This is so ironic it would be hilarious—if it wasn’t tragic.
Just this afternoon I happened to be perusing articles that together made a persuasive case that a serious political movement in the United States is underfoot, being driven by the Christian Dominionist movement. If you cannot see the connection between the rise of this movement and the increase in anxiety in the Muslim world, I suggest you take a remedial course in common sense.
Perhaps you hadn’t noticed that Sarah Palin’s popularity is out of all proportion to her basic competence, intellect, curiosity, balance, and equanimity. Maybe the headline from this recent Washington Times article will give you a clue as to why, and why that same popularity might be fostering a less-than-benificent reaction in the Muslim world:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/sep/04/palins-evangelical-faith-drives-pro-israel-view/
Care to review what’s behind the recent interest in, and rise in popularity of movies and so forth about demons, vampires, endtimes, Armageddon, etc?
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/religiousright/1273
Another Times article detailed the influence wielded by the Catholic church in the debate over the health care bill.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/us/politics/20alliance.html?_r=1
Upon reading such material, how is a Muslim, or anyone else with a foreign perspective, to interpret the news? How else but that the Church exerts undue influence upon American politics? Is it really such a stretch, therefore, for them to imagine that proponents of such a quasi-, or actual, theocracy might favor a crusade against their own religion?
It’s as though people like Tom are saying, “we have 2 over here to our left, and 2 over here to our right, but there’s no way they add up to 4.” Why on earth not? Wake up! It’s not 2 and 2 we’re playing with; it’s fire and gasoline.
And to those who accept no blame, who say it’s all about their gasoline and not our fire: Shame on you. We want neither our fire, nor their gasoline. Either alone is dangerous, to say nothing of the combination. It’s not an either/or, falsely dichotomous situation. The world needs to be rid of both the fire AND the gasoline.
Two words sum up the “blame them and accept no fault” game: immaturity and self-centeredness. These are the two biggest things religion was constructed to defeat—and at which it has failed, miserably.