I, too, know little about Islam. However, what I do know does not suggest that a majority or large minority of Muslims demand suicide bombings. More than 98 percent of the suicide bombings are indigenous to Palestine. Palestine has 3.5 million people. The world's Muslim population totals over 1 billion. That means a very small minority, 3.5 %, demand or tolerate suicide bombings, and lets make clear, not all 3.5 million favor suicidal attacks. Japan's Kamikaze pilots inevitably committed suicidal attacks; yet I have heard no one say that Buddism is a violent religion. Catholics and Protestands in N. Ireland have been fighting guerrilla warfare for years now; yet I hardly think either religion is violent. So then, why do you claim that most Muslims are violent people based on the actions of a few?
The numbers don't tell the entire story (although, I think the estimates of the number of radical/fundamentalist Islamists are somewhat greater than you suggest). The distinguishing feature is the fact that the suicide bombers claim as their rationalization "Islam", and in fact, the denials are quite weak (I have repeatedly mentioned to you the youths at a NYC Islamic school who were indoctrinated into the ways of suicide bombing; I think this is a perfect example). The simple fact is that there are strong, indisputable ties between the bombings (WTC, Palestinian, and other) and Islam. These ties did not exist between the Japanese Kamikazes and their religion; nor between the constituents in Northern Ireland. Only Islam purportedly rewards these cold-blooded killers with paradise and martyrdom.
look at the Christians who have killed people working at abortion clinics.
If the practice were as widespread within Christianity as support for these killings are in Islam, I'd be condemning Christianity as well. However, Christ NEVER suggested that one person should kill another. I don't think the same can be said of Muhammed. |
