[Andy from Beaverton]

I see he's still not afraid to speak out. What does he fear? Another fatwa?

[Texas Eagle]

“Nobody follows them. There is no genuine organisation representing the Muslim community.”

Tell that to the families of those killed on the subways and buses in London.

[cambridge]

I like Rushdie. I'm not saying he'd vote for Bush, but he's got guts and he called the Muslims out a long time ago, faced the consequences and is in a position of some authority [some, not 'the'] to speak out on these matters, and when he speaks it seems to make sense. He tries to speak to Muslims on their terms, and so is a valuable ally.

NOTE: I am sure someone will Google a Rushdie atrocity, and that's fine with me, I haven't done my research. I am also not suggesting we limit our military actions in any way, just that this is a long term war to be fought on all fronts and with many weapons - soft, firm and hard.

[denydenydeny]

Rushdie argued: “Islam is going backwards very fast.”

All right, that did it.

[highlander_UW]

“It [the majority] needs to stop being silent,” he said. “There is no genuine leadership and no genuine organisation that represents the majority. [Islam] needs to remember it is all right to disagree. It needs to take on board the basic tenets of a democratic country. The majority needs to make its voice heard.”

We keep hearing about this silent majority, and most of us really want to believe it exists. But to date there has been very little evidence of it's existence. But assuming it is there, if it does not assert itself then it has abdicated the leadership of Islam to the radicals, and they therefore should not complain when the world sees and reacts to Islam as if the radicals are the majority.

[SuziQ]

Oh please! Radical Islam had been around long before George W. Bush ever got in to politics. It began to flourish when the State of Israel was founded, and the destruction of Israel has been its focus ever since. Anyone seen to be helping Israel is considered an enemy to Islam.