Freedom of Religion ... unless that is; you are a Muslim.

[MMI]

The other problem ... is the profound silence coming from the moderate ranks.

... more condemnation of the fanatics by the moderates, would go a long way towards healing those wounds.

Those words bear repeating:

The other problem ... is the profound silence coming from the moderate ranks.

... more condemnation of the fanatics by the moderates, would go a long way towards healing those wounds.

It does, however, call for a certain amount of bravery for moderates to step forward and stand out against the fanatics: sometimes an extraordinary amount of bravery. They risk public notice - which many silent moderates want to avoid, or it sometimes means being ostracised by the community you belong to. And, of course, where fanatics are involved, it sometimes means risking life or limb. It's understandable why moderates are frequently conspicuous by their absence, but that's not to justify their reluctance to stand up for their beliefs in the face of their "co-religionists".

[Thorne]

Those words bear repeating:

Thank you. Nice to know that once in a while I make sense. Hard to believe, I know.

It does, however, call for a certain amount of bravery for moderates to step forward and stand out against the fanatics: sometimes an extraordinary amount of bravery. They risk public notice - which many silent moderates want to avoid, or it sometimes means being ostracised by the community you belong to. And, of course, where fanatics are involved, it sometimes means risking life or limb. It's understandable why moderates are frequently conspicuous by their absence, but that's not to justify their reluctance to stand up for their beliefs in the face of their "co-religionists".

Yes, I do understand this aspect of it, too. One of the reasons why I sometimes feel like advocating, "Do unto others before they do unto you." Sometimes the only way to fight the fanatics is on their own terms. And unfortunately, many times those terms involve death. This seems to be especially prevalent in Islam, where a relative handful of insane clerics seem to want to drag their people back into the Middle Ages. And there are always those who will follow the insane, if for no other reason than that it gives them an excuse to do things they would like to do anyway, without having to worry about their consciences. I wish I knew a better solution than, "Kill them all!" That only puts me on their level.

[DuncanONeil]

Those words bear repeating:



It does, however, call for a certain amount of bravery for moderates to step forward and stand out against the fanatics: sometimes an extraordinary amount of bravery. They risk public notice - which many silent moderates want to avoid, or it sometimes means being ostracised by the community you belong to. And, of course, where fanatics are involved, it sometimes means risking life or limb. It's understandable why moderates are frequently conspicuous by their absence, but that's not to justify their reluctance to stand up for their beliefs in the face of their "co-religionists".

I have actually seen some, I guess they qualify, moderate Muslims speaking out - mostly about the NYC mosque - But strangely they were all from Canada!