I have had an argument with friends and strangers alike when it comes to the notion that it is only a minority of Islam that is capable of terrorism, only a fraction of the Muslims in the world that wish to see the United States and the West destroyed. Well, the following article sums up quite clearly what I believe the truth to be. Do not be so quick to assume that everything is seen through the same lense that we as Americans see it. The Islamic religion dominates Muslims. It is not like we are used to in the United States where things are taken in stride and the majority of people, though swayed by beliefs to an obvious extent, are not for the most part radically inclined to adhere to any one stance.
Do you need a perfect example of how flexible the United States is compared to the theocracies of the Middle East? Well, how about the Presidential Election? Do we crumble into anarchy when one side or the other wins the White House? Of course not. But when was the last time you heard of a pendulum swing in power in an Islamic nation that wasn’t done by force?
Americans and Westerners have come to understand tolerance, but this lesson is not one I believe can be learned easily by Muslims, if at all.
And so I give you the following excerpt from a recent AP report (with thanks to Jihad Watch):
The trial of six men accused of plotting to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Paris opened with testimony from the suspected ringleader.
Voluble French-Algerian Djamel Beghal, 39, told the Paris court on Monday that he had been kept in solitary confinement awaiting trial since his arrest in 2001. Terrorism suspects are sometimes detained alone for security reasons.
“I’ve not spoken for three years, so now I’m going to catch up,” he said.
He explained how he moved to France in his 20s, married, did odd jobs and found his Islamic faith, which became “one of my reasons for living.”
Asked if he considers himself a radical, he replied: “I am a Muslim and Muslim to the hilt.”
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