Interesting Editorial
 

This came from www.islamicity.com. I felt that it summed up really well a lot of feelings that I have. Please read with an open-mind.

I am in rage when people demean Islam
11/21/2005 - Political Religious Social - Article Ref: IV0311-2139
Number of comments: 78
Opinion Summary: Agree:54 Disagree:9 Neutral:15
By: iViews Staff
Iviews* -



"There was one only good, namely, knowledge; and one only evil, namely, ignorance." - Socrates

This must be the Age of Ignorance. An age whereby the impoverished and the wealthy, the illiterate and the educated, the faithful and the faithless, the weak and the powerful, the east and the west share a common trait, a common cause, a common lie - ignorant perversion of faith, of morality, and truth. An "Age" where lies, greed, murder, and abuse of humanity are justified, even glorified, in the name of the Almighty.

From so called "Conservative Compassion" to "Misused Jihad", the end result is wanton murder and destruction of those unwilling to submit to the "truth of the folly and ignorant" of those delivering "smart bombs" or "car bombs." The wicked indifference to life and truth, the intellectual disconnect from knowledge and reality, and the immoral ignorance of their own faiths, are the evil triad of the leaders of today.


Misrepresented Islam:

There are some who claim Islam as their faith. They perform their daily prayers in peaceful congregation with their fellow Muslims, hearing the compassionate and merciful teachings of God and His Holy Prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him, only to leave the mosques and return with guns or car bombs to kill the same Muslims they just prayed with, shoulder to shoulder, glorifying God and facing the Holy City of Makkah. These people who have professed to submit to the will of God have launched a killing spree that does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, Muslims or Non-Muslims. Nor in their ignorant rage do they respect the sanctity of Makkah or the Holy month of Ramadan. No Muslim today who worships God and understands the Holy Quran can accept this murderous perversion of our faith and not condemn it publicly and repeatedly from every minaret, microphone, school, radio, television, or government office from Washington D.C. to Jakarta. Muslim voices must cry out in unison against those who take the lives of the innocent, lives created by God who breathed of His spirit into each human soul. All of humanity, east and west, north and south, should be consistent in condemning terrorism whether committed by governments, or by individual groups.

I share the anger and frustration, against people that demean Islam in words, weather it is General Boykin or Pat Robertson. Even more, I am in rage when people demean Islam in action weather it is Sadam Hussain or extremists who profess to submit to the will of God.

The Talibans of the west - Pat Robinson, Jerry Falwell and yes .. some members of the current administration - want to make America exclusively a "Zionist-Christian" nation and marginalize Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Mormons, and every other faith that does not conform to their thinking. It does not matter to them if they alienate the rest of the world with their unilateral war on the innocent and unconditional support of Israel's atrocities.

In due time the American people will come to understand the folly of such distortion of the founding principals of this nation. However, we as Muslims must never, ever, commit their brand of evil upon innocent civilians who've caused us no harm. Our Holy Quran is replete with admonitions to Muslims to be just, deal fairly, even with unbelievers, be patient and compassionate even in adversity, to be humble always, to be charitable to the weak, and live in peace with all who do not seek to harm or oppress Muslims or commit injustice.

Yes, Muslims around the world have a duty and legitimate claim to oppose and fight the unjustified political and military oppression of Muslims by any nation, but the fight must be against those who are combatants, not civilians. Even in war, the Prophet forbade Muslims from harming civilians, destroying buildings, killing animals, and uprooting plants and trees.


There is no greater theological misrepresentation of Islam and an outrageous oxymoron than the term "Muslim terrorist." The killing of innocent civilians in Palestine, Iraq, Kashmir, Chechnya, America, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Yemen, Indonesia, Spain, or anywhere else must be condemned forcibly, and if known to be committed by people who profess to be Muslims must be stopped primarily by Muslims themselves. They are sinners against God, hijackers of a peaceful faith, and harmful to the general interests of Islam.

