But mostly I'm more convinced that they DO prefer to kill the infidels. . . . there's a cleanse the land mentality. They would not really trust conversions to be authentic. And they would have the infidels either DEAD or converted to the bone marrow. I don't think they believe decadent Americans CAN be authentically converted.
I believe our mentality and soft experience prevents many people from believing in the deadliness of OBL et al's philosophy/religion.
It surprises me that anyone viewing the WTC videos could really doubt that OBL wants masses of Americans DEAD as in very DEAD.
On CNN now are chantings of "DEATH TO AMERICA," "DEATH TO AMERICA."
I'm curious if you've ever been around intense hatred in your life? Anger of any deep, lasting intensity is murderous. That's simply a fact. Angry people who are honest confirm it in droves. It also happens to be a Scripture.
But one need only tune in to the eyes and tones, as well as the body language of many shouting--or not shouting but asserting that the proper thing is--DEATH TO AMERICA(NS)
If I have time tomorrow, I'll try and post a doc which supports this sort of perception.
Ben Laden would NOT be satisfied with replacing all American leaders with Muslims. Saudi Arabia has all Muslim leadership. It's not enough. He wants them dead, too.
I guess I'm skeptical that you understand the depth, breadth and intensity of this man's hostility--and that of his followers--and to some degree, of most any Muslim who wants to consider himself authentically and strongly Muslim. . . it was the FOUNDER of their religion who put things in such terms. If they believe in it, they believe in that, too.
They may not practice all of their religion well. . . . but if they imagine someone doing so, they can easily imagine someone carrying it to such lengths--and feeling that doing so is proper, righteous, loftier in belief and actions than they routinely are. . . and in such moments of reflection, it would be rather easy to send a check to aid such a more "righteous," more "intense" Muslim brother. They may not want to get THEIR hands dirty or bloody. But they can feel MORE righteous funding someone else doing it.
Death is not an idle word nor an idle action in such quarters. It is a ticket to GREATER RIGHTEOUSNESS and a BETTER HEAVENLY payoff.
Their writings and their history attest to this in spades.
Why does any American have any motivation to soften that? That's a curiosity to this shrink. . . what's the basis for it?
Is the horror to horrible. We have to soften it to sleep at nights?
Is our egalitarianism at risk if we don't? And if that's at risk, are a long list of other beliefs suddenly suspect--is THAT the threatening thing?
I don't know. I'm truly groping here.