I know you will mention Israel. Oddly enough you are never PC about Israel. You rush in to present perceived and even imagined sins against Palestinians. No even-handed enquiry ...

For the record Palestinians (Arab Israelis) are found in every level of society. Academics, ambassadors, scientists, doctors, university students, even in the Knessset; as are all other minority groups. Both the Druze and Bedouins are in the IDF; the Druze make up much of the border security, the Bedouin prefer the paramilitary.

I referred to the “collective consciousness of the people.” When people are raised in societies where they know no difference than what is presented to them as normative, they accept these as such. Social Anthropology 101. Yes, there are always exceptions to the rule – independent thinkers. A gift of a football oval was built in Saudi Arabia, it is used for beheadings. The populace flock to see these … standing room only.

There are Americans who support the death penalty; I would hazzard many grew up when the death penalty was the norm.

A very cultured, educated and intelligent poster, an Arab Muslim, on OLO in response to condemnation of amputations for stealing, remarked that in such places, one could leave the keys in the car and know it wouldn't be stolen.

Mohammad was a warrior, not a man of peace. I had it explained to me that “the religion of peace” means spiritual peace to its adherents, not the practice of peace. The Q'uran is prescriptive. The Old Testament Bible is descriptive (albeit what is occurring in the Middle East now, nothing's changed). That is the difference between the Q'uran and the Bible.

I have stated before, and I repeat, and repeat: I know many gentle, warm Muslims, who are appalled at any sort of violence. They condemn what they see in the Middle East.

I also know a Muslim who is an apostate of Islam, which he states is violent and inhumane. If he lived in the Middle East he would be executed for his belief, even if he recanted and showed remorse.

I think you need another tin whistle, Poirot, all this plays is "Tu Quoque!" and " Non Sequitur!"

So is it a cheap trick or not, to drag up the Crusades as some sort of "nyah-nyah, well, you did too!" argument whenever somebody has the effrontery to mention an Afghan woman being machine-gunned (see article by Yalda Hakim in today's paper, or watch her on Dateline tonight), or Pakistanis killing Pakistanis in some sort of imbecilic rage (and then burying Pakistanis, demonstrating angrily against their deaths, killing more Pakistanis in retaliation, bashing cars with sticks - gee, that might work), or terrorist groups blowing up defenceless wome nand children.

Can we please stick to the topic ? What are the root-causes of Muslim anger, ostensibly over some dopey film, but over what really ? Frustration that the West got there first ? That they hate the West, but want what it provides ? Is it not much more than that - envy ? And please don't give us any more about nasty Americans doing terrible things - al Qaida bombs are going off every single day somewhere and usually across the Muslim or peri-Muslim world, in Nigeria, Mali, Kenya - bits of bodies are being collected as I write, and as you read, day and night. A lot of them in Pakistan too, where Shia and Sufis and Christians and their shrines are being bombed constantly.

So is it that people feel their religion is so manifestly superior to any other body of thought, but are utterly frustrated that they can't impose it freely on the rest of the world ? That even a campaign of terror doesn't seem to be working too well ? (well, ecept on the Left, it would seem). That they want so much, SO MUCH, to impose their will on the world, but don't have the means, and it is really pissing them off ?

Are they also utterly outraged by the notion of questionability, especially of their prophets and gods ?

Do you have a better explanation, Poirot ?

Cheers,

Joe

So when do we start seeing Australia listed? Will it be another ten years or twenty maybe? They hate their own people so how much imagine how much they hate us! this religion of peace.
This is only 12 days & have the complete list for the last 30 days if anyone wants to see it.

Date Country City Killed Injured Description

2012.09.12 Somalia Mogadishu 8 10 Eight people are blown apart by a suicide bombing at a hotel.

2012.09.11 Yemen Sanaa 12 12 Twelve people bleed out following a suspected al-Qaeda blast.

2012.09.10 Iraq Mussayib 3 2 Sunni bombers take down three Shiites near their shrine.

2012.09.10 Pakistan Parachinar 14 45 Sunnis murder fourteen members of the minority Shiite sect with a car bomb that rips through a packed market.

2012.09.10 Afghanistan Kunduz 21 15 A Holy Warrior blows himself up at a demonstration, sending twenty-one other souls to Allah.

2012.09.10 Syria Aleppo 17 40 The FSA claims a bombing outside a hospital and school that leaves seventeen civilians dead.

