Muslims SHOULD be offended...by what their fellow Muslims believe and do

Submitted by DrRJP (United States), Nov 29, 2006 at 19:07

The direct link between Islamism and terrorism is so self-evident that only people in psychological denial cannot see it. And, as it turns out, Islam has thoroughly institutionalized psychological denial in its followers, and provided the mother of all Catch-22's to ensure things stay that way. Muslims are not only told what they are supposed to believe but enforce that edict with the threat of death. Muslims who think and speak outside the box know that they do so at their own peril.

The rage that Muslims display against non-Muslims who question their beliefs or their religious leaders is a suppressed frustration against being forced to toe the line. It is a classic case of displaced anger. They cannot express their own anger agianst their religion or their religious leaders, so they take it out on someone else. Especially when they realize that the criticism is warranted. As for the "Moderates," their silence is all the more deafening since they have a very convenient excuse -- their religion prevents them from speaking out. Yet, they MUST speak out against Radical Islam precisely because they have the most credibility to do so -- if not the inside knowledge required. Muslims should not be offended by others showing the link between Islam and terrorism -- what they should be offended by are those who commit atrocities in the name of their religion. If they want to claim that their religion is truly a religion of peace, then it is up to them to reel in the radicals, and maybe, just maybe, if they are offended hard enough and often enough, then they just might do something to change -- NOT US BUT THEMSELVES.

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".