Best to keep pressure on Muslims to reform

Submitted by Miriam (Australia), Aug 17, 2006 at 16:50

Rather than try to superficially 'sweep under the rug' problems with Muslims in the West, I feel we should be highlighting the problems and making them feel uncomforable and challenged. This is the only way they (particularly the moderates) will feel any pressure to re-examine their ideologies and challenge violent and outdated ideas and people in their own communities. In contrast, reaching out olive branches and 'forgiving' violent acts is seen as weak appeasement and lets all the Muslims 'off the hook'. Big mistake.

I feel very frustrated that communities such as Seattle took the false 'politically correct' and useless approach after the awful shootings. Rather than have useless feel-good exercises in interfaith meetings etc, they should have challenged and denounced the Muslim community for its hypocrisy and exposed the violence and hatred that it taught by jihad-minded clerics throughout the USA, which is responsible for such 'deranged' minds to commit such atrocities.

Islam is the only religion in the 21st century where there is a direct correlation between the degree of religiosity and the amount of violence and murder. We must stop being apologists for it, and stop assuming they are just isolated incidents. They are not! Start connecting the dots worldwide, and ask loud and clear why all the international terror of a global nature is in the name of Islam. It is no coincidence! We have every right to fear and challenge Islam and its teachings and to be suspicious of them all until proved otherwise.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".