Let's begin with a firm understanding and love of our faith. Let us enlighten our minds and hearts and hold on firmly to the Glorious Quran. Let us begin with an individual change and commitment to Islam, then hasten a change within our family, our neighbors, our community, then our nations; then and only then will we be assured of victory from God against those who spread corruption. But first we must clean our own house of despot, squandering rulers and hypocritical, extremists who claim to be the vanguards of Islam.

The Holy Prophet enjoins upon ALL Muslims to do good and prevent evil, even if its against one's family.

"Anybody amongst you who sees evil should correct it with his own hands. If unable to do so, he should correct it with his speech. If he is unable even to do that, he should at least consider it as such in his heart, for this is the weakest degree of faith."

Are you doing good and preventing evil? Are you taking part in the betterment of society and the world? Are you donating your time and money for the good of your community and humanity? Are you feeding the poor, sponsoring the orphans? Are you reaching out to others to inform them in actions and words the values of Islam? Are you condemning Muslims when they perform evil acts? Are you preparing for tomorrow? If you are, may God bless you, if you're not, may God have mercy on us all.

The individual action of everyone of us effects us collectively. God willing if we all do our part in promoting good and preventing the bad, we can fulfill the Quranic directive - "You are indeed the best community that has ever been brought forth for the good of humankind; you enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and you believe in God." (Quran 3:110)

I've seen other articles that do express the same basic gist - but I do gotta say that this one unfortunately smacks more than a little of a skewed view point as well... ie. glossing over the actions committed in the name of Islam, but not seeing the same arguement for equally flawed or repugnant actions committed in the names of other faiths.

Bascially it comes across as a little silly for some one to complain "woe is me" and lament the lack of understanding of their faith and views, while at the same time failing to acknowledge the same in others faiths and views...

Oh and of course the standard Israel jab was the kicker - the fact that Israel gets the same demonized special treatment sorta weakens the article's arguement, and the credibility of the author.

Okay, where I have problems is when people say that Islam is a religion of peace. I read the Q'ran while in school (Comparitive Religious Studies), and while I don't remember a lot of it, I remember some fairly violent phrases, such as,

"When you encounter the unbelievers, strike off their heads, until ye have made a great slaughter among them; and bind (the rest) in bonds: and either give them a free dismissal afterwards, or exact a ransom; until the war shall have laid down its arms. This shall you do." (Muhammad, Quran, War ch. 4).

"Truly, if God pleased, he could take vengeance on the unbelievers, without your assistance; but he commands you to fight his battles, that he may prove the one of you by the other." (Muhammad, Quran ch. 47, War)

"Fight for the sake of Allah those that fight against you, but do not attack them first. Allah does not love the aggressors." (Quran, Sura 2:256)

You have to take it within context. You will concede that the Bible has some violent passages as well, right?

During the time that the Quran was handed down, Muslims were under attack for their beliefs. They had to defend themselves because their lives were at stake. Hence, there are references to violent acts in the Quran. But does the Quran advocate killing folks just for the fun of it? NO.

Now while I may have disagreed with some of the language... okay alot of the language used in the editoral - I do agree with the basic spirit of the article: that Islam is a religion of peace that has been hi-jacked by fundamentalist wackos.

Now in defense of Islam - I'm sure you also remember that the Bible has some pretty violent stuff in it too right?
leaving out all the fun of Leviticus we have stuff like:
Numbers 33:51-52
Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places.
Deuteronomy 2:34
At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed them—men, women and children. We left no survivors.
Joshua 11:20
For it was the LORD himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
-and for some New Testament fun as well:
2 Peter 2:12
But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.


But just like the Quarn it all comes down to placing the passages in both their spiritual context but historical context as well - when and why were they written? Just as jubilance1922 pointed out placing the passages within the historical context of the faith you can understand why some are more violent or dark than others (as in most of the Prohpets in the Bible)... but just as with us Christians and the Bible, the Islamic faith isn't based on one or few passages from the Quarn. Those who base their interpretation of faith on a few passages are generally as nutty as the "Christians" who do the same (again look up WBC for something along that vein).

If the state of Virginia was involved in a civil war, and California sent an army to intervene, control the peace, and train and equip the Virginia army to strengthen it, do you that Pat Robertson and his merry band of disciples would be setting roadside bombs on I-95 and blowing up Krogers to annoy the Californians?

