> Oh, it's surely the case that there are reasonable people who happen to have been born into Muslim families, who view the world like reasonable people despite their faith in Islam. Perhaps this fellow is one such. I am not ready to believe than every Muslim is a fanatic, either vocally or silently. There -have- to be a fair number of them who are not insane.
I notice over here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2588022/posts that the general consensus is that every Muslim is indeed a fanatic, that there is no such thing as what I described above.
I don't think I'll post to that thread. :)
[Runs back to bedroom to find asbestos underwear, in anticipation of incoming flames on -this- thread...]
Not everyone who grows up in a Muslim culture ends up a fanatical Muslim.
I grew up in the Middle East and there are few people as opposed to Islamic expansion as I am.
But then, I wasn’t raised a Muslim. Maybe that’s the difference. Of course, with the various views on Christianity, it’s possible a similar phenomenon has developed within Islam. Still, the theory is not enough to make me trust ANY of what is going on.