Al-Rahma Islamic Centre destroyed in 'racist attack'

[Robert_S]

CES: Not a single one of those populations is considered white.

To the contrary, Arabs and Persians are caucasian, and thus part of the white race.

Here Arabs and Persians are still not white. America even had a guy named Plecker who reduced the census race information to essentially white or colored. Only west Europeans were caucasian. Even American natives were colored. Arabs and Persians are definitely not white.

Since when is there a scientific term called "The White Race"? White is what passes for white in a given time and place.

If Arabs and Persians are considered white, then why do people call them "sand niggers"?

Race, in terms of what racial prejudice a person is going to experience, is defined socially, not scientifically.

[Svartalf]

CES: Not a single one of those populations is considered white.

To the contrary, Arabs and Persians are caucasian, and thus part of the white race.

Here Arabs and Persians are still not white. America even had a guy named Plecker who reduced the census race information to essentially white or colored. Only west Europeans were caucasian. Even American natives were colored. Arabs and Persians are definitely not white.

Persians ARE white... they even speak a European kind of of language, and blue and green eyes are not that uncommon among them.

[Robert_S]

I'm saying we atheists who criticise Islam ought to be careful even though we shouldn't have to. If my goal in criticising Islam is just to exercise my rights, then who cares.

If my goal is to raise awareness of how shit Islam is, then part of my goal is to not be mistaken for a fucking racist and thus have my views dismissed. Denying that racists target Islam out of racist motivations makes you sound racist at worst, or hopelessly naive at best.

[Robert_S]

CES: Not a single one of those populations is considered white.

To the contrary, Arabs and Persians are caucasian, and thus part of the white race.

Here Arabs and Persians are still not white. America even had a guy named Plecker who reduced the census race information to essentially white or colored. Only west Europeans were caucasian. Even American natives were colored. Arabs and Persians are definitely not white.

Persians ARE white... they even speak a European kind of of language, and blue and green eyes are not that uncommon among them.

Some look pale, and some not so much. That is, some could pass.

[Svartalf]

They are no longer pure white, the Arabs and Turks and Mongols have been there, but the main stock, they are our cousins, closer than most, and certainly closer than Arabs.

[camoguard]

Did two people disagree with me going in two separate directions? There's no reason why Persians couldn't be considered white under some criteria. I'm not racially motivated. But it's not common to think of a Persian around here and think they are white. What would happen is people would think a white Persian was not Persian. And also, this assumption is limited to being how the U.S. might view those countries and their average race.

[Svartalf]

But if Persians are to be thought of as 'not white'... is that due to actual criteria (and effing restrictive ones, because at that rate Georgians and Armenians, the main types for Caucasians are going to be excluded), or to sheer ignorance?

[Robert_S]

Did two people disagree with me going in two separate directions? There's no reason why Persians couldn't be considered white under some criteria. I'm not racially motivated. But it's not common to think of a Persian around here and think they are white. What would happen is people would think a white Persian was not Persian. And also, this assumption is limited to being how the U.S. might view those countries and their average race.

I guess it could be more of A US thing.

I remember during the Iran hostage crisis there were an awful lot of racist comments...

[Robert_S]

But if Persians are to be thought of as 'not white'... is that due to actual criteria (and effing restrictive ones, because at that rate Georgians and Armenians, the main types for Caucasians are going to be excluded), or to sheer ignorance?

What, you think racism is province of the enlightened and educated?

[Svartalf]

Well, our pre WWII ancestors had refined racism into a science... call me old fashioned.

[camoguard]

I hail from one of the states that legalized eugenics. You could sterilize people under certain criteria of them being likely to mix races without their consent. This was only recently (2002) overturned. I will assume that the practice of sterilization was much less after 1967 during which related laws were overturned at the Supreme Court.

This post is not a bit jestful.