A response for Diana

Submitted by Aidan Maconachy (Canada), Jan 5, 2006 at 05:30

Diana - I realize that Saudi Arabia has a somewhat monopolistic view of what constitutes religion. They safeguard the dominant position of Islam without apology.

However, I don't think that because intolerance is practiced in certain parts of the Muslim world, we in the West should become equally intolerant. Here in Canada many religions co-exist in a relative degree of harmony.

None of the Canadian Muslims I know are in the business of "bribing or blackmailing" and the only Muslim I have seen proselytizing is an old guy with a white beard who used to hand out leaflets on the University of Toronto campus. I really do think that the extremist activity you alluded to in your post is a minority activity involving certain hardline elements. These people tend to make the news, and their activities create alarm. However it is a leap to conflate the religion of Islam as a whole with such radical expressions of that faith.

We are involved in a real fight against extremism - I agree - but I don't think the way to combat it is to become equally extremist and intolerant. There are thankfully people of goodwill in all religious groups who are interested in reaching out for the good of the society as a whole.

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