But you've got to admit: radical Islamic fundamentalists have a lot in common with the Nazi and the Japanese imperialists.
Like most Americans, I was never anti-Islamic until Sept. 11--not quite three months ago. I've travelled in Islamic countries. Had Muslim friends.
But where were all the moderate Muslims when the Taliban was acting like Nazis? Why was it left to the Americans to rid Afghanistan of this scourge? And why is it illegal in Islamic theocracies for citizens to convert from Islam to another religion? There are many such questions that have arisen since Sept. 11. The response of moderate Muslims has been tepid and unconvincing.
What do you think?
In my view, the most realistic strategy is to support educational campaigns by groups such as the Cato Institute, which can, for example, hold conferences for groups such as Imans. Through this, admittedly slow, strategy, the Islamic world can be slowly reintroduced to an earlier tradition of liberty. It would be somewhat akin to introducing Russians to Hayek or re-introducing the socialist French to the long-forgotten ideas of Bastiat or Say.
There is a more pro-liberty tradition in Islam which can provide a foundation. Unfortunately, this tradition has been dead largely for several hundred years. The best hope is to revive it and build on it....but this may take several centuries.