Posted on 03/28/2006 9:38:18 AM PST by West Coast Conservative
I hardly think this is a term that needs to be explained to conservatives who've been voting for Republicans as long as all of us here have been.
The Old Testament is not a code of warfare. Try reading the two books before coming to a conclusion.
Well I admit I never really read much of the koran - for the old testament part I already seen lots of stuff that wouldn't make it to a religion of peace contest.
It's not a question of books - it's a question of interpretations and the will to exploit anxient writings for propaganda campaigns.
Certainly the turks could be infiltrated by the hate imams but today they are one of the living example for (quite) peaceful islam societies.
Other examples can be found in many german mosks - not in all though.
The Turks, less than a century ago, massacred 1.5 million Christian Armenians. The current incarnation of Turkey is relatively peaceful precisely because its secular nature is enforced by a strong secular military - the legacy of Ataturk. It is to the degree that Turkey does not act as a Muslim nation that it is able to live in peace with others.
I *highly* encourage you to read the Koran itself, and if you feel interpretation is necessary, the Hadiths, which are the official historical Islamic interpretation of the meaning of the Koran. Please, check it out firsthand, and judge for yourself. I have full confidence that once you do, you will see it the way I do.
Here's an online version in English that can get you started:
http://www.hti.umich.edu/k/koran/
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