PS: Hate to waste my 2700th post on this. Still only 20% as many as Tom Earp, though.

CONTEXT hooiser CONTEXT...

IF you want to try and make such an arguement, you might try to attempt to approach somewhat similar circumstances - not as you have done compare apples and prawns.

IF lets the US becomes a dictatorship, and say that Saudi Arabia or Indonesia invades and occupies the US as a plan to ensure that WMDs are eliminated, regime change is possible, and democracy is restored - would you honestly argue that there wouldn't be a violent recation from some quarters? Say for example some of the more extreme "Christians".... or backwoods militias (after all McVeigh didn't even wait for foreigners of an alien faith did he).

So, The Islamic Good Book says Thought Will Shalt Not! Then Why do it.:(

It so doesnt Mean You as an Islam wont do it anyway as it does in Christian Good Books.?

So, How Many Islam Dictators of Countrys do not Kill People who Do Not Agree With Them?

A Hell Of a lot easier to Spell The Countrys than the Dick Wads Names!:mad:

Iraq, Iran, Chad, Libyea or any other Barbarians who want the Riches from their People of Poverty?:rolleyes:

If and only If the People want Americans out Of Iraq, Then Learn how to Govern Yourselfs in a Humanitarian Manner! Or Can You?:confused:

Go Back To The Despots Who Kill People because they belong to a differnt Sects or disagree!

Good Luck and Mohammed Speed!:)

Just out of curiosity (and because I obviously have some sort of a stubborn streak going), have you ever read the entire Q'ran? Especially an edition that has had few translations (vs. Aramaic to Greek to Latin to English)? I have.

Yep read it through in my Mediaeval scriptures class - the Chrisitan Bible (taught by a retired Vatican theologian), Qu'ran taught by Islamic scholar (whose specialties are Islamic apocolyptic literature, and of course the Qu'ran), and the Judaic scriptures (the whole Hebrew/Greek divide was interesting).

All in all a very facinating class that proved invaluable for another class dealing with the period of the Crusades...

However the one thing that I took away from the course was that to truely understand the scriptures one must understand the language and history - or the subtle and not so subtle nuances are completely lost on the contemporary reader.

True - and that's why I asked. It's been a few years for me & the Q'ran (or Qu'ran, as you say), but I'm more familiar with both the Judiac & Christian on a recent basis.

Yes, it is important to read the different passages in context. But, when "death to the infidel" is mentioned in so many ways, one can't help but remember it with a jaundiced view.

The death to the infidel quotes don't bother me in the least - afterall within it's historical and scriptutral context it is calling for the death of pagans and heathens - not death for the "people of the book" (ie. Jews and Christians)... the only problem is that Crusades pretty much put an end to that view, and protection for the people of the book was dropped because of the Crusader's atrocities and such.

So as long as they don't kill Christians you're OK with it?

-Rudey

I'm fascinated (and not fully informed) by this subject. I am aware that Muslims claim that theirs is a religion of peace, but then I see the Iranian president calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map" - the same Israel who are ostensibly called "people of the book" by Islamic apologists.

I don't see Methodists calling for the Presbyterians to be wiped off the map. The same pleas for historical context should, for intellectual consistency, be applied when citing Old Testament and New Testament passages.

Its like the KKK and other white supremacy groups using Christianity. Would you consider a Klan leader or a neo-Nazi a good representative of Christianity?

In every religion there are people who use parts of it for their own personal gain. Those people will have to answer for their actions on Judgement Day.

The KKK and other white supremacy groups were then and are now, not representative of a larger group. I see them as much different than the president of an entire [Muslim] country saying Israel should be wiped off the map.

"The likeness of those who are entrusted with the Law of Moses, yet apply it not, is as the likeness of the ass carrying books. Wretched is the likeness of folk who deny the revelations of Allah. And Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk. Say (O Muhammad): O ye who are Jews! If ye claim that ye are favoured of Allah apart from (all) mankind, then long for death if ye are truthful. But they will never long for it because of all that their own hands have sent before, and Allah is Aware of evil-doers. (Surah 65:5-7)

It is easy to see how contempt for non-Muslims is cultivated within the Qur'an.

