Through the looking glass: nine danger signs of militant Islam

Sheila Musaji, editor of The American Muslim, responds to the list of “danger signs” of Islamic extremism drawn up by Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch for an organisation calling itself the United American Committee:

“You can find numerous examples of militants, fundamentalists, extremists, criminals and even mass murderers among every religious group. Although counting numbers is pointless, I am certain that Slobodan Milosevic was responsible for more deaths than Osama bin Laden. I haven’t seen any demands that Christians sign some sort of a statement to prove that they don’t have ‘militant intentions’….

“The voices that have us looking to what it is in Islam, or Christianity, or Judaism to find the answers for why criminals carry out violent acts in the name of those religions are only creating polarization, decreasing any chance for dialogue, and leading us down a path that can only lead to a clash of civilizations that might end all civilization.”

alt.muslim, 27 October 2005

For earlier coverage see here. (Since then, the danger signs have increased from seven to nine!)