Comment from a "best of the web" that I agree with.
>>> "Sectarian violence in India's Solapur city, triggered by a protest over comments by US Baptist minister Jerry Falwell against the Prophet Mohammed, has left eight dead and over 90 injured," Agence France-Presse reports. "Police had used gunfire Friday on crowds of rioters of Muslim youths who clashed with groups of Hindus as the protest against Falwell's remarks turned violent."
We have no brief for Jerry Falwell, who frequently says idiotic things. But let's think this through, shall we? Here are Falwell's remarks to "60 Minutes" that "triggered" the "protest":
I think Mohammed was a terrorist. I read enough of the history of his life written by both Muslims and non-Muslims, that he was a violent man, a man of war. . . . I do believe that Jesus set the example for love, as did Moses. And I think that Mohammed set an opposite example.
Now, maybe this is a slander against Islam. Certainly Falwell's use of the term "terrorist" is unfortunate, if for no other reason than that it seems to endorse the extremists' interpretation of Islam, which many Muslims dispute. But if Falwell characterizes Islam as a violent religion and Muslims respond by taking to the streets, rioting and killing people, aren't they sort of making his point?<<<< |
