Caught in the Middle

Over at Tariq Nelson's blog there is a post entitled Muslims getting sick of the carnage. I have reproduced it here:

While the numbers are still too large, this poll shows that more and more Muslims are sickened by the carnage on constant display by the lunatic fringe (they attacked a children’s hospital today) and are rejecting suicide terror as a means of defense along with respect for the loons themselves

Muslims around the world increasingly reject suicide bombings and other violence against civilians in defense of Islam, according to a new international poll dealing with how the world’s population judges their lives, countries and national institutions.A wide ranging survey of international attitudes in 47 countries by the Pew Research Center also reported that in many of the countries where support for suicide attacks has declined, there has also has been decreasing support for al-Qaida leader Osama bin-Laden.

[…]Most notably, the survey finds large and growing number of Muslims in the Middle East and elsewhere rejecting Islamic extremism. Ten mainly Muslim countries were surveyed along with the Palestinian territories, as well as five African nations with large Muslim populations.

For example, the percentage of Jordanian Muslims who have confidence in bin Laden as a world leader fell 36 percentage points to 20 percent since 2003 while the proportion who say suicide bombing is sometimes or always justified dropped 20 percent points to 23 percent. Other countries where support for bin Laden declined are Lebanon, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan and Kuwait.The report said support for such bombings and terror tactics has dropped since 2002 in seven of the eight countries where data were available. In Lebanon, the proportion of Muslims who say suicide attacks are often or sometimes justified fell to 34 percent from 79 percent while just 9 percent of Pakistanis believe suicide bombings can be justified often or sometimes, down from 33 percent in 2002 and a high of 41 percent in 2004.

But support for suicide bombings is widespread among Palestinians, the report said, with 41 percent saying such attacks are often justified while another 29 percent say they can sometimes be justified. It found that only six percent of Palestinians—the smallest in any Muslim public surveyed—say such attacks are never justified. [More…]

Still a long way to go, but this is certainly progress

First of all, let me say that I don't read Tariq Nelson's blog as often as I would like to. There's so much to do, and I think everyone can understand that.

Consequently, I look at it periodically. Of the times I have looked at it, though, I have consistently come away with a favorable view of Tariq (intelligent, articulate, tolerant and fair), and of many, perhaps most, of the commentators.

As I do my posts dealing with Islam, in the back of my mind are always people like that: the decent people in the Islamic world.

On the one hand, there are these "rabid lunatics" and "nutters" claiming to represent Islam and advocating death, destruction, violence and mayhem. On the other hand, there are bloggers like Yours Truly constantly critiquing their religion.

And there they are, embattled on both sides.


For whatever it's worth, I know what you're going through.

Conservatives in America have been going through this for decades. On the one hand, there are criminals on "The Right" whose conduct is appalling and illegal. On the other hand, there is "The Left" denouncing anyone who doesn't support them as being in favor of 1) oppressing women, 2) racial discrimination, 3) bombing abortion clinics, 4) mistreating animals and 5) poisoning the environment; did I leave anything out?


I post this under the category "The Other Islam" -- is there a post on a blog out there about conservative America categorized under "The Other Right" or "The Other Conservatives" or something like that?


Anyway, while I pontificate, Tariq Nelson and I perhaps have something in common: Tariq's version of Islam and my version of America are both under attack from two sides, and people like us are caught in the middle.