My two cents, Nick
mamabearCali wrote:Beiruity, positing one quote the Koran does not negate what thousands of Muslim men and women are screaming at the top of their lungs. I don't want to make this about Islam....it is only about that marginally. You and I could go round and round posting verses from the Koran,the bible and we would end up here again just both of us more irritated. These people believe they are acting on their faith, whether or not they are duped and believing a distorted version of Islam, I don't know.
Additionally, while individual members of any and every religion can do terrible things and be flat out insane. When a Christian goes round the bend, and off the reservation (murdering tillerman /westboro crazies) Christians very quickly denounce then and do not offer excuses for what they have done. Even you have offered excuses for these people's ridiculous behavior (the British and the Wahhabis/ a slanderous film inciting them to murder--as if words are an excuse to murder).
On Islam proper. We don't discuss religions here as a matter of course. So I will only give my thoughts on the last ten years of Islam/western interaction. I am a generous person by nature, idealist, and even at 32 years old a bit naive. I have wanted to believe that as a whole Islam could be a peaceful religion. World events over the past few years, months, and days, are disabusing me of that hope. I still cling to the small hope that perhaps these idiots at the embassies are a vocal minority, and moderates are the rule not the exception. Time will tell on that one.