First of all, it is NOT bigotry, prejudice, racism (these terms are always trotted out to silence the opposition) to reject islam, a death-cult which brings torture, death, and destruction to many of its adherents, and anyone who gets in their way.
It is NOT acceptable to sugarcoat what is going on. I will not do so. You can call me whatever you want to make me shut up, but I will not be cowed.
I will not submit to the sword of mohammedanism. I will not be a dhimmi.
Islam is a failed way of thinking.
I don't know if you're a nu convert to Christianity, a nu convert to atheism, a nu convert to the aclu way of thinking, a nu convert to the Nahdatual Ulama (NU or traditionalist orthodox Sunni Islam in Indonesia), whatever. It's not important.
What is important is that you are trying to make islam palatable to anyone you can win over.
Islam as it is practiced is antithetical to assimilation with the West.
Until there is a reformation in islam, it will never be acceptable to the majority of civilized westerners.
America is at least 85% Christian, moslems account for about one half of one percent here, and they will have to assimilate to our culture, it will not be the other way around.
If you are not an adherent of that religion, then you should not try to make it acceptable to others, whatever your motivation is.
Oh, and Merry Christmas.
"What is important is that you are trying to make islam palatable to anyone you can win over."
No. What I'm doing is trying to get people to see muslims the same way our military in Iraq must see them. There are "good muslims" and "bad muslims", just as there are good and bad in any religion, ethnicity, etc. Not all muslims are terrorists and extremists and radicals. Muslims can't all be lumped together. There are different sects. When people start labeling all the members of a group without regard to individual's differences, or making distinctions between the members of that group, that type of thinking gets a name. You may not like it.....
The only thing I'm trying to "win people over" to is fairness, religious tolerance, the right for people here to practice their religion in peace, and the idea that there is NO ROOM within the Conservative Movement for people who won't accept that.
Maybe you don't realize that there are muslim FReepers, who are conservative Republicans. These remarks about ALL members of their faith are rude, ignorant, and hurtful.
"First of all, it is NOT bigotry, prejudice, racism (these terms are always trotted out to silence the opposition) to reject islam,"
If you had stopped there, I'd agree with you. The rest of that statement, however, makes a lie of the first part.
What is going on is that some Muslims are choosing to be the sort of people you are talking about rejecting. Some are trying to be the kind I know are out there, too. Good people who happen to think God's name is pronounced "Allah." There are more of that sort dying over in Iraq and Afghanistan right now than of our people dying to help them be able to make the choice.
Hate the Islamofacists, if you like, although I couldn't recommend it. It's a waste of time to hate locusts, and tornados and such. Deal with them as best you can, and go on with life.
My personal belief is that Muslims are wrong about God and who the prophets are, but I feel the same way about most other Christians, too. Mohammed might have been a prophet, but if so, his message died with him. Some of his followers hijacked the leadership, and it's been downhill from there.
"Islam as it is practiced is antithetical to assimilation with the West."
As it is practiced by whom? Osama? Yep, you're absolutely right. See my previous comment about Mohammed's followers. On the other hand, there are people who follow Mohammed who are not the kind of scum Osama is. Muslims are like Christians in that respect. We have good ones and bad ones and in-between ones. I'd suggest that helping out the good and in-betweens makes more sense than lumping them in with Osama, both in the short and long term.
In the meantime, have a blessed and merry Christmas.