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Young Iraqis are losing their faith in religion »

Posted by: JamesMarcus 1 year, 9 months ago

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After almost five years of war, many young Iraqis, exhausted by constant firsthand exposure to the violence of religious extremism, say they have grown disillusioned with religious leaders and skeptical of the faith that they preach.

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JamesMarcus

James Marcus is a writer, translator, critic, and editor. He is the author of Amazonia: Five Years at the Epicenter of the Dot-Com Juggernaut and ...

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Comments: 241

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nikkibabe
March 4, 2008, 8:35 a.m.
May be they should thank Bush for destroying their once peaceful country.
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kboy
March 4, 2008, 8:40 a.m.
This seems to be the same old story for every extreme belief. It is fine for everybody else, but if you are forced to live under the rules, it is not so great. Most of these thing seem to be run by old men telling everyone else how to live.
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Justice4All
March 4, 2008, 9:17 a.m.
This is good news. Maybe eventually a group of rebels will get together and write a "Declatation of Independence" where all people are created equal and the church is not allowed to control the government. They will still have to deal with the religious extreme who want to control the government. But at least they will have the law of the land on their side. But until then religion will continue to be used to oppress the population.
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pb1157
March 4, 2008, 10:16 a.m.
Anyone else seem to think that this is similar to what's happening in the US? Didn't we have an article out earlier saying that people in the US are, "losing the faith" or not inheriting the faith of their parents??? Sounds like the same is going on in Iraq (and i'm sure elsewhere).
Probably a good time for us to re-evaluate WHAT we believe and WHY or else we'll simply implode as a nation.
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Charlson
March 4, 2008, 10:36 a.m.
Why would you believe in a religion whose clerics preach violence and contradicts the idea of a peaceful, loving God.
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rimbaud
March 4, 2008, 10:41 a.m.
Weary of Bloodshed
"I used to love Osama bin Laden," proclaimed a 24-year-old Iraqi college student. "Now I hate Islam,"
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TheRealizer
March 4, 2008, 10:55 a.m.
This is an interesting article, imagine people disillusioned with religion. The tithe payers have for centuries supported a parasite class selling PIE IN THE SKY WHEN YOU DIE. It is past time for these shackles to be severed. Just say NO to organized religion!!!
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joeblowe
March 4, 2008, 11:15 a.m.
It's what I've been saying all along: Get rid of religion, get rid of violence.
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Harbeas
March 4, 2008, 12:02 p.m.
Church and state must always be separate. Theocracies don't work and never will. Have the people tun the government not the Imams.
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sumptuousdigs
March 4, 2008, 12:42 p.m.
I lost my religion long before I lost my faith.
What's taken them so long.
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KYRed
March 4, 2008, 2:11 p.m.
Interestingly enough, I have lost faith in Islam as well.
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Sloany
March 4, 2008, 2:58 p.m.
I hope this trend continues
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Mutainia
March 4, 2008, 3:23 p.m.
I guess the implementation of sura 60:9 is proving problematic for them. If so, I can whole-heartedly agree WHY they'd be having a problem with the faith situation. I mean, when you are told to constantly bite the "infidel" hand that feeds you, and, all you get is looking evil and creepy to the non-Muslim world in return, it HAS to eventually get you questioning your faith, I think, even if you AREN'T that bright.
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Poulenc
March 4, 2008, 3:53 p.m.
Doubt and skepticism--the questioning mind--are necessary for self-liberation, and by extension, for the freedom of the group.
How difficult it must be to keep one's distance from dogmas of all kinds in closed or otherwise totalitarian cultures!
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ldavid56
March 4, 2008, 5:22 p.m.
Good, maybe they'll start thinking and realize that blowing themselves up is not a one-way ticket to paradise, and follow a more moderate version of Islam. I have no problem with suicide, but you have no right to take someone else along for the ride.
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Mutainia
March 4, 2008, 5:31 p.m.
Iraqi Muslims need our love and prayers. I lost my faith in a religion I was very "on fire" for as a boy, and, it was a very bleak, dark, scary situation for me, especially when I was raised to believe that that was the ONLY way to get to God. Not only was hope lost, but, the realization of so many hours of sitting on pews and "Temple" work being for nothing as well. But, these young Iraqis are still young and have much of their lives ahead of them. It's the old ones who are probably REALLY feeling the sting of a weak faith. Can you imagine sixty years of having your butt up in the air five times a day, EVERY day, and, then finding out it's NOT getting you to a slothful brothel? That's enough to make you explode WITHOUT a bomb strapped to you, I feel. They need our love and prayers.
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OldHickory
March 4, 2008, 5:35 p.m.
Sounds like clergy abuse to me.
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guillebravo6
March 4, 2008, 5:48 p.m.
That's a surprise! yup BUSH ruins things like IRAQ, the US reputation....lives of many. BUSH SUCKS
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THOMNH62
March 4, 2008, 7:22 p.m.
do any of you Lib Morons have the ability to look beyond your own hatred. This part of the world have been killing each other for thousands of yrs all in the name of Alla, but wait, it all has to Bush's fault and you people are electing our next president god help us all. Socialism is not like Robin Hood, where you take from the rich and give to you poor slobs who hate to work. It's more like a govrnm't that tells you how to live, where to live, what religion to practice how much you can make. Thats what you morons are going to elect.
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Socrates1
March 4, 2008, 10:09 p.m.
Doesn't the article show that when it got up close and personal for many of these Muslims that they became disenchanted with their leaders and the faith that they were propogating? Doesn't it show that they prefer a more secular view with the "rule of law" and doesn't it show a realization on their part that they have been duped by their own leaders for their leaders personal gain? I do not see how many of the comments are germaine to the issue, particularly the usual anti-Bush comments(who I have my own problems with on certain issues) which have absolutely nothing to do with the article and in fact it could be argued that the article supports Bush's policies.
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retbg
March 4, 2008, 10:14 p.m.
I think Allah is running out of virgins and is having to reline the old ones due to a recent influx of moronic suicide bombers.
How would you like to arrive in paradise and find out you were assigned seventy two old wrinkled cu-ts for eternity. No wonder the little rag heads are leaving Islam by droves.
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markoller
March 4, 2008, 10:46 p.m.
The hypocrisy of the Zionist bloggers would turn Stalin's stomach. Our own Zionist fanatics were to blame for World Trade Center and Pentagon demolition, and the invasion of Iraq was nothing but a pretext for Israeli expansionism.
I recently posted an article proving that flights AA 11 and AA 77 never took off, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. http://travel.propeller.com/story/2008/03/03/he...
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Mutainia
March 5, 2008, 2:52 a.m.
Hey, where's mu, Daylight, and Abu? You'd think THEY'D like to comment on this story. I guess it's like reading that the first Eve lived millions of years ago when you believe the earth is only six thousand years old.
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