Word: islamics
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...Western critics of Russia's operations in Chechnya, Putin said during an Internet conference earlier this month, just do not understand what is happening. "We feel that the actions of the Russian army are aimed at liberating the Chechen people from the terrorists who seized power and who compromise Islam and the Chechen people," Putin said reassuringly. He may well believe that. Yet as a visit to Grozny makes evident, the Russians are not only failing to win new friends in the city, they are losing old ones - the Chechens who fought alongside the advancing Russians last year, the city...
...should not be necessary to remind America that when the Taleban destroyed the statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, they invoked an interpretation of the Qur'an that is insulting to Muslims and contrary to the fundamental tenets of Islam, which preaches tolerance for other religions: Let there be no compulsion in religion (2:256), Whoever wills, let him believe; and whoever does not will, let him disbelieve...
...fairness to the responsible journalists, some writers try to make the distinction between "Islam" and "Islamic fundamentalism." But their efforts are futile because Americans understand so little about Islam and because the media coverage of Islam is characteristically negative. Stories abound about the ruthlessness of the Taleban, Osama bin Laden's terrorist network, and the oppression of women in Muslim nations. As long as the front pages of our newspapers run such stories, the mere association of terrorists with Islam--the mere usage of the terms Islamic fundamentalist or Islamic extremist--threatens to further exacerbate the cleavage between Muslims...
...deny that the Taleban and other so-called "Islamic fundamentalists" are serious problems. But Islam is not to blame. It is the fault of both Muslim and non-Muslim governments around the world that such terrorism has been on the rise. The widespread corruption and incompetence in Muslim nations has provoked many young people to look for "alternative" solutions to their problems. Meanwhile, the West has played into the hands of zealots and opportunists by providing seemingly incontrovertible proof that America regards Islam as the enemy...
Paradoxically enough, the best way to fight "Islamic fundamentalists" is to make peace with Islam. Once America is no longer seen as an enemy to Muslims, terrorist networks will be unable to persuade the masses. But America needs to take the first step. This might mean loosening sanctions on Iraq and/or taking a more neutral stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And it definitely means educating the American people about Islam. Before America can vanquish Osama bin Laden, it must vanquish its own ignorance...