The fact that this man happens to be the leader of a country is irrelevant to the point I was making.

Should someone assume that every American thinks the way George Bush does, just because he's the leader of our country?

I would hope not.

My entire point is that regardless to how some people may PRACTICE Islam, Islam in and of itself IS a peaceful religion. The problem is not the ideology, it is the twisting of the ideology by those who have other agendas (and that's the problem).

Sweety, what website gave you that verse, because its wrong. Honestly folks, thats not how that verse goes at all..

Surah 65:5 That is the Command of Allah, which He has sent down to you: ANd if anyone fears Allah, He Will remove his ills from him, and wil enlarge his rewards.

Surah 65:6 Let the women live in the same style as ye live, according to your means: Annoy them not, so as to restrict them, and if they carry (life in the wombs), then spend (your substance) on them until they deliver their buden: and if they suckle (offspring), give them their recompense; and take mutual counsel together, according to what is just and reasonable. And if ye find yourselves in difficulties, let another woman suckle (the child) on the (father's) behalf.

Surah 65:7 Let the man of means spend according to his means: and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend accoding to what Allah has given him. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him. After a difficulty, Allah will soon grant relief.

Abdullahi Yusuf Ali translation.





I really wish people would stop googling quranic verses because there are so many FALSE verses online...get a credible source AT LEAST.

Another wonderful example:

Surah 2: 256 goes like this:

Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy handhold, that never breaks and Allah hearth and knoweth all things.



Please, pick up a translated Quran and do not GOOGLE!

Who ever gave u those verses should be fired. First, the Mohammed chapters are in Surah 47. Second, after reading thoroughly the entire chapter, I didnt find those said verses. Unless of course, new verses have been added to the Quran *sarcasm*. In fact, in the entire chapter, the words: strike off their heads and slaughter were not used...not once.

No wonder why we (muslims) claim that we practice a peaceful religion, but people don't believe us......SMH

There is a HUGE population of Muslims that does not consider Islam a religion of peace while you and Jubilance might. Iran is one country to start, but really outside of Dubai and maybe Jordan the trouble is plentiful across the entire Arab region. While Moe.ron may not think it's much, it's there in the South Asian area. Heck in Bangladesh, they just had suicide bombers blow themselves up because they want more Muslim laws. And I'm not even sure if there are any African Muslim countries (aren't you from Somalia) with great records out there on "peace".

Nobody can say any religion is a religion of peace. However, right now, Islam sadly has too many followers that don't agree with your interpretation. I don't think the Vatican chops heads these days, I haven't seen Rabbis do it on the Temple Mount, but the holiest place for Muslims...

-Rudey
--Religion is an opiate.

True, there are many interpretations/sects of Islam..as it is true in many other religions, am I correct?

What you're talking about here is how the religion is used in politics. As for Iran, Talibans, Wahabbists, and any other ultra-conservative take on religion, I personally don't follow (along with ALOT of Muslims in the N. American community --excluding immigrants). They use the religion to advance their own agendas/motives in politics. Don't for one minute think that we Muslims agree with eachother on political actions of zealots because we have a common religion. Sure it pisses us off when idiots do unislamic things under the banner of Islam. You also have to remember that we compromise 1 Billion of the world population and have very diverse religious idealogies ---ultra-conservative to neo-moderates. You can't just bunch them all together.

As for Somalia (yes, I am Somali by blood), they suffer from the same disease that is riddled with majority of the African countries, which is civil war --that has absolutely nothing to do with religion at all.

It's a correct verse - just mislabeled... it's from Surah 62.

Also in it's context it is condemning/mocking those that have blessed to have heard God/Allah's word, and been given his laws... but have forgotten the words or don't practice the laws - basically it was negative comments directed against a secular Jewish merchant community in the Arabian region. The comment about the Ass with the books was directed at them, because the Ass is as ignorant of his load as the Jewish community in question was of the Torah. I fine example of understanding the context... but unfortunately if there are so many adherants to Islam that don't understand the context, why should it be surprising that others don't as well?

