Monday, November 14, 2005
Light Posting, With Apologies
Greetings and apologies to both of my regular readers. I've hit a minor writer's block lately -- unsure of what to blog about, uncertain if I have something meaningful to say. (I would rather not write when I have nothing to say; I'll leave that for political speechwriters.)
In lieu of that, let me point you to an editorial by Dennis Prager in the LA Times. He, as a non-Muslim, has five questions to ask of the world's Muslims, and he genuinely wants answers if he can get them. Briefly, they are:
- Why does terrorism committed in your name not outrage you?
- Why are Palestinian terrorists always Muslims and never Christians?
- Why is only one of the 47 Muslim-majority countries a free country? (Mali, if you were wondering...)
- Why are so many atrocities committed and threatened by Muslims in the name of Islam?
- Why do countries governed by religious Muslims persecute other religions?
It's been clear for a long time that there's an asymmetry of expectations with respect to the Muslim world. Why has the Muslim world been enraged, repeatedly, over the mere rumor of public disrespect towards Islam, or the Koran, or mosques... while Muslim destruction of ancient Buddhist statues, or desecration of Christian churches or Jewish synagogues, arouses no Muslim outcry? And why does the Western world accept such behavior from Muslims, where the opposite would be met with outrage?
I've long felt that Western acceptance of savage behavior from Muslims results from fear, if not outright racism. (Is it not racist to expect so little from an entire people? On the other hand, it is understandable -- if not particularly laudable -- to protest anti-Muslim sentiments, simply because of fear of that savage behavior. Nobody wants to be the next Nick Berg.)
But I would not expect that level of ignorance, or bigotry, of Muslims vis-a-vis other Muslims.
Dennis Prager isn't the only one who wants an answer to these questions; so do I.
