Different perspectives

Submitted by Kenneth Besig (Israel), Jul 17, 2003 at 11:26

Just a couple of things. Last year I read a column by Nicholas Kristof and his discussion with an imam in Pakistan regarding constitutional religious freedom in the United States. The iman remarked that the United States only guaranteed religious freedom to Christians and had murdered hundreds of non Christians over the past decade, mentioning one official US government massacre that had taken over a hundred non Christian lives. He said all this was found in a popular best selling book which was found throughout the Islamic world. Well, Kristoff found the book and indeed, their was a US government action during the 1990's that cost the lives of over a hundred religious fanatics, and that was at Waco Texas. The Islamic preacher had his facts more correct than less, but the interpretation he gave them stretches one's imagination.
One other thing is that Islam in the Arab world is not the same Islam as in Chechnya, Turkey, Indonesia, Europe, or the United States. There are changes and reforms taking place in those non Arab Islamic nations, regardless of their colonial past or lack thereof. Change and reform in the Arab Islamic states is fitful, reluctant, and when it occurs, it is often only at the whim of the current dictator.
All the best.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".