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"It would be consistent with a 7th century mentality."

I'm not so sure that explains it, other people in the 7th century didn't act this way. What you say gets right to the heart of something I've been thinking about lately, why ARE some cultures more advanced than others?

One thing we really need to guard against is any encroachment by extreme Muslim-ism in our society. The Euros have given up way too much ground already, and Canada seems to have lost its collective mind.

To the extremists the Taliban created a perfect world. One in which, for example, women would be held prisoner in their homes from birth until death. I am a woman, so of course that idea bothers me. But when you think about what a sick world that creates for the men who live in it, well then you realize you're just not dealing with anything remotely rational. Now, the Taliban were the extreme of the extreme, but there is still a lot of voluntary burhka wearing going on in the Muslim world.

President Bush may beleive Islam is a religion of peace, but I'll have to borrow a swipe from the leftists and say maybe that's because he doesn't know too much about it.

So far the only good thing I've heard universally said about Arabs (certainly Arabs, whether this applies to all Muslims or not I'm not sure) is that they are very hospitable to visitors. And I've heard some praise for Arab poetry, of who knows which century. That's it.