onto this invented quibble
rather than the common sense of what is being said.
What is Pipes point and what is mine? I shouldn't have to spell it out for
you, but I will. We are worried about the committed fanatics today. How many
are there? These are the Jihadists, the people we have to worry about. How
many notes did I write speculating about their number. Were 30% of the total
number of Muslims, Islamists? Was it some lesser number? Pipes says 10-15%.
Does that mean we have less to worry about? No, Pipes tells us, these
fanatical Jihadists comprise a greater number than the equivalently committed
Fascists and Communists. I assume "party members." Simon foolishly assumes
entire populations and then scoffs at me for not making his mistaken numbers
add up.
Lawrence
PS: My server is acting up this morning. It is bouncing all the messages
being sent me. I can apparently send messages out but not receive them. I
logged onto the lit-ideas web site to verify that messages were being sent out
that I didn't receive. How anxious I shall be to log onto
www.freelists.org/archives/lit-ideas/ to see what new ludicrous and foolish
insults are being leveled against me?
They happily quibble or speak of a manufactured war organized by Exxon rather
than confront the fact that a huge number of fanatical Jihadists have declared
war against us and are doing their level best to kill and defeat us. How many
times should I yell "get out of the river! Get out of the river! There are
crocs there! There are crocs!"? Seven times? They are laughing and
scoffing at the idea that crocs are dangerous.
Seventy times Seven?
Lawrence
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