[DoughtyOne]

Let's ask a few questions here:

1. Do the middle-eastern people teach hatred in their newspapers?
2. Do the middle-eastern people teach hatred in their television programming?
3. Do the middle-eastern people teach hatred in their schools?
4. Do the middle-eastern people teach hatred in their mosks?
5. Do the middle-eastern people teach hatred in their streets?
6. Do the middle-eastern people teach hatred in terrorist camps?
7. Do the middle-eastern people teach hatred in their homes?
8. Is this hatred leveled at Israel and the United States as well as western culture as a whole?

I don't know the answers to all these questions.  I have my suspicions.  If their society is as permiated with hatred as I suspect, then we would be the suckers of the ages not to consider all middle-eastern people to be highly suspect until proven otherwise.  I do not think all middle-easterners hate western culture, Israel and the United States.  Until we are sure who does and who doesn't, we need to take prudent steps to safeguard our people, homes, businesses, government and public places.  Their society is simply too rampant with violent teachings to ignore it in total.

[dwills]

i totally agree that muslims should be regarded with polite suspicion and rendered harmless whenever the suspicion proves to be grounded

you must also agree that, for every bigoted post that may spring up in this thread (as has become increasingly frequent here lately), there are millions of muslims with more goodwill toward america than the bigots have toward them

i'm suspicious of them both and hope they both can be saved

[FBD]

"Let's ask a few questions here:

1. Do the middle-eastern people teach hatred in their newspapers?
2. Do the middle-eastern people teach hatred in their television programming?
3. Do the middle-eastern people teach hatred in their schools?
4. Do the middle-eastern people teach hatred in their mosks?(sic)
5. Do the middle-eastern people teach hatred in their streets?
6. Do the middle-eastern people teach hatred in terrorist camps?
7. Do the middle-eastern people teach hatred in their homes?
8. Is this hatred leveled at Israel and the United States as well as western culture as a whole?"

Insert the word Muslims, instead of people, and the answer is: YES.
Excellant questions!

[Celtic Conservative]

A reasoned and reasonable approach. I have struggled with this issue, as many of us have since 9-11, with the "religion of peace" and "nuke mecca" ends of the spectrum. I don't want to hate them, but prudence and a sense of personal and national self preservation dictate that I distrust islamic societies until it is proven they are NOT a threat to western culture and society. I want to trust them, but I am not an idiot , and they will have to earn every bit of that trust. And after 9-11 that is a tall order.

Slainte,

CC