I am calm because I do believe that most of the Western world does understand the threat that radical Islam poses to our civilization and will respond as is necessary. Historically, it takes us a while but we do. I even believe that it is possible that eventually large numbers of non-radical Muslims will find the courage to condemn those but I do not think it is likely.
I have already said I am against torture and think Guantanamo should be shut down. I totally agree with John McCain in his unequivocal condemnation of torture. He was tortured and understands it well, although my guess is he would say that since he is still here with a family and a good life it was preferable to being killed. I did not, nor would I, vote for Bush/Cheney, or anyone who supported this. So I wish you guys would stop laying that at my doorstep. Correcting what is wrong here and condemning the Islamic fanatics are not mutually exclusive tasks.
Those who carried out Hitler and Stalin's orders were not doing so because of Christian philosophy or beliefs or in its name.
The day Americans start attacking Muslims here I will be among the first to condemn it loudly. I am not inciting violence against anyone who does not support violence as a tool for killing those that merely offend their sensibilities. Far more Muslims have been killed by other Muslims than Americans.
Malice, I do not believe for a nonosecond that a country or person for that matter has to be perfect in order to condemn things that are wrong. If so, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy, even Gandhi, would be disqualified and no nation on earth would ever be justified in criticizing another.
Jay, apparently you are not aware that the Cole was bombed, the WTC attacked twice, attacks on the Spanish, the British, and, oh yeah, the French and Germans, who did not support the Iraq war. You underestimate them at your peril.
The actor Ron Silver said it best when he said, "We are not a war with Islam, we are war with Jihadistan."
When the U.S. engages in war with Iraq and in the opinion of some kills innocents wrongfully, hundreds of thousands of people in free Western civilizations protest and condemn it. The proof of one's integrity is willingness to criticize your own people when they are wrong or even to see it as wrong.
I marched against the Vietnam War because I believed it to be wrong. I have written my congressman to protest Guantanamo and Abu Grave and I vote against those that support it. Many of you do also and perhaps more
Such behavior among Muslims in the Middle East is practically non-existent and that is why they are such a threat, because if you hold beliefs that contradict their religious/cultural values and express them, or their daughter dishonors them in their eyes, or someone names a teddy bear Mohammed, they belief that if you are sentenced to death the punishment fits the crime.
When this kind of thing happens to this teacher, or a Fatwa is declared against Salmon Rushdie, or Al Qaeda attacks innocents, or even Muslims kill other Muslims, please folks, guide me to the articles that report large numbers of Muslims in the Middle East condemning this and protesting and saying "This is not what Islam is about." You sometimes see Muslims in Western countries do so, though not in large numbers, but not in the Middle East.
Why? There are only two possible reasons that I can come up with:
1. They are afraid they will be killed.
2. They agree with the actions.
Once again, if you can point to me to any information or articles from any main stream Middle Eastern publications, TV stations, editorials, polls, etc. that show large numbers of Muslims in the Middle East speaking out against Islamic extremism then I will modify my opinion and state so plainly.