| Perhaps a general war between the Western world and Islam is inevitable. It is obvious that a serious percentage of Muslims, most notably those who follow Osama Bin Laden, feel so. And they are courting such war with glee. Thus, despite efforts by the Bush administration and others aimed at convincing Americans that Islam is a peaceful religion, many, if not most, Americans are unconvinced and hostile - and are rapidly becoming more so. And, if the news is any indication, this is going to get worse, not better, in the future. The administration's rhetoric to one side, all Americans see is an unending litany of terrorist acts all over the world –and all committed by Muslims. In the days prior to Sept. 11, 2001, most Americans were unaware that Muslim terrorism is a worldwide problem. That has now changed. Just as Pearl Harbor opened American eyes to the dangers of Imperial Japan, Americans now see that Muslims are actively engaged in terrorist actions against the governments of almost every non-Muslim government in the world – and in many Muslim states as well. Attempts to justify such acts, either by pointing to a perceived failure of America to treat Muslims “fairly”, the U.S. support of Israel, the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia now ring hollow to the majority of Americans. They can see, indeed Muslims have told them, that their one great crime is simply that we have failed to become Muslims. It is no exaggeration to say that a large percentage of Americans -- rapidly becoming the majority-- are now convinced that Muslims mean exactly what they say when they say their goal is to convert the population of the entire planet to Islam - or kill them trying. The problem is, of course, that most of the world is not Muslim and is not interested in embracing Islam. Nor will they ever be. A Christian committed to Christ, a Hindu to Lord Ram, a Jew to Yahweh, a Buddhist to the Eightfold Path – all share one thing -- a commitment to their chosen faith, their chosen path and a certainty that theirs is the true choice. The major difference between their faiths and Islam is Islam is the only major creed that currently advocates jihad. The pattern that is increasingly being played out in Europe and other locations around the world seems to be for Muslims to inject themselves as a minority into a target society and begin demanding special privileges due to their faith. Of course, they immediately begin proselytizing and demanding that non-Muslims adhere to Islamic codes of behavior out of “respect.” But, when the non-Muslim people of that society (who do not wish to be converted) or the secular governments of those societies (who are determined to keep the peace) begin clamping down on the more outrageous forms of Muslim behavior (e.g. female circumcision), the affected Muslims then consider themselves "oppressed." Once they consider themselves "oppressed," and the more fanatical elements of the Islamic community begin advocating (in the name of Allah, of course) armed jihad. Now, according to the media, the Administration and the majority of (English language) Muslim media, this is not true of all Muslims. They plead for understanding and sympathy, crying that all Muslims should not be tarnished for the acts of a fanatical and violent few. CAIR and other pro-Islamic mouthpieces have made this point endlessly, and (initially at least) Americans were willing to listen. But reality has a way of trickling past filters. American watched and listened to the voices from around the world and what we heard – and what we didn’t hear, was disturbing. Americans heard the litany of discrimination and profiling complaints. But what we did not hear, from the mosques and prayer leaders of Islam was a strong denunciation of the terrorist acts themselves. Instead we heard justifications, half-hearted lip service and in many places, gleeful support. In addition to what we heard, there are things we saw. We saw and read about Muslims celebrating the attack on the World Trade Center. We saw and read, via the Internet, an Arabic language media that is still filled with the violent rhetoric of Jihad, and hatred against any and all non-Muslims. And, of course, the terror continues in the form of suicide bombings in Israel, Bali, Aden, and just yesterday, Kenya. And this is a key issue. For, despite any and all attempts by Palestinians and their sympathizers to justify suicide bombings as a "legitimate tool of resistance" they will never be accepted as such by the Americans and are, instead, instrumental in convincing Americans that America must eventually go to war with Islam. Such a war, if it occurs, would be a worldwide tragedy. The justifications of the suicide bombers and those who support them do not even register on the mind of average Americans. To them, the idea of a person strapping explosives to their body and then detonating those explosives in a way kills innocent men, women and children is an act of such appalling evil that it contaminates everything related to it. Simply put, if the perpetrators claim that Islam justifies and condones such acts, Islam is evil. For these and other reasons, America’s perception of Islam has changed. To American eyes, Islam is no longer a religion among other religions. Americans are increasingly unwilling to extend to Islam the same tolerance they extend to the vast majority of religions, cults or schools of philosophy. Instead, because of its own actions, Americans have been forced to conclude that Islam is a virulent and voracious sub-cultural of humanity that spawns violence everywhere it goes. And quietly, Americans are building the internal fortitude to fight back. But, perhaps, it does not have to be this way. Perhaps it is true that most Muslims are peaceful, and resent strenuously the fact that they are associated with and grouped together with the fundamentalists who are dragging the world into war. To them, the American people would strongly suggest that they make a clear split from fundamentalist Islam and form a separate recognizable sub-sect, known that incorporates tolerance for other creeds -- one that specifically renounces armed jihad. These peaceful Muslims must also expel and refuse to harbor the fundamentalists and terrorists who support armed jihad. Because the bottom line is clear. Mainstream, peaceful Islam – if indeed it exists at all -- must prove it is willing to coexist in peace with the other religions of the world. And, they must do it soon, because there is not much time left. We are truly at the brink of the general war the fanatics are courting. Another major terrorist attack, the use of a weapon of mass destruction, and the American majority may force a general war against Islam worldwide. If that happens – all bets are off.
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