I think the Jerusalem Post is absolutely correct. Islam is evolving quickly in our generation. Much depends on who rises to the top and how Muslims define themselves. Will they be moderates and learn to live peacefully in the world, or will they be extremist isolationists who declare war on the world and civilization?
The Jerusalem Post writes: "It is sometimes difficult, especially in this part of the world, to distinguish Islam – the religion and civilization – from the threat posed by its militant adherents, the Islamists, who are at war with the West and our values of liberty, tolerance and individual freedom. Islam is a proselytizing religion spread originally by the sword. But history shows that Muslim civilization has also embraced long periods of tolerance, during which bellicosity was replaced by civility and stability.
“The West's war against 'terrorism' is really a war against Muslim extremism and not against Islam. It is for Muslims themselves to determine whether their faith, in this century, will be shaped by the likes of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and al-Qaida's fanaticism, or whether moderate views gain a hearing."
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