[Arthur McGowan]

There can be no question that it has been a century of decline for Islam - from the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the creation of Israel, the defeat in the Six Day War, to the final cataclysmic acts of despair, in New York and in Jerusalem. Its resources have been pillaged, its leaders are impotent and the people powerless, or too apathetic, to influence them. Surely it must be asked: has Islamic civilisation ever reached a lower point?

Hey, Mr. Muslim, guess what? The HEIGHT of civilization is NOT controlling an empire, or making sure the Jews don't have a homeland. The height of civilization is founding families, engaging in commerce, praying to God, doing his will to the extent that you know his will, living in peace.

The very fact that this Muslim sees the existence of Israel and the fall of the Ottoman Empire and all these other events as blows to "Islam" shows that his version of Islam is an aggressive, political, violent ideology, intent on controlling territory and controlling people.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

Bump.

Self-serving, with a strong victimhood flavour, but nonetheless worth a read.

[CARTOUCHE]

Life is a series of choices. So many choices, so little time. Unfortunately, the devotees of Islam and their clerics have made choices inconsistent with prosperity, democracy, or longevity. There are no democratic Islamic nations, there is plenty of poverty, illiteracy, and ignorance of the world as a whole. These are the unfortunate choices which derive from having dictators and mad clerics at the top. Freedom of movement, freedom of thought, and a decent education are all hallmarks of a properous people. Until Muslims can come to grips with that, theirs is to be but a marginal existence mired in hatred for other more prosperous nations and peoples. Bin ladens' rise is no different than the rise of Adolf. Both gave their people a reason to hate the properous as a diversion from their own pitiful lives; lives squandered as a result of their own government's misadventures in war and economics.

[usconservative]

The problem with Muslims around the world really is as follows:

Everytime something doesn't go their way, or they fail to persuade someone to their point of view, they blame it on the Jews.

Muslims don't take responsibility for their actions. They are the "ultimate Clinton's" in my book. They blame the Jews of the world for their poverty, for their inability to communicate, their inability to win an argument, and for their own shortcomings.

If Muslims would stop pointing their fingers at the Jews for everything, they *might* get listened to. Until then, I personally will continue to turn a deaf ear, and a cold shoulder to EVERY Muslim of the world.

[stevem]

The Muslim cleric appeals to Western viewers for understanding, but his drooping beard and Arab accent only confirm that he is foreign, representing everything that they are not. Meanwhile the Israeli representative speaks in a fluent American accent, reaching his target audience instantly.

At first this piece seems a reflection of sorts. Then it pivots to the core of the matter.

This is apparently an idealogical deal, and the only real problem for Muslims is that they don't "speak the language" well enough. Of course that's utter nonsense. Why doesn't Tanveer Ahmed address what seems to me to be utter intolerance that is [certainly] my perception of Islam? The way they seem to look on the issues of our day does not allow for debate because I'm not allowed to have a varying view of any matter.

It also seems to boil down to "Israel" as well. I don't want to recount my idea of the real issue of why Israel exists today, but it seems to me the Islamic argument avoids any historical context.

Finally, Islam can surely take its place among the "great" religions of the world. It might help, though, if it were to do so on merit which requires teaching honor and decency rather than hatred starting at the earliest point possible in young lives. How can proponents of a religion relate to others on an equal footing when they treat even their own members as chattel or worse, slaves utterly devoid of dignity?

That might be a good place for Ahmed to begin his next reflection.

[usconservative]

There can be no question that it has been a century of decline for Islam - from the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the creation of Israel, the defeat in the Six Day War, to the final cataclysmic acts of despair, in New York and in Jerusalem. Its resources have been pillaged, its leaders are impotent and the people powerless, or too apathetic, to influence them. Surely it must be asked: has Islamic civilisation ever reached a lower point?

Buckle up Tanveer Ahmed. It's about to get a whole lot worse!!!

Wait'll Sudan, Syria and ultimately Iraq get a load of the "new toys" our military has planned just for then.

I shall relish, dare I say dance with joy, the payback that is yet to come for 9/11. I'll flit my tongue and dance like a fat, toothless Palestinian beotch when we start leveling the rest of these tyrants & terrorists in the middle east!

[McGavin999]

Nobody can, or will, take the Muslim world seriously until they get terrorism under control. As long as they condone the random, vicious killing of people as a useful way to communicate their desires, the more people will turn their faces from them.

If the Muslim world would stamp out the fanatics they would find ready friends who would listen to them and help them. But that's not happening. Instead we hear weak, muttered condemnation, half-hearted attempts to help the world attack the cancer that is Islamic fundamentalism, hateful attacks on America from the very people who are living here and reaping the rewards of the freedom purchased with the blood of the people they smear.

It's not HOW you speak, it's WHAT you speak.

[Sonny M]

The notion of a terrorist has always had considerable racial overtones. But now, as the word becomes increasingly meaningless, it is seemingly interchangeable with the word "Muslim".

Can anyone here recall a hijacking that has happened in the last 20 years, that was not in any way shape or form, involving a muslim?

[Savage Beast]

Until recently, to the people of the West, Islam was respected as "one of the world's great religions". It was considered a bit exotic, and to have a rather strange fixation on the seclusion of women, but then there were images of shieks--Rudolf Valentino, the poetry of Rumi, The Rubiyat of Omar Kayam, the origin of algebra and vaccination, The Desert Song, etc., and as children we sang of "the Queen of Arabia Ungenie: There never was a lady lovlier than she...".