So I made a typo - I meant to say 62:5-7 instead of verse 65. Instead of condescension, a simple correction would have been more appropriate, don't you think, "Sweetheart"? Even though I don't happen to have a Qur'an in my office, I see nothing wrong with using an online source as long as I can slow down enough between patients to post the right source.

My point still stands. With any large group there will be a few weirdos who twist things to their own perverted agendas like those fringe white supremacy groups; however, this is quite different than if President Bush had announced that he thought Saudi Arabia should be wiped off the map. The public outcry from Americans would, I think, be gigantic. Yet when the president of Iran says Israel should be wiped off the map, few people in the Muslim community even blinked.

Perhaps I have been imprecise in my wording - my concern is that Islam, as a way of life (not simply a religion) is one that condones, if not actively promotes, contempt for non-Muslims. Disrespect for others is the first step toward justifying violence toward them as witnessed over and over in history. It is the pervasiveness of anti-Western, anti-Christian, and anti-Israel opinion within the Muslim community that leads to me conclude that it isn't just deviant philosophy within Islam that causes this.

Don't quote something that is incorrect. If you don't have the time to verify what you pasted as being correct, then don't bother. I personally, dont make it a habit to double-check every single verse posted on GC, but last night, I had the Quran beside me, and every single verse posted in this thread was mislabelled or false. BTW, there's alot of FALSE verses online --as in ones that dont exist, just an FYI.

Sorry if you thought I was condenscending for correct you, since you have many patients to see and all.


Who cares what the Iranian president said. He is not a religious leader, but a political one. I am neither Iranian nor Shi'a ---as majority of muslims are not Iranian nor Shi'a.

How much experience do you have with Islam to come to that general conclusion? Just curious?

Do you know EVERY SINGLE MUSLIM IN THE ENTIRE WORLD to make that kind of generalization? And don't point to what you see on tv.

I guess since today is "Generalize Religions" Day, I'm going to assume that all Christians believe that I'm going to hell since that's what many Christians have told me to my face.

See how absolutely idiotic that is?

Thanks for the tip. While I feel badly for having made that typo, the general sense of what I was saying was clear enough and easily figured out by other people. Let's make a deal - you politely point out any mislabeled quotes I make in the future, and I'll ignore all of your grammatical errors...

You can correct my grammatical errors if that's your way of dodging questions. Go ahead, but don't keep your patients waiting too long.

This actually makes my point for me. I read the newspaper, watch the news, work with Muslims, and so forth. I'd like to think I have enough information to make a somewhat informed judgment.

If I do not have enough information, then you, as a Muslim, should care what the president of Iran says because it makes people like me think that he speaks for all of you.

So, what are you doing to clear up any possible misconceptions that I (and many other non-Muslims) may have about Islam, other than being hostile toward me on this chat board?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by IIOA
[QUOTE]Originally posted by _Opi_
Who cares what the Iranian president said. He is not a religious leader, but a political one. I am neither Iranian nor Shi'a ---as majority of muslims are not Iranian nor Shi'a.

Quote:

This actually makes my point for me. I read the newspaper, watch the news, work with Muslims, and so forth. I'd like to think I have enough information to make a somewhat informed judgment. If I do not have enough information, then you, as a Muslim, should care what the president of Iran says because it makes people like me think that he speaks for all of you. So, what are you doing to clear up any possible misconceptions that I (and many other non-Muslims) may have about Islam, other than being hostile toward me on this chat board?

Are you Christian? Do you want non-Christians to think that Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell speaks for you?

BTW, reading the newspaper and watching tv is NOT a good way to learn about one of the largest religions in the world. A better way to learn is to visit a mosque. I'm sure the imam would be happy to speak with you.

Islam does not have a hierarchy the way other religions do. We don't have ONE person speaking for the entire religion, because everyone has their own personal relationship with God.

The fact remains that at the end of the day, your opinion of me or Muslims in general isn't going to alter the way that I serve Him. Ultimately, God is the only judge of me, so you believing untruths about my religion is irrelevant to my spiritual path. I will continue to hope that one day your eyes are opened to the TRUE spirit of Islam, instead of just believing what you see on tv.

