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That extreme solution not necessary yet, and perhaps never if .....

Reader comment on item: "You can't fight Islamism with ideas coming out of Europe"
in response to reader comment: Better to pay the piper

Submitted by Ron Thompson (United States), Dec 16, 2010 at 12:48

I agree with you that the crisis between Islam and the West (and the rest of the world) continues to build, and is unlikely to fade away. But the point of suggesting that we have at least a few leaders willing to stand up to the religion itself, and not join the smarmy evasion that extremist Islam is not the "real" Islam, is to avoid a huge conventional war, or worse.

The whole point of holding Islam itself responsible for so many despicable behaviors (see below) is to stop sending the message to "good" (violent) Moslems that we DON'T hold your religion responsible for what you do (a message of weakness), and to suggest to "bad" (peaceful) Moslems that perhaps you need to look for a different value system, one consistent with your personal values rather than contradictory to them.

I recently saw news (ignored in the US?) that because of cartoons by a Swedish cartoonist in 2007 deemed offensive to Islam, a cleric in the Middle East offered $100,000 for his death, and $150,000 if his head were sent to the cleric. 3 years later, he's still at daily risk. I hold Islam responsible for this, not just the cleric.

Yesterday, 38 people (Moslems) were killed in Iran by a suicide bomber. We should have daily news of this pattern of genocidal behavior inspired by Islam not only against Israelis, Europeans, and Americans, but against Moslems as well - Moslem civilians who have died by the thousands in the name of Islam.

By removing the irrational taboo against criticizing Islam itself, we could spark a huge discussion on what's wrong with Islam on a wide array of issues that other faiths and other political systems can deal with without suicide bombings, and often enough without violence of any kind. Indeed, we might even have a discussion whether or not this is the central and unfixable problem of Islam, this profound failure to adjust the MEANS used to deal with problems, conflicts, and differing interest and views with anything other than violence.

Is this all that Islam has to offer not only to the world, but to its own peoples? VIOLENCE? And the closer we get to the center of the Islamic World in the Middle East, the more violence is glorified, and either practiced or menacingly simmering just below the surface?

Paradoxically, if we discuss whether this is so, I believe we have a much better chance of defusing this dysfunctional religion without some awful Armageddon down the road than if we go one pretending that there's nothing wrong with the religion, only with some tiny extremist fringe. We need to get over the absurd situation that we can freely and fundamentally criticze so many systems that work more or less well, such as democracy, capitalism, cultural diversity, and religious and sexual pluralism, but, OH, we must never ask and publicly discuss whether there is something wrong at the core of the world's least tolerant and most violent religion.

Unshackling our minds on this topic may be by far our best chance of avoiding further wars. And, as I've suggested before, we may find we have all kinds of secret allies behind the Islamic Iron Curtain.

Ron Thompson

Submitting....

