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To: Richnorth who wrote (94309)	4/1/2003 12:59:50 PM
From: vds4	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116813

well said. martin ps. i feel you are threatening my dominance in the field of why i think eric is good for si. please refrain from doing so in front of other si members in the future as it undermines my authority.

To: Richnorth who wrote (94309)	4/1/2003 8:03:12 PM
From: DeplorableIrredeemableRedneck	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116813

I was being facetious, lil dic. It is clear to all that you are a suck up. I am sure that you are good for eric's ego though.

To: Richnorth who wrote (94309)	4/2/2003 6:34:30 PM
From: Richnorth	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116813

US 'seeks China's advice on Muslims' American professor approaches Chinese institute for pointers on how to turn Islam into a less militant religion HONGKONG - The United States has approached China informally for advice on how to transform Islam into a less militant religion. According to a highly placed Chinese source, a professor from a prestigious American university who has links to the Pentagon last year approached an institute of higher learning in China on this matter. The professor's contention is that only China and one other country have a successful record of managing their Muslim citizens and de-linking them from their more militant counterparts in the Middle East. He said he hoped to learn from the Chinese experience in devising a strategy for converting the Muslim world. According to the source, the Chinese scholar told the American professor three key points: First, the ruling Chinese Communist Party tried to co-opt Muslims into its formal power structure. In the Chinese political system, he pointed out, prominent figures of different political persuasions were co-opted via a unique body called the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Inducting Muslim leaders into this united front body helped to reduce tension, both ethnic and religious, between the minorities and Han Chinese. Second, China practised an 'independent' religious policy, meaning that its domestic believers would not be allowed to have any organisational links with the outside world. The Chinese government would tolerate only religious bodies that adhered to this rule. Finally, China emphasised the 'positive aspects' of the Quran, such as loving the place where one lived, which it turned into patriotism. Thanks to these policies, he added, Islam in China was, on the whole, stable despite sporadic incidence of violence in the western part of the country. Yet, the Chinese scholar warned that the US could hardly transplant such experiences to the Middle East because of vastly different circumstances. Besides, the motives were totally different. What China sought was political stability within its own territory, whereas the Americans wanted ultimate 'democratisation of the whole Muslim world'. 'This means our experience has little relevance to the US,' said the Chinese scholar. The American professor's attempt to learn from the Chinese seems to be in line with its overall attempt to convert its enemies. Since Dr Samuel Huntington published his 'Clash of Civilisation' theory, diehard right-wingers in the US have regarded China and Islam as America's two major enemies. Indeed the American Conservative Union (ACU), the oldest right-wing political organisation in the US, said so in so many words. ACU chairman David Keene said in a policy statement that in order to safeguard national security, the US should contain and transform them. The ACU has in President George W. Bush a faithful follower of the conservative agenda. The close link between the two could be discerned from this statement by President Bush: 'I am grateful to David Keene and the members of the ACU from coast-to-coast for all their help. 'The ACU had been an invaluable partner in advancing our compassionate, conservative agenda.' Iraq provided an excellent chance for toppling a Muslim regime and turning it into an American-style polity, not least because of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's brutality towards his own people and the weakening of the country after a decade-long United Nations sanction. In fact, long before the Sept 11 terrorist attack, America's conservatives had already started a plan to topple Iraq. A 'Project for the New American Century (PNAC)' was set up in 1997 by 18 well-known conservatives to advance US leadership around the world. Key sponsors of PNAC included present Vice-President Dick Cheney, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy, Mr Paul Wolfowitz. One of its declared goals was the removal of Mr Saddam Hussein and the destruction of his regime. 'How to attack Iraq' was one of the openly discussed themes in PNAC papers as early as 1998, long before the hawkish conservatives gained power in the White House. The United States' intention was to create an American-style regime in Iraq so as to foment changes in the Muslim world. 'US policy will be more actively engaged in supporting democratic trends in the Muslim world than ever before. 'This was the clear message of the President's National Security Strategy,' declared Mr Richard Haass, director of the State Department's Policy Planning Staff, at the end of last year. Addressing the Council on Foreign Relations on the topic of democracy and the Muslim World, his speech was a major statement by a senior administration official on a central element of President Bush's Middle East strategy. The latest move to seek Chinese advice on the means to smoothen the sharp, militant edges of Islam can thus be viewed as part of this American grand strategy.