[Diamond]

Very thoughtful article, Annalex. Permit me a couple of obserations.

What are the roots of the Arab militancy?

Whatever the merits of your very practical approach, I still have to say that Mohammed is the root of Islamic militancy. He turned seventh century Arabian culture into a religion.

It is tempting to accuse the Muslim religion of fostering violence against the infidels. The Koran does contain examples of Prophet Mohammed condoning violence against and deceit of infidels, that don't find a direct parallel in either the Torah or the New Testament. Nevertheless, an overwhelming number of the world's Muslims has a heightened religious awareness and do not seem to be particularly violent, and moreover, militant Islam is a new phenomenon in the modern history.

Mohammed did not merely condone violence and murder, he commanded it. The number of Muslims in the world who do not seem particularly violent may indicate the normal bell curve tendencies of groups more than it does anything about the Koran itself. Militant Islam may be a new phenomenon in 'modern history' but it is not a new phenomenon in history.

Cordially,

[annalex]

The Muslims often say the we take the Koran out of context, while we (Jews and Christians) are always very much aware of the context as we quote our Scripture. But be it as it may, the issue is that some but not all Muslim subcultures are violent, and some but not all Muslim clerics advocate violence. We need to ask ourselves, why. Are peace-loving Muslims bad Muslims? Can we get more of them? Could Christ work through a lapsed mullah?