Moderating Moslems

Submitted by Sir Daniel M.J. Tobin (United States), Nov 17, 2004 at 12:37

This article was one in a long saga about Islamist bigots brutalizing individuals and groups who critique Islam or disagree with it in secular democracies.

When I went to Catholic grade school, we took a class field trip to the United Nations and were taught that the Vatican, the Anglican church, Israel, and about 20 different Arab countries which were predominantly Islamic were represented there in New York City, and that the international body went a long way to help the poor, refugees, and settle differences among cultures.

I would like to see the students and teachers in the mosques and madrassas take field trips to synagogues and churches in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe, Bali, Australia, Nepal, The United States,etc. to initiate good relations among religions, and to keep radicals from becoming violent, and planning acts of violence. I would also like to see Moslems participate in Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International as so few Moslem countries have any good news about improvements rights, health,economics, and education of citizens. Here in the States we are always being told about abusive clerics being investigated, prosecuted, moved to different parishes, etc. but we rarely, if ever, see imams and sheiks removed for their anti-Israel, anti-America bigotry.

Vigorously educating young Moslems now about the goodness of America and Europe may prevent jihad in the future.

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