[Krsqk]

Originally posted by TerranC:
Are you saying that the only effective way of stamping out islamic fundamentalism is assimilating them into western culture, erasing any cultural uniqueness?

I'm hoping we're not falling into the trap of "everything is beautiful in its own way" here. Some cultures--such as any culture which justifies killing to promote any religion--are worthy of being stamped out. Any "unique" qualities in their culture which are worth saving can be found in other Islamic cultures, or other Middle Eastern/Asian cultures, anyway. The defining element of their culture is the belief that killing infidels is good and earns them a spot in eternal bliss. That certainly isn't worth preserving.

[edit] Not that I think that exporting Western culture to them is the best thing to do; there are many elements of Western culture which I also find objectionable (such as the increasing emphasis on personal rights instead of personal freedom--general freedom requires the individual to act responsibly whereas the right to do something removes all responsibility for an action from the individual).

[ July 12, 2003, 04:04: Message edited by: Krsqk ]