Mosques and Madness

They're talking about building a mosque just down the road from me.

Being that this country was founded on religious freedom, I have no strong objections to it. I would, of course, like to know first that the mosque was not comprised of radicals who have plans to destroy the infadels. Before you accuse me of shoot first, ask questions later, I just am a little uncertain about the state of Islam these days.

I am not advocating that Islam be banned from our shores. I am not advocating that Islamic citizens be held to a higher level of scrutiny.

I just want some more information. I don't want to come across as paranoid---just practical. Pardon my supicions--I know that most Muslims are law-abiding citizens-- but after the latest rounds of terrorist attacks, I am a little wary.

What concerns me is that of the latest UK bomb plot, all of the Muslim men were highly educated doctors. This flies in the face of the idea that Muslim terrorists are all comprised of disaffected, angry young men with nothing to lose. After watching a news report on CNN, I was informed that Saudi Arabia is breeding a virulent new form of Islam that is intolerant of anything other than itself, with no regard for Western laws. I wonder if the idea of what a terrorist is is itself an evolving concept. I do not wish for America to be a safe haven for Islamic fundamentalism as Britain has become.

I am reminded of just how intolerant a place the Middle East can be. It is no surprise that there is open conflict in that region of the world. Only mosques can exist in Saudi Arabia. There is no concept of a wealth of religious doctrines as exists in the Western world. Complete tolerance, like Democracy, is an idea seemingly foreign to the Middle Eastern mindset. We can argue that Israel is a liberal democracy, yet Israel will not allow Palestinians to co-exist peacefully and live within its borders. This flies in the face of American Democracy, being that American has not severely limited the migration of a people to such a degree as has Israel.

Are all Palestinians terrorists? Certainly not. But it becomes tough in such circumstances to separate friend from foe.

To expand the example further, I am not in support of Saudi Arabia because I know it is not a friend and is envious of what we have in this country. It enjoys our money and our support but I find it to be two-faced as hell.

I wonder if we have another 11 September, that a nuclear conflageration between ourselves and Radical Islam will not be a foregone conclusion. I am not arguing whether it would be right or wrong, I'm just stating what I feel may very well happen.