Hmmmm I think you are non typical, reader.

...anyone with any reasoning capacity, (and that excludes the majority of the lib-left "feelers" who emote their way through life), will know that the "muslims" that attract the ire of SDA blow things up and kill people.

Reason dictates that;

A)100% of Muslim terrorists are not the religion of peace ,
B) not all terrorists are Muslim, and
C)not all muslims are terrorists

....but these are logical syllogisms and concepts which remain unspoken as they are held to be universally understood by SDA readers....except the "feelers" who post before they think ;-)

"Michael Yon is making this photograph available to media outlets"

Let's watch who picks it up and who doesn't. Publishing this graphic representation of Iraqi renewal is a detriment to both opposing forces in the politicized war...and should act as a litmus test to the political polarization of the media.

For the Left: it symbolizes their spin about unwinnable Iraqi peace and advanced Iraqi civil disorder is just fear mongering.

For the militant right who want to expand martial domestic security systems in the homelands, it puts a dent in the "diabolical muslim" mystique they concoct to expand government power/martial policing at home.

I'll be watching to see who publishes it....one thing for sure,I won't wait to see it in McLean's and TorStar

If you look closely, you can tell that the guy in the blue shirt is a Christian and that he is forcing the muslims to do the dirty work here.

How can you tell:

a) if you vote NDP/socialist - you will notice that he is holding up his left hand to shield himself from the evil that all christians beleive emanates from all muslims. He uses his left hand as christians consider it to be the evil hand. His right hand, which is the godly hand, is holding a pistol (which he has decievingly hid from the camera and all christians must have in their posession).

b) if you don't vote NDP/socialist, you can see the reality here and call BS on my statement.

I can see the NYT headline now...

How long will it be before this picture is pointed to in some quarters as proof positive that the war in Iraq _was_ a crusade and part of a Bushian plot to crush Islam?

Reminds me of the iconic flag raising over Iwo Jima, only better, as two faiths raise a symbol of peace.

Pretty good run up to Remembrance Day as well.

Cheers

WLM Redux,

Thank you for the defintions of: a liberal's thought process, what constitutes an SDA reader(I'm sure they like to be pigeon-holed) and what reason dictates.

Your mother must be very proud of you.

For just a moment turn off your arrogance and sarcasm then take a very close look at the image. Forget to the paranoia towards the MSM. Now, what does this photo really represent?

Historical fact:

There always has been a strong Christian presence in Iraq since the dawn of Christianity and, for the most part, the ordinary people got along well.

I have seen several accounts of how Saddam Hussein visited Orthodox (all traditional Christian jurisdictions outside of the geographic purview of Rome) monastaries on a regular basis.

Not all Muslims are al-Quaeda and the people of Iraq know the difference better than we do.

An expression of freedom of religion. Something painfully absent in most of the muslim world.

Liberal Ron emotes: "For just a moment turn off your arrogance and sarcasm then take a very close look at the image. Forget to the paranoia towards the MSM. Now, what does this photo really represent?"

My you ARE emotional aren't you :)
....and deeply into symbolism rather than objective reason...and obviously mystically gifted to know exactly what my Mother "thinks".

Being a logical man who can only function on objective fact, it's hart to tell exactly what this "symbolizes" to you Ron....but if I was to make an educated guess, it will twist reality to justify your particular bias.

And how about you tell us Ron, what this represents to you. The point of some of these comments is that the liberal-bised media(commenters) would be spinning it or ignoring it.You just proved that point. I see it for what it is. I guess you have an 'interpretation' for us?

in the background I see flowing rivers of chocolate.--Sean Penn -

"The polemics of Irwin Daisy et al.?"

"Your typical reader" has a reading comprehension problem.

Before stating your feelings about the matter, you might want to become acquanted with the supremacist, imperialist political ideology of Islam as stated by Mohammad/allah in the Quran, Sira (life of Mo) and Hadith (traditions of Mo).

All Islamic jurisprudence is based on these writings, regardless of sect. All Islamic belief is based on these writings.

This does not, obviously, mean that all Muslims are bad people. I don't think there'd be much left of civilization if that were the case. However, the more a person follows these writings and performs what is commanded, (ie. emulate Mohammad, the perfect example) the more likely we in the west would understand that person as an Islamist, or terrorist.

As long as these writings are taught without editing out the calls and rewards for violence, the world will be in peril. That's why a 'homegrown' terrorist can be born to otherwise moderate Muslim parents in say, Canada. That's why new converts are typically terrific terrorist recruits. That's why there's a thing called spontaneous jihad syndrome, affecting otherwise 'moderate' Muslims all the time.

As long as these violent writings are foundational to Islam; remain the same, unedited and are taught verbatim - Muslims will remain on the same unpredictable scale - moderate to terrorist - rooted as they all are in the same belief system.

The picture in the post is nice to see, though.

Here's as good a place to learn as any:

citizenwarrior2.blogspot.com/2007/10/islam-101.html

and here:

www.jihadwatch.org/archives/015638.php

It's good of them to put that cross back up. Otherwise it's a dull photo.

The problem with many anti-Islam websites (particularly those with a Christian fundamentalist agenda) is that they assume that the Wahhabist interpretation is the basis for all of Islam. This is incorrect. As Mustafa Akyol notes, in order to defeat the Jihadists,

"What the West can do is to insert a wedge between the radical Islamists and the peaceful Muslim majority, by making clear it has no problem with Islam as a religion and by emphasizing the moral values that Christians and humanists share with Islam - above all, respect for the individual."

http://www.thewhitepath.com

Condemning all of Islam will not help in this effort.

Typ Reader, according to your line of thinking everyone should still believe the earth is unquestionably flat and that it's o.k. to burn people as witches. Reason is required to moderate extreme belief...without it we lose ourselves to the whims of self appointed human gods who are only to happy to invent their own fatwa's and rule books to persecute infidels they can't control and enslave those they can.

Are you a good mormon? If not, why?

typical reader,

In comparison, the scales are at opposite ends. You can begin understanding by comparing the commands and rewards in the NT and by Christ's life example, to the Quran and Mo's life example.

Then compare the works of Mo's companions and the spread of Islam to Christ's apostles and the spread of Christianity.

Then compare both histories in accordance with what the texts command.

You'll notice that in the Mecca years of Mo's quest and the more compassionate teachings in the Quran, he had about 150 followers. It wasn't until the Medina/conquest years and the more violent Quran (abrogating earlier verses) that he accumulated a following of some 10,000.

The facts are all there in black and white, no interpretation necessary.

If you mean 'fundamentalist Christian' as a perjorative, please explain.

Belisarius,

If Muslims would edit out and stop teaching the political, imperialist and violent commands in it's writings and become just a religion, then nobody should have a problem with it any more than any other religion. Until then, whether Wahabiism, or any other sect, the foundation remains as volatile.

"Respect for the individual" (unless Muslim) or the golden rule is nowhere to be found in the Quran, Sira, or Hadith.

WLMR

Wish I'd said that.

Aren't these guys in danger of being tagged as apostates? Aren't there nasty things that are supposed to happen to apostates?

Actually, the Islamic edict to kill the apostate is the same as the military penalty for deserters.

Kill the Christian backslider?