“Radical Muslims illogically promote the idea that the war against terrorism is a war against Islam. Many mosques seethe as hotbeds of anti-American hatred, yet we hear little opposition from the faithful – even the ‘home-grown’. The same is true in European counties where Islamic communities spawn violence. Certainly, not all Muslims follow this mantra, but where is the outcry in opposition to the militant fanatics in their midst?

“Islam cannot be discussed by non-Muslims without insult being inferred. Their standards regarding freedom of speech differ greatly from Westerners. Islamic law stipulates Muslims can peacefully co-exist with Christians and Jews only if the non-Muslims acknowledge their second-class status; agreeing to such harsh restrictions in numerous areas of society, as the inability to hold authority over Muslims, being subject to imposition of extra taxes, and not insulting Muhammad. A perceived slur, even unintentional, results in the revocation of the non-Muslim’s conditional co-existence.

“We are in the midst of a clash of civilizations, in which one side desires supreme dominance. As Muslim populations swell throughout Europe and the United States, this crisis will exacerbate. As long as parents find pride in their children’s martyrdom as human missiles, with no sane voices calling for a halt to the madness, implications for the future are terrifying. It is inconceivable that Christians or Jews would behead those with whom they disagree, or celebrate their holiest of days with a call for the execution of the religious leader of another faith; though such actions are commonplace for practitioners of the ‘religion of peace’.

“If we care about our progeny, we must address this malevolence with swift certainty. Otherwise, how do we answer the generations we leave exposed to irrational fundamentalist zealots posing as credible religious agents?”

Carol Turoff, in the Conservative Voice, 28 September 2006