Your words target all Muslims with hate and disregard
Salaam Maliquem,,,
I thought what Sassy mentioned was
The Muslim Culture
Very acutely said and so if I may add my 2 cents.
Islamic culture is wherein people born into have limited choices, especially women, ok nothing new there. What we may have forgotten is that this culture was imposed on people living in extremely 'barbaric' conditions; maybe a medieval culture that could not progress and the question is why?
Update: If we look at other Asian cultures: Hinduism, Buddhism or even Sikhism, one can opt out of the rituals or visiting temples and still retain his Hindu identity. (Villages remain a bit more conservative, but the option is there).
In Islam there are 'no' options. All Muslims, including the elite; are constrained by the Edith of the Koran.
A mild example would be our President of India who was Muslim; Late Mr. Abdul Kalam. The Muslim community refused to consider him among their own since Mr. Kalam had read the Bible and the Gita (Hindu) and used to often quote from these books along with the Koran. As I understand, the Koran implicitly forbids Muslims from reading any 'Word' outside of the Koran.
The general Muslim public (not those on the fringes, poor or extremists):
I have found Saudi Muslims humanely courteous to non-muslims and have heard about the help extended in road accidents. They don't wait for any 911 aid. (We Indian's, esp. in the cities; have lost this, maybe the grind has got into us.)
Regarding Muslim women:
Muslims just don't want you to eye ball their women. This probably runs through all communities and all men, it's just that Muslims are aggressive about it.
Alternative to Islam:
A society bogged down in poverty and in a harsh environment. Talk of averages, the Saudi is not starving and is barely middle-class, the Indian Muslim, likewise. 'what keeps them going?' The will talk about their faith. So who can take away this only thing they have, that which gives them a sense of belonging; an identity and perhaps some pride! I don't think Muslim youth in India are working in call centers. They wouldn't change their name from Saddam to Adam.
Initially I was surprised when the Saudi's stamped my passport with a notice 'carrying drugs will invite the death penalty'. After living there made greater sense: The young Saudi Muslim is crazier than most young people anywhere else and they would try anything at least once. In those deserts were mirages is the 'normal' drugs could ...
The Islamic Political Church
The problem is not in being a Muslim as much as in their church leadership which acquires political power. In the US, religion has no standing in politics. Thank God for this one country. Rest of the world sadly is not there.
Islam, has its divinity but it also has political canons which when translated by so called holy scholars with chilling effect. For instance a translation such as the death of a non-believer does not count is easily interpreted as: such a death may even carry merit in the afterlife. So a 9/11 or other terrorism is no cause for agony.
Not true among the educated. There's a deep sense of shame that cannot be wiped out by verbal repentance.
On the other hand no Islamic leader has come out and apologized on behalf of Muslims This is not because of the Koran but because of the Translations or what is the ongoing definition of the current Mullah on Allah's world. The Muslim, however highly placed, cannot dissent against the Mullahs; unless say he's in the Pakistani Army.
So what does all this add up to? Just that it's the Muslim alone who will reform his society; 30% of the World population. Befriending him may not be possible for many of us but turning away from him during this period of terrorism including their internal terrorism is also not a solution. I find that Islamic leaders like Afghanistan's President and others are slowly turning the tide.
A telling point (i could be wrong, maybe not). While on 9/11, Osama Bin Laden had nothing to do with it. After all he was the guy who outsourced the fighters from Saudi (and after exile) from neighboring countries to push out the Russians; a proxy general for the CIA. Then after his lifetime sacrifice, the American government wanted a democracy, wanted to deny him the Afghanistan he had won(?) So now he was the enemy!
All he said in an interview was (at that time the enemy was not known and he said this not with any malice) 'it must have been Muslims'. Else, why would Pakistan's army shelter him near their base in Abbotbad? The fanatics who flew into the towers were all Egyptians; no connections at all to Laden(i could be wrong).
But the people wanted 'retribution'. So Bin Laden. Same thing when we hate 'all Muslims'. I could be wrong but 'hate' sometimes does the opposite, it strengthens the enemy, does not get us to the real enemy.
In this age of routine terrorism, what the world needs is a President like Jimmy Carter. Steel hands in velvet gloves.
