[Buzzcook]

While Islamic countries are involved in regional and international conflicts I wonder if that is an aspect of there being Islamic or is it just geopolitics as usual.

Did Pakistan nuture and support the Taliban over other Mujahadeen because of it was the Islamic thing to do or because they wanted a controling hand in Afghanistan?

Do the Mullahs of Iran abuse the citizens of that nation because it is the Islamic thing to do or because they are a ruling elite that want to maintain power?

Is there a seperation of church and state in the US? Many here on this board would argue otherwise, with some merit.

Buzz

[LanPB01]

Oh, I doubt if the conflicts are all simply due to Islaamic influence alone. I'd say a lot of it just revolves around the fact that the middle eastern rulers have found a way to control the masses (through a combination of religion and half-baked "government"), and for that reason, they'll do everything possible to oppose Western influence. In D'Souza's book "What's so Great About America," he spends a lot of time discussing what all has gone wrong with his native area (and he freely talks about how his region, India, benefitted greatly from British colonialism).

Yeah, there are some members of FreeRebuplic that argue against the separation of church and state, but I find most people here understand why this is necessary.