"Greg G." wrote in message
...
snip

I fear is that this incident is going to further promote a blanket
anti-Muslim sentiment, and therefore anti-American sentiment in
response, that has become so prolific in the TV media since 9-11.
Extremists represent a minority of Muslims, just as Christian
extremists constitute a minority within their religion. Call me a
Pollyanna, but I refuse to paint every Muslim with the same broad
strokes. Most are loving, peaceful, people who want the same things in
life everyone does. But as with most ideologies, there are some who
agitate and seek prominent stature through inflammatory hate speech
and behavior; and some people, being acutely authoritarian in nature,
are swept right along... Hate is an easy sell when mired in misery -
which much of the ME has been for a thousand years.

And before anyone retorts, No, I'm not a Muslim.


Greg G.

Well said, Greg.

As I alluded to to in an earlier thread, I lived and worked in the world's
largest Muslim nation, Indonesia, some years back. During my time there, I
was made warmly welcome by all that I came across.
The contrast with my own culture was dramatic. Total strangers in both the
cities and villages, recognising I was not Indonesian, would stop me in the
street and engage me in conversation, often in very poor English, or in my
even poorer Bahasa Indonesia. Every single one of them had a smile on their
face and wanted to make a point of making me feel welcome in their country.
I must confess, I found it a little unnerving at the beginning. ( I come
from stern Protestant stock, - racist, intolerant and highly suspicious of
strangers of any ilk.) I was also invited into the homes of total
strangers. Would not have happened where I grew up.
It was explained to me that it is an important part of both their culture
and religion to welcome and assist others. To do so is seen as a very good
thing. Sadly, I could not say that same universal friendliness and tolerance
would have been reciprocated in my own country. (Then or now.)

Were there some radicals who didn't want strangers like me in their country
and advocated violence as a means of achieving that? Yes. A small minority.
Were there white anglo-saxon protestants in my own country advocating the
same thing? Yes. Again, a small minority. (Around that period, there was one
group going around setting fire to Asian restaurants and trying to stir up
civil unrest on the basis of race. They were caught and jailed.) Would it be
reasonable to label the rest of Australians as being of similar ilk? Of
course not.
Nor would we wish to paint Christians worldwide with the same brush based on
the Catholics and Protestants of Northern Ireland, whose main occupation in
life until recent times, seemed to involve slaughtering each other, based on
religious denomination.

My experiences above are of course, based on one brief period in one Muslim
dominated country. Others may be dramatically different. It did, however,
give me a perspective that I would not have otherwise had and destroyed a
few of my own pre-conceived ideas along the way.

Hopefully, my eyes were opened a little more and just maybe, it may have
made me a slightly better and more tolerant person.

diggerop