the proposed "clash"...

Submitted by J.S. (Canada), Oct 6, 2006 at 18:39

I wonder about the proposed "clash" -- I don't think the pope (or the rest of the catholic leadership) is chafing for a fight...(actually, it's Islam which seems to want to flex its muscle.) And I don't see much of Europe ready for some would-be "fight" either. They want to appease Islam -- make peace. The pope doesn't like "the violence" -- but it goes both ways -- I think the pope opposes "violence" against muslims. I don't think the catholic church backs the war in Iraq (I could be wrong, but I've only heard very critical things about the Iraq war coming from church leaders...)

And I don't think there's any pressure whatsoever on countries such as Iran (Iran can openly defy the UN, knowing that European countries will look away, etc.). So I don't see a "clash" (in Canada, btw, the threat of a clash is constantly used -- it's used as follows: "If you don't start talking to Islamic leaders and giving them what they want, then you're inviting a clash of civilizations!! and you really don't want such a thing to ever occur!! remember, there are 1.3 billion muslims!!..possibly angry ones!!..") There are very few nations in the world which actually (for example) send sizeable troops to NATO to support the mission in Afghanistan (Europeans might send a token force, but it's not really at a committed level -- Canada with its reduced military is supplying 10 percent of the NATO troops to Afghanistan).

Military excursions are half-hearted at best...more so given the circumstances in Iraq..and I don't see this changing anytime soon...(unless, of course, muslims do something really stupid...-- hit the Vatican or take out the Eiffel Tower, no wait, the Parisians would applaud that and call it "innovative" -- but it'd have to be stupid, i suppose, given Islam's past history, doing something stupid wouldn't be all that unusual..but it's unlikely. Also al-qaeda's number two -- the guy with the horn growing out of his forehead -- he's tied up in Iraq..)

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