[IronJack]

Nobody can argue that Middle Eastern and Western cultures haven't evolved along different lines. And given the suicidal tendencies of Islamic extremists, one has to wonder if the despair of that forsaken culture finds its highest expression in murder, mayhem, and violence.

[Lejes Rimul]

You are so ignorant it is frightening.

[Mr. Jeeves]

By consigning women to doormat status, the males of that society have denied themselves the psychic sustenance accorded by a loving helpmeet.

Feminist brainwashing has denied that to a generation of men here, too. So maybe our cultures aren't so different...

[blam]

Good post. Thanks.

[TightSqueeze]

From a purely secular evolutionary point of view it would seem that islam has perfected a genetic defect that will most likely render it extinct in the near future. Those stricken with this defect will find it more difficult to succeed in a world that has become fearful of their effect on the local society. The world has proven its effectiveness in eliminating truly evil cultures such as the lost empires of the Aztec, Mayan and Nazi.

[Collier]

I totally agree with every single word. Thanks for posting this.

[backhoe]

Good points, good article, IronJack- keep 'em coming!

[aruanan]

By imposing our Western values on them, aren't we guilty of cultural imperialism? Shouldn't we be recognizing the fact that not all peoples think alike?

I don't think we're imposing Western values on them if it takes the form of retaliation for things like the WTC. Neither is buying products from them imposing Western values since those who want to trade on either side are doing so because they see something peculiarly of value to them. Nor is any popularity of anything Western in an Islamic society an imposition of Western values since the popularity is evidence that someone in that society has decided that it, whatever 'it' happens to be, is of value to him. Now, this isn't to say that the mullahs aren't getting pissed off that the youth would rather wear Nikes than goat leather sandles or that women would rather wear lightweight, comfortable garments instead of one-woman sweat lodges, but that "problem" is something that exists only in the mullahs' heads. It's far easier for them to bitch about corruption caused by the West than it is to acknowledge that they are simply out of touch with their own populace or, even more daring, that members of their own culture have their own valid ideas about what they want or should want regardless of the mullahs' ideas about what constitutes cultural propriety. You can see this same sort of mentality in the French Academy's mullah-like attempt to prevent corruption of the French language by the influence of other languages (especially English). You can see the full measure of imposition of values in the action of the Taleban on the people of Afghanistan. Anything remotely similar done by the West doesn't even constitute a blip on the radar compared to the oppression practiced by Muslim clerics.