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0 pointslupusreal1y ago0 comments

> But I think a general distinction is the targeting of combatants vs civilians

When Afghans took up arms against occupying American soldiers, they were routinely called terrorists in American press and media.

When Muslims fight America or Israel, they are called terrorists. When the situation is reversed, that label isn't applied.

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6 comments · 3 top-level

gryzzly1y ago· 3 in thread

You should read up about the difference between Muslims and Islamists and how bad the Islamists are for Islamic communities themselves.

lupusrealOP1y ago

Let me guess, the ones you term to be "Islamists" are those who fight America or Israel.

Most of the Afghan fighters who took shots at American soldiers weren't motivated by some sort of boogieman religious extremism. They were simply shooting at armed foreigners who invaded their country. They weren't terrorists by any reasonable definition of the but were called so anyway because they happened to be Muslim and dared to defy America.

gryzzly1y ago

I term Islamists the ones who claim themselves to be Islamists – Islamist Republic of Iran, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, ISIS, Hamas. It shows you have no idea what are you talking about.

gryzzly1y ago

and supporting the narrative pushed by the Islamists is harming the Muslims, resulting in Islamophobia. The fact you are mixing the two terms to simply "mark these who attack America" is actually really bad for the normal people affiliated with Islam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Islamism

stetrain1y ago

Right. "The definition of terrorism is controversial and political"

Although I mostly recall the word "insurgent" being used for local fighters in those cases.

sofixa1y ago

Not only were they called terrorists, they were kidnapped to be tortured in Guantanamo like this kid (he was 15 when his father dragged him to Afghanistan, took part in a skirmish, and might have killed in action a US soldier): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Khadr

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