“Long live Islam. Destroy Denmark. Destroy Israel. Destroy George Bush. Destroy America,” protesters shouted as they marched to the Danish embassy in the rain from a nearby mosque.
Right…that sort of rhetoric is certainly going to contribute to greater understanding between the Islamic world and the West, eh? Look, if you want to be understood, you need to speak to those you want to be understood by in a language that they understand. Burning, killing, and destroying while chanting “Death to [insert name of reviled infidel here]” is hardly going to convince anyone that you’re serious about being understood.
Of course, I can only speak for myself, but when I hear Muslims whining and complaining about not being understood and respected by Western government and peoples, I begin thinking about why that might be the case. Then it dawns on me that it just might have something to do with the violent intolerance, the brutal repression, and the willingness to kill and destroy at a moment’s notice. None of those things really strike me as hallmarks of a people who want to be understood and respected. No, they’re hallmarks of a people who are little more than thugs and common criminals with anger control problems and some serious boundary issues.
Abdullah Badawi, seen as promoting a moderate form of Islam in largely Muslim Malaysia, said many Westerners saw Muslims as congenital terrorists.
If you want respect, ACT AS IF YOU DESERVE IT. If you feel that your religion is being disrespected, educate us. Help us understand your feelings and your point of view. Burning, killing, and destroying private property do NOTHING to advance your cause. Western governments and peoples do not respond favorably to acts of agression and hatefulness. Generally speaking, we’re going to see you for the murderous, narrow-minded xenophobes you are. If you want tolerance, YOU MUST ACT WITH TOLERANCE YOURSELVES. Kidnapping and murdering innocent civilians does NOTHING to promote tolerance of Islam. If you’re going to kill and engage in other criminal activities in the name of your religion, you cannot reasonably claim to be surprised when the West writes you off as common garden-variety terrorists.
Of course, I realize that only a small portion of Muslims engages in murder and mayhem in the name of Islam. Most Muslims are decent folks who simly want to practice their religion and live their lives by it’s tenets. Fair enough. Here’s the problem, though. Until moderate, law-abiding Muslims and their governments get serious about controlling radical Islamofascist elements bent on murdering innocent civilians and destroying private propery, Islam will continue to be viewed by the West as the religion of murderous zelaots, and it’s adherents will be viewed as terrorists. No justification can be provided for suicide bombings and other random violent acts of political extremism. Control the nutjobs in your midst, and you will find that the willingness of the West to accept the Islamic world as full partners will come around in time. Continue to condone terrorism, however, and Muslims will continue to be marginalized.
It’s a simple choice really, and the Muslim world really controls it’s own destiny in this respect. I believe the West wants to respect the Islamic world. The less time and effort Western governments have to put into protecting itself from Islamofascist nutjobs, the more time, effort, and money can devoted to making our world a better place to be. Either Muslims learn that respect is earned and they begin to act as if they deserve it, or the West will continue to write off the Islamic world as the purview as xenophobic, self-righteous nutjobs willing to kill and destroy in order to “protect” the “sanctity” of Islam.
Your choice, y’all….
