if such a group were to start doing violent things that made the news, you can bet that the many christian americans would come to the conclusion that all athiests are terrorists and nothing i could say would change most of their minds...
frankly, there are already a not tiny number christians out there who think that all athiests are morally bankrupt, evil people...and nothing i or any other athiest can say or do will ever change their minds.
Stan, you really need to meet more Christians. I suspect you've gotten an unrepresentative sample for any number of reasons. I suppose that might be a diplomatic way of recommending more social diversity... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/drunk.gif" alt="" />
I keep hearing these summary descriptions of Christians, or perhaps conservatives, and they do make me ill, and they do make me want to distance myself from them. Yet... of all of the Christians or conservatives I actually
know, I am not sure I could use up more than one hand counting such cases. Reverse the stereotype and consider liberals, or atheists, the same is true.
Not to say your point about Christians or conservatives that actually get air time don't fit your mold, but... they also serve to reinforce a disturbing stereotype, and therefore are natural candidates for media selection. I think they should have a harder time getting airtime, personally! I will say this, they stir the pot and therefore discussion. But they are not representative.
Said all that to say this: the same dynamic is true of Muslims. I know quite a few Muslims as well (here at work), and to a person they find islamofascism disturbing. But there are also cultural differences that prevent them from denouncing extremism, and these are not primarily about western imperialism.
Example: a Pakistani friend found the Taliban the sort of people he would not pick out curtains with, but he felt the US should not invade because the Taliban were honoring the value of protecting a guest (bin Laden), and hospitality is an extremely important value. I respectfully, and strongly, disagreed; but our differences were over cultural values, more than politics. This person did not denounce extremism, but was not himself an extremist. I do not believe his reasons were cynical excuses.
I nonetheless think his values, like mine, could use some broadening from time to time, however.
I would think this reasoning safe to generalize about large segments of the Muslim world - and the world in general.
