A Clash of Values

Submitted by Jerry (United States), Feb 9, 2006 at 21:35

I disagree with Dr. Pipes on this one. I think that the Islamists and a great majority of moderate muslems who are sympathetic to their cause, think that western values are subversive to their religion and society. And they are right.

The Islamist argument at its most intelligent and cogent is that virtue is the highest value in the cosmos. America and West holds freedom to be the highest value which has colided vis a vis the cartoon rage.

Muslim nations have not in times past protested the atrocities metted out by totalitarian regimes in their own backyard because they understand that violence is the dark side of human nature. However, they think that in following Islam in its quest for virtue they are atleast trying to do something about it and thus are morally superior to the West.

They are wrong in their assessment because the West continues to exhibit its morally superiority in its protection of human liberty, and greater transparency in dealing with its own dark side of human nature. I contend that virtue imposed from an extrinsic legalistic (Sharia) frame work makes no one virtuous.......... It only makes them robotic.

True virtue can only be founded upon freedom. The truly virtuous can only be so, when they are truly free.

This is why the Islamists fear and hate us! This is why the muslim immigrant flees to the West. And this is why they will lose in the final analysis because even if they won, they would still lose...........because of the self evident truth that every soul is free.

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