Day: August 30, 2010

‘Stealth Jihad’ Conveys Paranoia – Newsweek. Also, simply put, foreign words freak people out. “Jihad” and “Sharia” reinforce the sense among Americans that Muslims in general have an unfathomable world view. During World War II, formerly obscure words like “hara-kiri” and “kamikaze,” which suggested the “warlike ferocity” of the Japanese, became common parlance, Nunberg says. “There was this sense of being confronted with this hostile, alien culture.” The Japanese were “literally demonized,” he says.

Great two part series on the logical problems with current opposition to Park51. Make sure you click through to the second part as well. LSAT Logic and “Ground Zero Mosque” Arguments, Part 1. As regular readers may agree, aside from a few simple dissections of logical fallacies on The Colbert Report, I’ve rarely revealed, let alone promoted, my personal opinions on this blog. However, the more I read and watch about Park51 (the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque”), the angrier I get.