AS CHRISTIANITY IS BANNED FROM SAUDI ARABIA....

Submitted by Geno M. (United States), Aug 31, 2007 at 01:08

Isn't it interesting that non-Islamic religious expression of any form is banned entirely in Saudi Arabia, yet barely has there been a whiff, a whimper, or even a whisper of discontent from the international community at large. In Islamic countries, such as Iran, Pakistan and throughout most of the Arab world, the same concept generally holds true.

Why, therefore, one may reasonably ask, should Islamic countries be allowed to practice the most extreme intolerance while demanding that the West approach the religion of Muhammed with a level of respect bordering on slavish reverence. Is this mere hypocrisy? Or is this an entirely new phenomenon that requires a new moniker to accurately describe it. I'm told that in Nazi Germany there were many "good" Germans who genuinely abhored the policies implemented by HItler. Yet very few spoke up.

I am equally confident that there are many more "good" Muslims who find certain intolerant elements of Islamism reprehensible. But the zealots rightfully point out that they are merely following the path of Allah and the deeds of Muhammed. And they are quite right. Indeed, those who adhere closest to the Koranic scripture are the Muslims most likely to find themselves in violent opposition to the secular and Judeo-Christian world view.

There is something in Islam that induces a kind of paralysis in many non-Muslims. Perhaps it is fear. Perhaps it is fear plus something else. We seem ill equipped to stand up for ourselves as we watch our most basic values erode and dissolve as a sand castle before the ocean's watery pull. Do we no longer value freedom, critical examination, honest discourse, women's rights, and so on. What more must we see of this miserable thing called Islam before we throw up our hands in self-defense and fight for everything we hold dear? Islam is only the second most dangerous threat Western civilization faces today. The most dangerous is our myopic self-delusion in the face of this growing storm.

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