[2banana]

Carthage was not Islamic. Those battles happened way before Muhammad began his jihads...

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

I appreciate you pointing out the obvious. I do not believe that I implied that it was. I wrote about civilizations. Rome was not Christian. This did not stop the two of them from fighting it out for centuries.

The point is that regardless of the religious mantle, we are two different peoples who have never gotten along. So conflict is inevitable and the only path to victory may require a very signficant effort to alter the character of those people.

[yankeedame]

Militants in Europe Openly Call for Jihad and the Rule of Islam

Now it's time for our little story break...

=======================================

Once upon a time, in a place not too far from here but not too close either, on a cold winter day a young man walking through the forest found a snake that was almost frozen to death.

After thinking about it a minute, the young man picked up the snake and tucked him under his heavy coat where the snake would be warm. Now the snake was a very poisonous snake but the young man wasn't afraid. He was sure that when the snake warmed up and came back to life it would be so grateful that it would be his friend.

As he keep walking through the cold woods, the young man thought about how wonderful it would be having this snake for his friend. How he would impress his friend. How people would admire him for being so brave and clever.

Now he had not walked too far when he could feel the snake stirring to life, and his parted his coat just a little to look at the snake. But no sooner had he done this than the snake -- fast as lightening -- sprung up and sunk its fangs into the young man's neck.

"How could you do this to me?" asked the young man has he lay dying. "I saved you from freezing to death. I warmed you with my own body."

But the snake,sliding carelessly away, merely replied, "You knew what I was when you took me in."