Who got hit on 9/11 and the "enemy of my enemy"

Submitted by jennifer solis (United States), Jul 10, 2008 at 18:32

As always, Dr. Pipes brings up irrefutable evidence and facts that point out true perspective. Easy to see the mathematician in Dr. Pipes.

I do think, however, unknown factors are at play - along with lack of exact numbers of terrorist plots foiled in the U.S. (how many were stopped without arrests?), I believe the fact that 9/11 happened to the U.S., and not in Europe - an event now forever etched in the memories of citizens of the U.S. as well as the Muslims in the U.S. themselves - has social ramification. This comes off as somewhat subjective reasoning, but still I wonder if the occaisional, uncomfortable look I see on a Muslim's face, or that of his family, in a local supermarket or restaurant or wherever, here in the U.S., is just my imagination, or are they actually bitter, towards real or imagined judgement, persecution; add to that, possible embarrassment? The few Muslims I know occaisionally complain about "profiling", but invariably they blame the attackers of 9/11 for starting it all.

Anyone who even resembles a Muslim - from Indians to Armenians - have related their frustration to me at being assumed Muslim by cops as well as city council members. They don't blame the U.S. - they blame the Muslim.

Looking at Europeans, they aren't exactly fans of the U.S.; neither are the Islamists. Perhaps Islamism's existance in Europe is a bit more comfortable - "The factors that cause militant Islam to decline or flourish appear to have more to do with issues of identity than with economics." - quoting Dr. Pipes.

I would submit that the Muslim's "identity" in the U.S. is much different from that in Europe.

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