2012.09.09 Iraq Amara 16 100 Dedicated Sunni car bombers massacre sixteen Shiites outside their shrine.

2012.09.09 Thailand Narathiwat 2 1 Two men are killed and a 9-year-old boy loses his leg to Muslim 'rebels'.

2012.09.09 Iraq Kirkuk 8 17 al-Qaeda car bombers slaughter eight oil company employees.

2012.09.09 Iraq Dujail 11 7 A Shahid suicide bomber sends seven Iraqis to Allah.

2012.09.09 Iraq Kirkuk 7 70 Two Islamic Army of Iraq bombs tear apart seven people outside of a police station.

2012.09.09 Iraq Nasiriyah 2 3 Mujahideen bomb a hotel, killing at least two.

2012.09.09 Iraq Baghdad 7 21 A Mujahideen bomb targeting a market seven dead bodies.

2012.09.09 Iraq Basra 3 24 A vicious bombing along a city street kills three.

2012.09.09 Afghanistan Farah 1 16 A 12-year-old boy is disassembled by a Taliban bomb.

2012.09.09 Iraq Maysan 5 40 Five Shiites are blown to bits outside theirown mosque by Sunni bombers.

2012.09.09 Iraq uz Khormato 4 41 Four shoppers at a market are flattened by an al-Qaeda blast.

2012.09.09 Syria Homs 4 24 Sunni terrorists are suspected in a bus bombing that leaves four dead.
2012.09.08 Pakistan Shalobar 2 0 A Religion of Peace blast sends two highway patrolmen to the morque.

2012.09.08 Iraq Qaim 1 0 A 5-year-old girl is killed instantly by an FSA rocket.

2012.09.08 Afghanistan Kajaki 5 2 Five Afghans are taken down by Taliban roadside bombers.

2012.09.08 Afghanistan Kabul 6 4 Six civilians, mostly children, are torn to shreds by a Fedayeen suicide bomber.

2012.09.07 Pakistan Quetta 1 0 A policeman investigating Sunni sectarian killings is sprayed with bullets.

2012.09.07 Syria Damascus 5 6 Five security personnel are killed by a bomb blast as they leave a mosque.

2012.09.07 Philippines Sumisip 1 35 Seven Abu Sayyaf fire into a crowd of plantation workers on their lunch break, killing one.

2012.09.07 Iraq Kirkuk 9 80 Sunni bombers take out nine Shias near their mosque.

2012.09.07 Lebanon Ain al-Hilweh 1 0 Jund al-Sham terrorists are accused of assassinating a local official.

2012.09.07 Afghanistan Kabul 0 3 Three actresses are stabbed by religious hardliners for appearing with 'immodest' outfits.

2012.09.07 Lebanon Damour 1 0 A man is stabbed merely for belonging to the 'wrong' religious sect.

2012.09.07 Libya Rajma 3 3 Three people are killed when Islamic fundamentalists attempt to blow up a rival shrine.

2012.09.09 Iraq Baghdad 5 21 A restaurant blast by the Islamic Army of Iraq kills five patrons.

2012.09.09 Afghanistan Mula Khel 6 0 Religion of Peace extremists pull six civilians out of a vehicle and execute them.

2012.09.09 Iraq Baghdad 3 14 Holy warriors detonate a bomb outside a pet market, killing three people.

Dear CSteele,

<<Actually that was my initial response too … and I was rather dismissive>>
Well you would have been better served sticking with your initial response – it was closer to the mark.

<< there may be more than 60 million Protestant Christians (compared with 700,000 in 1949).….yada yadda yadda”>>
Sorry to break you the news, but it does not follow that because there are now X number of card carrying Christians in China that the country is headed for a Iranian-like theocracy (appealing as that might be to you –on many levels!).

The forms of Christianity we see in China are a very long, long way removed from the fundamentalism we see expressed in Islam in other parts of the world. And it is rather mischievous of you to try and equate the two.

2012.09.07 Philippines Sumisip 1 35 Seven Abu Sayyaf fire into a crowd of plantation workers on their lunch break, killing one.

2012.09.07 Iraq Kirkuk 9 80 Sunni bombers take out nine Shias near their mosque.

2012.09.07 Lebanon Ain al-Hilweh 1 0 Jund al-Sham terrorists are accused of assassinating a local official.

2012.09.07 Afghanistan Kabul 0 3 Three actresses are stabbed by religious hardliners for appearing with 'immodest' outfits.

2012.09.06 Iraq al-Sharqat 1 1 The leader of an Iraqi anti-terror unit is killed by a bomb.

2012.09.06 Pakistan Sipah 3 8 A child is among three crushed to death by a Lashkar-e-Islam mortar shell slamming into their home.

2012.09.05 Pakistan Quetta 1 0 A Shia doctor is murdered in his clinic by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

2012.09.05 Ingushetia Datykh 6 1 Mujahideen ambush and kill six Russians.

2012.09.07 Lebanon Damour 1 0 A man is stabbed merely for belonging to the 'wrong' religious sect.

2012.09.07 Libya Rajma 3 3 Three people are killed when Islamic fundamentalists attempt to blow up a rival shrine.

2012.09.06 Pakistan Gulistan Colony 1 0 An Ahmadi school teacher is gunned down in a targeted attack.

2012.09.06 Nigeria Yobe 16 0 Boko Haram Islamists murder sixteen people in a series of attacks.