Slaughtering the Innocent

Christians are certainly not the only targets of jihadi maniacs. Today, those who butcher in the name of Islam abducted three hundred Kurds. These Kurds were not fighters, but they will likely suffer the same fate as if they were. It is long past time that those who oppose the nihilism that is aggressive Wahhabism band together to defeat it. If the majority of Muslims, both Sunni and Shia, who would never shed the blood of peaceful people of any faith would oppose, condemn, and fight the fanatics, the fanatics could not win. If the Christians and Jews under threat from the fanatics would join with the vast majority of Muslims who respect innocent life, the Islamic State, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda, and al-Shabab would not stand a chance. The problem is though that until those who respect innocent life stand up en-masse, there will always be fanatics around to murder the few who dare to oppose them.

Piece of Religion

In yesterday's column, I in no way suggested all Muslims were fanatical or violent in the profession of their faith. Clearly though, a substantial number of Muslims are willing to murder. They feel by killing those who believe differently from them they are serving a divine obligation. If only ten percent of Muslims are violent Islamists, that still means that there are one hundred and fifty million people out there in this world who are eager to murder people who do not believe precisely as they do. That would amount to a death cult equal in numbers to half the population of the USA, and that many fanatics can do unfathomable damage. The most disturbing aspect of Islam is the silence of Muslims who do not adhere to the death cult. Perhaps they are (justifiably) afraid, but I hear little of good Muslims denouncing the murder of religious minorities and almost nothing of tolerant Muslims taking up arms to defend the lives of neighbors who believe differently.