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Reader comments (65) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Disagree with many a points raised [93 words]hinduidfDec 24, 2010 12:09181225
islam is dangerous in every shape. [211 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
havasDec 18, 2010 04:01181085
3This is what I would propose [91 words]dhimmi no moreDec 19, 2010 14:21181085
1One important issue was totally overlooked [509 words]Alain GrynbergDec 10, 2010 11:56180841
Mr Grynbergs theory [630 words]the Grand Infidel of KaffiristanDec 11, 2010 04:20180841
"commitment to scientism not overlooked" [669 words]Lactantius JrDec 11, 2010 16:29180841
Shukur to the Grand Infidel [40 words]Erich WDec 11, 2010 23:15180841
6Pipes vs Wilders [367 words]GershomDec 7, 2010 18:27180772
1Expecting too much [270 words]Erich WDec 9, 2010 13:09180772
Put Muslims for choices from the outside [291 words]DemsciDec 12, 2010 04:37180772
3Very tough questions raised [1073 words]Erich WDec 7, 2010 18:23180771
Truth About Islam and Islamism Requires Spiritual Discernment - Not Ideas [626 words]M. ToveyDec 7, 2010 17:30180769
1An idea out of Europe [44 words]JantjeDec 6, 2010 16:59180742
6it's easy to fight islam! use common sense! [249 words]vanhetgoorDec 6, 2010 06:09180731
2Incorrect. [198 words]tstephanDec 5, 2010 21:10180724
Indeed incorrect!! [148 words]JaladhiDec 10, 2010 18:38180724
1Dr. Pipes: you are very correct [157 words]dhimmi no moreDec 5, 2010 16:05180716
1Go to the source [92 words]G BensimonDec 5, 2010 15:04180715
4Islam and Islamism: One and the same [389 words]Sergio RDec 5, 2010 09:01180712
Islamism is following of Islam!!! [111 words]JaladhiDec 10, 2010 17:24180712
What are our goals, what are we FOR [355 words]DemsciDec 4, 2010 20:47180704
2only one way to defeat islamism [107 words]y Brandstetter MDDec 4, 2010 16:19180700
2Contra Islam [151 words]William EastDec 3, 2010 17:36180681
Too much change [63 words]joe six-packDec 5, 2010 18:33180681
Gullible and superstitious!!! [64 words]JaladhiDec 6, 2010 19:39180681
1"Burn a Qur'an day, the original" [1697 words]Lactantius JrDec 7, 2010 18:41180681
what will defeat the Islam of Muhammad? [170 words]Lactantius JrDec 2, 2010 16:42180655
How can we defeat islam? [27 words]dhimmi no moreDec 5, 2010 09:09180655
Muslims won't change or reform by themselves!!1 [224 words]JaladhiDec 6, 2010 16:33180655
1Defeating the Islam of Muhammad [1659 words]Lactantius JrDec 6, 2010 20:04180655
2Zakaria Botros [70 words]dhimmi no moreDec 7, 2010 17:24180655
What will defeat the Islam of Muhammed? The Messiah is Coming! response to Lactantius Jr. [462 words]Anne- USADec 9, 2010 16:07180655
1alleged Bible corruption and the Messiah is coming [2899 words]Lactantius JrDec 10, 2010 19:48180655
What will defeat the Islam of Muhammed? The Truth Will be Known about Islam how it was changed! response to Lantanius Jr. [364 words]Anne- USADec 12, 2010 13:33180655
"Fighting the good fight and the gospel of grace." [1175 words]Lactantius JrDec 14, 2010 15:44180655
You Can't Fight Islamism With Ideas coming From Europe. We are in the Trenches to Stay. response to Lantanius Jr. [198 words]AnneDec 16, 2010 08:53180655
2Ponder...what's on my mind regarding moslems...! [312 words]NuritGDec 2, 2010 16:41180654
1Endgame [169 words]MontyDec 2, 2010 11:32180650
1True [154 words]Marc BouwmanDec 6, 2010 15:32180650
Thank-you [30 words]John W McGinleyDec 2, 2010 07:19180645
Islamism a curse to human society like communism [259 words]KamekishDec 2, 2010 02:43180638
1Enlightment [27 words]Cherif El-AyoutyDec 2, 2010 02:33180637
2Islamism is not a utopian ideology [396 words]RajeevDec 2, 2010 02:13180636
Marcus' Laws of Electoral Democracy in Muslim-Majority Countries [110 words]G MarcusDec 1, 2010 23:02180634
ideas are not good enough [114 words]mythDec 1, 2010 18:41180628
Islamization of America [191 words]Janusz KowalikDec 1, 2010 17:57180626
3A Query [211 words]Peter HerzDec 1, 2010 17:41180623
Wallraff and Germany today [630 words]mythDec 2, 2010 05:25180623
Probing Further [113 words]Peter HerzDec 3, 2010 23:00180623
xenophobia or anti-islam [167 words]mythDec 5, 2010 20:05180623
1An important difference [145 words]Kepha HorDec 1, 2010 17:32180622
Another Reassuring Analysis [111 words]InfidelForeverDec 1, 2010 16:49180621
Cold War Only Works with Atheists [383 words]TL WinslowDec 1, 2010 16:04180618
Explain your analysis of UK re. allowing islamists to work the system and get "to the top" [114 words]Ian FilesDec 1, 2010 15:20180617
5Islam and Ideas coming from Europe... [497 words]Willem-Hans von BREMENDec 1, 2010 15:00180616
9Catching Up With Himself? [424 words]Ron ThompsonDec 1, 2010 14:59180615
1yes; existential crisis [178 words]rwDec 3, 2010 09:45180615
1The essence of totalitarianism [121 words]DiarmuidDec 3, 2010 15:58180615
1Not so certain [193 words]Joe Six-PackDec 4, 2010 12:23180615
2The importance of Iran [522 words]Ron ThompsonDec 4, 2010 18:06180615
To Speak Up, or Remain Silent? [495 words]Ron ThompsonDec 12, 2010 18:28180615
Better to pay the piper [229 words]Joe Six-PackDec 14, 2010 07:48180615
3That extreme solution not necessary yet, and perhaps never if ..... [539 words]Ron ThompsonDec 16, 2010 12:48180615
4Pushing Back Agianst Sharia Law [344 words]Kim BruceDec 1, 2010 14:50180614
You can't fight Islamism with ideas coming out of EU [608 words]Vigilant101Dec 1, 2010 14:25180612

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