Over the years I have had friends in the middle east who were Druse. They are basically a tribe with no nation and practice what I would describe as an offshoot of Islam. They are so persecuted by the Sunni's and Shia that they actually serve in the Israeli army in Israel for that is in their best interests. In Lebanon, the Druse thought they could trust the Syrians for the Syrians are ruled by the Assad family who are members of a minority tribal sect themselves which is a form of Islam but is so mixed with orginal religion and other stuff that they are not considered to be muslims by either the shia or sunnis either. The Druse sided with with the Syrians in the Lebanonese conflict when Lebanon was still a Christian nation, for they wanted their own nation state and this was the turning point for with that the Syrians were able to rain down artillary into the Christian positions from the mountains overlooking Beruit. After being betrayed by the Syrians and seeing thier mistake Lebanonese Druse have sided, once again, with the Christians in Lebanon. So the question is the democratic party the Druse of America. For some do support the war on terror but just disagree with how it is fought while others feel that the syrians,saudis,Irainians,PLO/Hamas can be trusted? Yes I think the Democrats are the Druse of America for some are for the war on terror, Druse of Israel, while others just want to undermine the war on terror just for political power, Druse of Lebanon had done. The question is when is the other half, like the Druse of Lebanon, going to wake up.
Andy...since I became a liberal and I am now smarter than all of you neo-cons put together, I must tell you that all you are doing is spreading hate. You have to "reach out" to these people so we can understand them better. Hillary Clinton had a great plan of "Let's chat!" and I think she will do a great job of talking with Islamic terrorists so we can understand them better...and get along!
Are the Druse good actors/performers and do they enjoy, no NEED to be entertained the majority of the time? If that's the case then they can surely be compared to the liberal Democrats of the USA.
You were doing just fine pretending that you know it all as a neocon if you ask me. Oh...and t[FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica]he Druze is an offshoot of the sect my wife belongs to, the more peacefull Isma'ilis They began to believe that God became manifest in the personality of a prophet or imam Fatimid Caliph Hakim and think he will reappear.... [/FONT] [FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica] [/FONT] [FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica]Evidently their religion is rather complex, and involves a combination of neo-Platonic thought, Sufi mysticism, and Iranian religious traditions.[/FONT]
Your grossly stretched over generalized comparison of some minority sect in the Middle East to the majority party in this country is laughable because it not only represents nothing more than your own personal bias and opinion without any substance, it also couldn't possibly be less apt of a comparison. I'm sure we'll all wake up to the truth as you see it some day too. Of course, all the waking up seems to be going in the other direction these days. More and more Americans, both Democrats and Republicans are no longer buying this war crap as it is present by your buddies in Washington so I'm guessing that the waking up thing isn't going so well for your side, is it? "The war on terror." You can't even define what that means. You can't have a war on an idea. It certainly isn't the war in Iraq. That's an imperial war and terrorism is just the excuse. You need to be able to see the difference.
Ahem, it's going to be an interesting day on CoinTalk. Surprises will abound now that President Bush simply did what he said he would do. VETO, back to the drawing board...
I do not know of the sect that your wife belongs to but I do know of sects that can not be compared to the sunni or shia for the content differs and have been victims of the sunni and shia. When I have a chance I will try to read up on Isma'ilis. I have been friends with Iranians who were secular and westernized. I have been friends with Druse who were very much eastern but have a tolerant outlook. I hope that I find the same thought line with Isma'ils.
The comparison was not based upon numbers but outlook. "Example Time" as a retort for your second point: Nazism was an idea that was placed into action. We did take part in that fight. It was called world war II.
You right we should all just sit in the lotus position and humm happy thoughts to cleanse the world of evil. Gosh darn it, this olive oil redneck would do just that but I already had beer with my apple pie as I was listening to Kate Smith sing "God Bless America" as I read my bible. So Guess I go out and shoot some endangered species and take a wizz at the same time instead.
