Charge 7 said:
gladius, I never once said my friend summed up an entire people. I did say that if he exists, others do as well. Therefore your argument of all Muslims being alike is wrong.
First of all when did I say that all Muslims are alike.
I have aways believed that there are true Muslim moderates (as per Italian Guy's statemants) who really don't support or are even symphatetic to terrorist, but they simply are in the minority (20% or so higher probably in the US due to social factors).
Maybe your freind (and mine too) falls into this category, I don't know for sure. Since Muslims have beliefs that they do not talk to to non-Muslims.
Why do I respond here? It's quite simple. I believe that liberty is for all people or it is meaningless for the remainder. I've seen you and others who agree with you talk of our liberation of Iraq. But what liberty do you call it if you would set anybody of Muslim origin into a special catagory of "not to be trusted" and "a threat to security"? As Martin Luthor King, Jr. said "A threat to one man's liberty anywhere is a threat to all men's liberty everywhere". That is why I will fight you and all who think like you.
I don't most of them are a threat per say. They would never do it themselves or probably directly help any of the bombers. Most of them would probably even report a bomber, if they knew he was going to attack. But they are symphatetic to them and can emphatize with them. This issue for them goes beyond liberty, security, country, or anything else.
Unless something is done to cuase shift in Muslim thinking then things will stay the same or get worse.
What we are doing in Iraq is giving the moderate elements in Islam a chance to shift that thinking. But like you said yourself most are not willing to stand out. Unless they do something then the true radicals will take over since they are the ones willing to take action, so far their influence is growing.
I'm simply outlinning the facts, you can fight it but your simply fighting the facts. Only the Muslims can change themsleve they will have to do it form within. If they truly deplore terrorism they need to take strong action, step up, and back up thier words, but like you said they are unwilling to. So far most of the action taken by Muslim groups is in support of their own, and those sypathetic to radical Islam. They say one thing but do another (most of them at least). If the moderates don't step up then the battle is already lost.
btw what Whispering Death said was a good illustration of what I was trying to say.