The moderate Muslim

Yesterday, on the Laura Ingraham radio program, I finally heard one.  His first name was Mahmoud (forgive me if I butcher the spelling), he was some kind of elected Representative (R) from Boston, Mass., he was from Pakistan, and he was the soul of reason.

He talked for quite some length about how Islam really is the religion of peace, and he cited chapter and verse from the Koran and examples of good Muslim conduct from history.  Talk about a breath of fresh air.  I've had the feeling for years growing that guys like Mahmoud simply did not exist, that there was no group or faction on the other side to whom we could reach out, that we would be forced, sooner or later, to finish the crusades once and for all in thermonuclear fire.

Now maybe Mahmoud was full of it.  Certainly his interpretation of the Koran was different than what I've been hearing about since 9-11.  My point is not that Islam is really a littly fluffy kitten, but that maybe there's a fluffy kitten inside the man-eating tiger of Islam and maybe it can be engaged/encouraged/brought forth.  Maybe our efforts in the middle east have a chance.

We can always nuke 'em later.

In my spare time, I've been reading The Haj by Leon Uris, author of Exodus and QBIIV.  Mr. Uris was getting on in years when he wrote The Haj, and I suspect his research assistant did most of the actual writing because the writing is no where near as good as in his earlier work.  However, Uris' insight into the minds and motives of the characters of the middle east feels spot on.  He was writing about 1948 and the years around it, but he could just as easily be writing about today.  And the conclusion that comes to me is that the problem is not Islam so much as it is the Arab culture.  Man, what a bunch of sick puppies.  Psychotic through and through.  They may be able to pervert even democracy... time will tell.  What's that you say?  "Persians aren't Arab."  Yeah, I know.  So the problem is the ancient and primitive cultures of the mideast, or most of them... generalities slipping away... must find .... gasp....  EJECT EJECT EJECT

UPDATE:  Read the comments to this post.  More good news and some sincere thanks from The Happy Carpenter.

Comments

[silvermine]

They do exist. My brother is one of them. Sure, he converted so maybe he doesn't "count", but I'm absolutely sure he wouldn't hang out with people who thought the way the Islamofascists do. Heck, he voted for Bush.

In his mosque, not only do they not teach that jews are evil (or christians for that matter), they are considered brothers, because they share some of the same holy books.

I think moderate muslims speak out more than people think they do -- but they never get media coverage because the media doesn't want us to know they are there.

[pedro]

Thanks, Silvermine. I'm really feeling alot better about the future now.
And the thought came to me, "When do moderate people ever demonstrate in the street?" Isn't that the very badge of the extremist, the non-thinker? Once in a great while you get the Berlin Wall coming down, Tiennamen Square, or the Cedar Revolution. But most of the moderates, the normal people, have jobs, families, responsibilities. They have neither the time nor the inclination to run out in the street with signs every time something makes the news -- which is every day.
My faith in mankind is a bit restored today, thanks to Mahmoud and to you.
Thanks.