I know that many won’t want to hear nuances today. I haven’t been looking, but, even on my own Facebook page and in comments sent to me, I’ve challenged to defend Islam as a “religion of peace,” told that we ought to deport all Muslims or at least bar them at our borders, and reminded that only Islam causes people to strap on suicide bombs and kill innocent people.
The last comment is simply false, as Professor Richard Pape has demonstrated (starting in his book Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism) with meticulous attention to the actual data.
I understand the fear and the anger.
Here, though, for the moment, are three items that might be worth reviewing:
“Is Islam a primary cause of international violence?”
“Is Islam a religion of peace?”
If anybody out there really disagrees with these items (including Professor Pape’s writing), I would invite that person to respond with evidence and analysis, rather than with name-calling and insults. Thanks in advance.
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