Dozens Dead After Islamists Burn Down Nigerian School

[Pearl]

At least 29 pupils and a teacher have been killed in a pre-dawn attack by suspected Islamists on a school in northeastern Nigeria, reports say.
Eyewitnesses said some of the victims were burned alive in the attack, in Mamudo town, Yobe state.
Dozens of schools have been burned in attacks by Islamists since 2010.
Yobe is one of three states where President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in May, sending thousands of troops to the area.
A reporter from the Associated Press found chaotic scenes at the hospital in nearby Potiskum, where traumatised parents struggled to identify their children among the charred bodies and gunshot victims.
Survivors said suspected militants arrived with containers full of fuel and set fire to the school.
Some pupils were burned alive, others were shot as they tried to flee.
The BBC's Will Ross, in Lagos, says this area has frequently been attacked by the Boko Haram militant group.
More than 600 people were believed to have been killed in 2012 by the group, which is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north.

BBC News - 'Dozens dead' in school attack in Nigeria's Yobe state

Bet you this particular school was attacked because it was a girls' school.

There's a lot of cases of radical Muslims trying to set up Taliban-like states in Africa. Last year, they tried to do the same to Mali, which is not far from Nigeria.

ETA: Brandon Darby from Breitbart said this in a tweet: "Please remind the Islamists in Nigeria that theirs is a "religion of peace?" They must've missed the memo"

[Jive Turkey]

just the fringe......

[AEON]

How can someone have so much hatred in their hearts to actually carry out a mission like this?

[Diemen]

Originally Posted by Jive Turkey

just the fringe......

Um... yes? Not to rehash the whole argument, but I'm pretty sure most Muslims aren't cool with this.

[Caleb8844]

I'm going to have to agree with Jive on this. If a group like this were united by any other ideology than religion, everyone would be ready to condemn the ideology. However, I think society has taught us that religion is somehow distinct from any other form of ideology, and therefore must be treated with kid gloves.

[The_Pac_Mule]

Unless its the Catholic church

[Diemen]

Originally Posted by Caleb8844

I'm going to have to agree with Jive on this. If a group like this were united by any other ideology than religion, everyone would be ready to condemn the ideology. However, I think society has taught us that religion is somehow distinct from any other form of ideology, and therefore must be treated with kid gloves.

I don't buy that. If that group was a radical right wing republican/far left group, you wouldn't see people condemning conservatism/liberalism as a whole - and those who did solely based on the actions of, yes, a fringe element, would be wrong.

[Caleb8844]

Originally Posted by Diemen

I don't buy that. If that group was a radical right wing republican/far left group, you wouldn't see people condemning conservatism/liberalism as a whole - and those who did solely based on the actions of, yes, a fringe element, would be wrong.

That comparison isn't fair, though. The only way it would be fair would be if conservatism/liberalism actually called for such acts of terror, and those who didn't engage in such acts were simply glossing over that part of the dogma.

"Radical" Islamists aren't committing acts of terror because they're straying from the core tenets of their faith; they're committing such atrocities because they hold on to the core tenets of their faith too tightly.

If, in order to practice an ideology peacefully, one must ignore parts of the ideology, then perhaps the ideology is harmful in and of itself.

[Galeongirl]

Wow.


I don't think it's religion that is to blame. These insane lunatics just use religion as an excuse to do whatever they deem 'necessary' to achieve their goal.

[AEON]

Originally Posted by Diemen

I don't buy that. If that group was a radical right wing republican/far left group, you wouldn't see people condemning conservatism/liberalism as a whole - and those who did solely based on the actions of, yes, a fringe element, would be wrong.

To a certain degree this is true. But I do see people use the antics of the Westboro Baptist Church as a reason to hate all Christians.

[Diemen]

Originally Posted by AEON

To a certain degree this is true. But I do see people use the antics of the Westboro Baptist Church as a reason to hate all Christians.

Right, and those people are wrong to do so.

[nbcrusader]

I thought Pearl did a very good job of framing this article as the work of Islamists and radical Muslims, and not the work of all Muslims worldwide.

What is the best way to address this very active, violent fringe?

[Badyouken]

Originally Posted by nbcrusader

I thought Pearl did a very good job of framing this article as the work of Islamists and radical Muslims, and not the work of all Muslims worldwide.

What is the best way to address this very active, violent fringe?

Education.

Setting up a proper education system in those poor, remote areas is a whole other matter, though.

[nbcrusader]

Originally Posted by Badyouken

Education.

Setting up a proper education system in those poor, remote areas is a whole other matter, though.

The Islamist and extreme Muslim leaders are often well educated. These incidents do not arise from people emerging from caves with C4 strapped to their chests.

[anitram]

SECULAR education. When you say many are well educated - we are not typically talking about Oxford and Harvard. Little kids going through madrassas and other faith-based schools is a huge issue.

[nbcrusader]

Originally Posted by AEON

To a certain degree this is true. But I do see people use the antics of the Westboro Baptist Church as a reason to hate all Christians.

I find it interesting that people use a congregation of about 40 people as the functional equivalent of Islamism - the size and death toll of both groups are no where near equivalent.

And, just to be clear, I condemn the actions of Westboro just like the rest of you.

[Pearl]

Originally Posted by anitram

SECULAR education. When you say many are well educated - we are not typically talking about Oxford and Harvard. Little kids going through madrassas and other faith-based schools is a huge issue.

It is, but in places like Saudi Arabia, you can't expect a secular education there. Not when it prides itself as the birthplace of Islam. It is going to a lot, almost generations, to get Muslim countries to shake off their theocratic politics and faith-based education. And I think you need to give those kinds of Muslims a reason to think secularism is a better route, because they see it as Western colonialism being critical of their religion and culture.

[Jive Turkey]

Originally Posted by Diemen

Um... yes? Not to rehash the whole argument, but I'm pretty sure most Muslims aren't cool with this.

It's clearly bigger than a fringe. This stuff happens all the time. You know how I feel about Christianity, but when was the last time a group of Christians got together for this sort of thing?

[Jive Turkey]

Originally Posted by Diemen

I don't buy that. If that group was a radical right wing republican/far left group, you wouldn't see people condemning conservatism/liberalism as a whole - and those who did solely based on the actions of, yes, a fringe element, would be wrong.

if. It never happens. That's the point.

[Jive Turkey]

Originally Posted by Caleb8844

That comparison isn't fair, though. The only way it would be fair would be if conservatism/liberalism actually called for such acts of terror, and those who didn't engage in such acts were simply glossing over that part of the dogma.

"Radical" Islamists aren't committing acts of terror because they're straying from the core tenets of their faith; they're committing such atrocities because they hold on to the core tenets of their faith too tightly.

If, in order to practice an ideology peacefully, one must ignore parts of the ideology, then perhaps the ideology is harmful in and of itself.