[Snowden]

Originally Posted by Caldric

I do not think most are moderate at all. 98% agreed with beheadings according to Arab News Sources, the same ones thought 9/11 was a legitimate attack, there are many other things that point out them being not moderate in the majority. Or moderate to my way of thinking anyway, moderate appears to be the exception and not the rule.

Well, being moderate is easy so long as those about you are peaceful as well. Most of my Muslim friends are peaceful people. The problem is not with the people; it's with the command of Mohammad to rule the world through Islam - and those fanatics who are willing to do anything to obey that command as they understand it.

Nevertheless, it is necessary to note that moderate Islam is, today, under siege in India – and the threat comes from more than one direction. The most significant threat, of course, is of terrorism itself. The moderates of the Faith cannot directly confront the extremists once the latter begin to push their ideas through campaigns of terrorism. The moderate voice is often stifled with the first shot of the extremists’ gun. While moderates can be expected to raise their voices against extremism, and have often done so, this is possible only under conditions where the risks are manageable. It is, consequently, necessary for both state and society to protect moderate Islam in India today, just as extraordinary measures were adopted to protect the voice of moderation in Punjab at the height of the terror in that State.

This is the main problem, I believe - when fanatic or extremist Muslims decide to start the fight, they don't leave much choice to their peace-loving neighbors. They will continue to come. When they come, the peace-loving Muslims will obey out of love for their families and perhaps as a hope of bringing back peace in time. In any event, they know mercy is not forthcoming with those who follow bin Laden and his band.

kfadrat, I understand what you're saying about the Sunnis being those credited with so much of the current terrorism, but that's because the Wahabbi sect is within the Sunnis, which (without Wahabbism) was always the more peaceful part of Islam. The Shi'ites are known for their perceived excessive displays of religious fervor. The Sunnis - we always think of them as being more in line with their Christian and Jewish neighbors. In Saudi, with the coming of Wahabbi Islam, this has changed. All the Muslims in the attacks on 9/11 were Wahabbi, a sect not previously known in this nation. I imagine relatively few Americans had heard of them before 9/11.

They will continue to try to take over the world by war or in peace - the method is unimportant. The ultimate aim of the world being ruled by Islam is what this is all about - and has been all about for about 1400 years. Nothing has redirected that aim in all those centuries, and trying to stop it now will be very difficult, but it is essential that it be stopped.

The fact that the Imams and Arab news media never speak out against the violence speaks more loudly than any other single fact, as Caldric mentions.