However recent headlines have spoken incessently of jihads, fatwas, war, terrorism, murder, mutilation, death as punishment for apostasy, religious imperialism, torture for public amusement, slavery, stoning people to death--horrors as revolting as anything in history--all committed by Muslims in the name Islam.

There was the spectre of Salman Rushdie--condemned to death by a fatwa, issued by Muslim clerics--for the sin of insulting Islam. To the Western mind, the concept of the fatwa itself was an insult to any religion worthy of respect, and to pursue such a thing a sin in itself. The brutality of this shocked and disgusted people the world over, and it was never repudiated by the Muslim world or its leaders.

There were spectres of terrorist acts committed all over the world, committed by Muslims in the name of Islam, never repudiated by the Muslim world or its leaders.

Then there was the Taliban, committing horrors worthy of Nazi Germany or the Roman Empire, tolerated if not actively supported by Muslim nations.

Then came the September 11 attack on the United States--again, committed by Muslims in the name of Islam.

If Islam has reached a nadir (an English word adopted from the Arabic word nazir) in the opinion of the world, it is the fault of the Islamic people.

If Islam is a religion of peace, love, goodness, and brotherhood; if the Allah whom Islam worships is the One True God, the God of Peace, Love, and Goodness; then Muslims throughout the world should declare this in no uncertain terms and repudiate--in no uncertain terms--those heretical Muslims who traffic in jihads, fatwas, war, terrorism, torture, mutilation, etc. If such horrors are not condoned by Islam, then Muslims should condemn them--in no uncertain terms--and condemn as blasphemy and heresy the linking of them to Islam.

So far, the indecision of Muslims, their leaders, and their clerics on this subject has spoken volumes.

If Muslims do not make their beliefs and their intentions clear, the rest of the world will judge them--and their religion--by their actions and inactions.

Muslims need to clarify for the people of the world just what Islam stands for. Evidently, Muslims haven not decided yet.

The world is waiting.

[abclily]

To: Mr. Tanveer Ahmed, Muslim actions speak much, much louder than your words.

[SkyPilot]

Lifting the Veil" beam the covers of prominent magazines. It has acquired an even greater symbolism in the Western media. It is the last bastion of Orientalism, the last acceptable form of racism.

RACISM! When I read this--I knew this person was in the clutch of dementia.

Did this "Doctor" actually see the TV Documentary "Behind the Veil?" Did he see the hidden camera footage of 11 year old children in tears because their mother was murdered in front of them, and then watch them shake with guilt because they were then gang-raped?

The Bible says we reap what we sow. Sad to say, the Islamic world has worshipped metorites for centuries, believed they had some "ticket to heaven" by practicing "5- pillars" while in truth many lived lives of depravity, and froze their culture in the 7th century except to purchase their air conditioners and automobiles manufactured in the West.

Islam is "losing the argument?" It never tried to win anything, except converts at the point of a sword. As Jesus said, you live by the sword, you die by the sword.

[pollwatcher]

Maybe they can start joining civilization by giving up all the lies:

"Palestinian Authority libel: “Israel steals body parts from Palestinian martyrs to use in hospitals."

Poisoned candy to the kids, radioactive belts, AIDS injections. It's all there.

Does the Koran say ANYTHING about lying?

[trek]

Sadly, the problem with Muslims can be summed up in the following lessor known passage from the Koran:

Congress shall pass no law except those respecting the establishment of Islam.

(emphasis mine).

trek

[Governor StrangeReno]

What a crock,the international media bellows at me 24 hours a day that 'muslims are really friendly',countless stories on CNN,the BBC etc,the Catholic church stood idly by as their Orthodox brothers lost Kosovo and are still silent on Macedonia about to go down the Muslim toilet,the Western world has aided and abetted these people militarily in return for oil,we've sponsored the best the world has to offer in drug runners,gun smugglers,sex slavers and their ilk,THEY DONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PROPAGANDA OUR STUPID MEDIA AND GOVERNMENT HAS THAT COVERED ON THEIR BEHALF!im sick of their whinging genome coming to the fore,my grandfather is Belgian but I sure as hell couldn't get an EU passport,we have assimilated ridiculous levels of these people and been overwhelming in our genorosity,my message to muslims is stop whinging and start demonstating by your actions you can interact with your fellow man and persaude us through meritous deeds and intelligent discourse and advance the cause of your new benevolent sponsor,other than that go back to where the hell you came from and whinge and bitch there.

[Polybius]

There is anger that the deaths of thousands of Afghans barely match the death of one American.

What? No anger that Saudi Muslims Chechen Muslims and Pakistani Muslims were travelling to Afghanistan to kill Afghani Muslims that did not meet the political or religious requirements of Al Qaeda and the Pakistani supported Taliban?

[PoorMuttly]

Leave your message at the door, with your shoes.

[Michael2001]

Funny how since 9/11 all they have been worried about is how to get the world to like them, not how to make sure another Muslim doesn't carry out another crazy attack. It is very telling

[editor-surveyor]

Byron, what is this, a 'post and run' job? :-)