The Danger of Madrid ... (the clash between Islam and the West)

NY Sun ^ | July 14, 2008 | DAVID TWERSKY

[IrishMike]

Next week's interfaith conference in Madrid, sponsored by the Saudi King, may be inherently limited in scope — but that doesn't diminish its capacity for trouble. Like the debate over Senator Obama's proposal to enter into direct talks with the president of Iran, critics are put in the awkward position of opposing dialogue in favor of conflict. Why, ask proponents of dialogue, should we look a gift horse in the mouth.

The danger in interfaith dialogues, as in diplomatic ones, is the price of admission. The thing to watch will be not what is said but what isn't. And whose interests are being served by the silence. Everything must be done to avoid a clash of views that might force a participating party to quit. Respective theological certitudes are off limits; Muslims cannot be asked to forgo their conviction that Mohammed received a final revelation from God, completing what Judaism began and, Christians believe, Christianity improved.

Jews cannot be asked to forsake the belief that the other monotheistic faiths are not, in any absolute sense, true, although they are closer to truth than paganism. ...............................

The product being sold, "tolerance," exists in the mind of the believer. The Saudis, in this case representative of widespread Muslim opinion, see "tolerance" in the framework of a Muslim-dominated world.

[marshmallow]

Ahhhh.......an article about Islam, the most pressing danger facing western civilization and not a single comment. Figures.

Thanks for posting, anyway.

And now back to the Protestant-Catholic food fight du jour.....................

[bayouranger]

Anything involving “our friends” the saudi’s seems to cause a degree of apprehension when it comes to posting comments. Never the less, Robert Baer's book, Sleeping with the devil, How the US sold it's soul for saudi crude, sums it up rather well. It should be mandatory reading for anyone who is interested in learning the hard truth of just how far we're in the well with those muzzies who are hell bent on destroying our country.

[dangus]

>> Ahhhh.......an article about Islam, the most pressing danger facing western civilization and not a single comment. Figures. <<

OK. I’ll have a little argument between extremist Catholic positions and extremist Protestant positions:

“He’s the anti-Christ!”

“No, he’s the dark prophet!”

“No, He’s the anti-Christ!”

“No, he’s the dark prophet!”

“No, He’s the anti-Christ!”

“No, he’s the dark prophet!”

“No, He’s the anti-Christ!”

“No, he’s the dark prophet!”

“No, He’s the anti-Christ!”

“No, he’s the dark prophet!”

“No, He’s the anti-Christ!”

“No, he’s the dark prophet!”

“No, He’s the anti-Christ!”

“No, he’s the dark prophet!”

“No, He’s the anti-Christ!”

“No, he’s the dark prophet!”

[maryz]

an article about Islam, the most pressing danger facing western civilization and not a single comment

While the piece was interesting in its way, the older I get the less I have much to say about anything that hasn't happened yet . . . maybe it's just me . . . ;-)