This demonstrates my point even further. When Pat Robertson suggested that Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez should be assassinated (dare I say, "wiped off the map"?), he was soundly rebuked by Christians of all denominations.

Since I'm Catholic, I will refer you to the 1965 document Nostra Aetate, paragraph 3.

"The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all- powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. In addition, they await the day of judgment when God will render their deserts to all those who have been raised up from the dead. Finally, they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting.

Since in the course of centuries not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen between Christians and Moslems, this sacred synod urges all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom."

This is what I would like to believe about Islam...

To your first point: I just explained in my last post that their is not a central figure that speaks for every Muslim. But I bet that if you go and speak to Muslims (especially in this country), they will speak out against those who harm others in the name of Islam.

As for the quote, everything written there is true, if you did some reading and speaking to actual Muslims (instead of just taking what you see on tv as gospel) then you would KNOW that those things are true.

Here is a good website to begin to get some TRUTH about Islam. I hope you read it with a sincere heart and that you gain some understanding.

www.islamicity.com

This strikes me as funny. Actually, its people like you who should be educated on the Middle East and Islam in general. Once again, you are mixing up religion and politics. I can differentiate between the two at least.

No, I'm sorry this doesn't prove your point - simply saying the Christians of all denominations rebuke Robertson to argue that all Christians disagreed with his statement is faulty logic - at least in the context of this debate... after all I can say exactly the same thing about the comments by the Iranian president: that Muslims of all denominations objected to his remarks... in fact some were quite vocal in their vilification of his remarks (it looked as if one Sunni cleric was going to burst a blood vessel on Al Jazeera denouncing the president as a political hack trying to pander to the ignorant, and the hateful ,as a means to support his tyranny). Just because it hasn't been seen on Fox or CNN doesn't mean it hasn't happened...

Actually, I've already pointed out that religion and politics are related especially as it applies to Islam (as an entire way of life, not just a theological invention). If I "should be educated", then who's going to do it - Al Jazeera TV?

The indifference toward what fellow Muslims say about wiping Israel off the map is quite telling. The silence is deafening, as they say.

Let me also say that I'm very touched by everyone's concern for poor ignorant ole me. The repeated exhortations to "get educated" are accepted with the same spirit in which they are given.

If you want to argue that the Iranian president doesn't speak for all of Islam, you might want to tell that to him. From Reuters: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/OLI653921.htm

"The Islamic world will not let its historic enemy live in its heartland," he said.

He seems to be under the impression that he does speak for all of you, and so did the 3,000 students to whom he was addressing who chanted "Death to Israel" and "Death to America".

No, you can some credible information elsewhere such as books, classes, talking to educated people, etc..

Again, the Israel/Palestine is a political issue. I like to separate my religion and politics.

Please, I beg you, LET IT GO!

The Iranian president can THINK that he speaks for all Muslims and that's his right.

But when you have people telling you that he DOES NOT speak for them, why do you keep harping on the point? Are you trying to convince me or something?

You're better off listening to those Muslims who live and work among you, instead of someone halfway around the world.

The leader of Iran is religious. There are no political leaders no matter how you splice it. Qom runs everything.

-Rudey

The problem is that you don't speak for all Muslims. Visiting a mosque doesn't give you a clear understanding of all Muslims.

The fact remains that the Iranian president is but one aspect of hate and violence accepted by the Muslim (largely Arab) world. Seriously they play television series on the Elders of Zion in the "moderate" Muslim Arab countries. This is akin to Wilson watching "The Birth of the Nation" in the white house. Memri.org is filled with exact translations of what comes out of the middle east.

Nobody speaks for all Muslims. There is a huge population of Muslims and their respective nations that support violence and hate. You may not and many Muslims may not, but you can't just turn a blind eye to that.

I want to say there is little for the peaceful Muslims to say or do but I can't. If the hateful ones can raise their voice so much and take such actions, then the peaceful ones must figure a way out to counteract that. For example, many can start by protesting the suicide bombers that kill everyone in all these countries instead of protesting Iraq, Israel, and any other Western country.

-Rudey