My wifes sect are offshoots of shiite... I wont try to paint or bias your opinion of Isma'ilis but they are Shia and are more often than not into business (they are often the ones who own the corner stores) and as they follow the aga khan who lives in Euope and is married to a white european wife, they tend to be far less xenophobic...but do not think they are not muslim, to speak ill of Mo (which my wife did one time to her father regarding treatment of women in islam) sent my father in law into a fit. Though he also will not tolerate speaking ill of Jesus either...on the whole though, I have never heard of an islmaili terrorist... here is a pretty dead on description of the sect: In the eighth century, a dispute arose over who should lead the Shia community after the death of the Sixth Imam, Jaafar ibn Muhammad (also known as Jaafar al Sadiq). Those who followed the teaching of Musa al Kazim became the main body of Shi’ites, while those who followed the teachings of Musa’s brother, Ismail, were called Ismailis. Ismail was excluded from succession for most Shiites because he allegedly drank wine. Ismailis are also called “Seveners,” because they broke off from the main body of the Shi’a community over this disagreement over the identity of the Seventh Imam. According to the Ismailis, the Quran contained “inner” or “hidden” meanings which were secretly transmitted to Ali, and from him they passed down through the line of proper successors to the Imamate. The faith could gain access to these hidden meanings, but only after a careful initiation process and gradual teachings. The masses, however, had to remain content with the outer meanings. According to Ismaili doctrine, history is divided into seven periods. Each period starts with a prophet who is followed by six infallible Imams. The first six prophets were Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. An interpreter accompanies each Imam in order to teach the secret meaning of the Imam’s words to a small group of disciples. The previous six interpreters were Seth, Shem, Isaac, Aaron, Simon Peter and Ali. The six Shia Imams (from al-Hasan to Ismail) followed Muhammad and his interpreter Ali. They do not believe that their seventh Imam, Muhammad, actually died. Instead they believe that he went into hiding and will eventually appear as the Mahdi. At that time, he will inaugurate a new era in which old traditions, even Islam, will become obsolete. For his followers, Ismail became associated with various movements seeking not simply to overthrow the Abbasid caliphate, but also the entire social order. The goal was a wholesale reinterpretation of Islam which would incorporate various elements of Hellenistic Christianity which had been prevalent in the Near East before the advent of Islam. One of the most successful popular revolts stemming from Ismaili beliefs was launched by the Qarmatians, named after their leader Hamdan Qarmat. They set up something along the lines of a community republic near Kufa, in Iraq, late in the ninth century CE, and they even gained control of present-day Bahrain eventually. All goods of “general utility” were owned in common, but in the name of the absent Imam. Ismailis do not believe that any of their Imams have disappeared from the world in order to return later. Instead, they have followed an unbroken line of leaders, the most recent of whom was Karim al Husayni Agha Khan IV, an active figure in international humanitarian efforts. The Ismailis understand the Qur'an to have several layers of meaning, but generally divide those types of meanings into two: the exterior (zahir) meaning and the interior (batin) meaning. While a believer can understand the batin meaning to some extent, the Imam alone has the complete understanding of the Qur'an and it is to him alone to interpret it according to the times. Druze and Nizari (among others) branches of Ismailism 20 million Ismailis As with other Shias, Ismailis believe that the souls of the Prophets and the Imams are derived from the first light in the universe, the light of Aql, which in Arabic roughly translates as knowledge. It is through this knowledge that all living and non-living entities know Allah, and all of humanity is dependent and united in this light.As with other sects of islam they follow the 7 pillars but stress certain ones and reinterpret others: Walayah: A pillar which translates from Arabic as “guardianship.” It denotes, “Love and devotion for God, the Prophets, the Imam, and the Dai.” In Ismaili doctrine, Allah is the true desire of every soul, and he manifests himself in the forms of Prophets and Imams, and to be guided to his path, one requires a messenger or a guide: a Dai. Tahara: A pillar which translates from Arabic as “purity.” The Druze do not believe in this pillar and instead substitute shahada in its place. It means "to testify" or "to bear witness" in Arabic. The shahadah is the Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God and in Muhammad as his final prophet Salah: A pillar which translates from Arabic as “prayer.” Unlike Sunni and Twelver Muslims, Ismaili do not have a mainstream sense of prayer, and attribute this to the Qur'an's own ambiguity on the subject. The Nizari claim that it is up to the Imam of the time to designate the style and form of prayer, and for this reason current Nizari prayer resembles a dua and is done three times a day, the same amount of times as a Twelver salat. The Druze have completely abandoned Islamic sharia hence have attributed a solely metaphorical meaning to salah. In contrast, both the Sevener and Mustaali branches of Ismailism have kept prayer and their style is generally closely related to Sunni and Twelver groups. Zakah: A pillar which translates as “charity.” With the exception of the Druze branch, all Ismailis form of zakat resembles mainstream Muslims Sawm: A pillar which translates as “fasting.” The Sevener, Nizari, and Mutsaali believe in a metaphorical and literal meaning of fasting. The literal meaning is that one must fast as an obligation, and the metaphorical meaning is that one is in attainment of the Divine Truth, which is Ismailism. In contrast, the Druze generally do not practice fasting. Hajj: A pillar which translates from Arabic as “pilgrimage.” In all Ismaili sects it has come to metaphorically mean visiting the Imam himself, and that this is the greatest and most spiritual of all pilgrimages. However, the Druze and Nizari have abrogated shariah hence do not believe in a literal pilgrimage to the Kaaba in Mecca like other Muslims do, while the Sevener and Mutsaali still hold on to the literal meaning as well. Jihad: A pillar which translates from Arabic as “struggle.” It is divided into the Lesser Jihad and the Greater Jihad. The Lesser Jihad is physical fighting of oppressing forces or enemies through combat. The Greater Jihad however is ones battling their own personal desires. The Nizari branch of Ismailism is pacifistic hence only participates in the greater jihad. The Aga Khan has dictated that Jihad stands for a spiritual struggle. Of course Jihad is the most problematic pillar...though most ismaili seem to relate it to a spiritual struggle, that a physical one... If you ever see this picture on the wall of the corner store: the guy is ismaili, they almost always have his picture where they work and in the home. him and his wife, an ex-model http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_IV http://www.akdn.org/agency/akf.html http://web.mit.edu/akpia/www/
You've nailed both your problems pretty concisely here. You both actually believe those stereotypes about Liberals and Conservatives. That's why you sound so ignorant when you try to contrast the two parties. You are beginning from a point that is too far outside of reality to make your observation of any value whatsoever. But go ahead and keep searching for every example that reinforcses you preconceived ideas. You'll never be wrong that way. :yawn:
What's the matter Meon you don't like possum pie. Thats all I eat now since I am a backward southerner and lost all my teeth for I hear floride is a government plot. Gee I wish I lived in democrat party land Chicago where the elections were never fixed or even outside in the suburbs of Chicago where I can be a liberal but not have to live with... you know whom.
