Backlash should be expected

While this was predicable, which makes me wonder why Bin Laden did not realise it, I must note that a large part of it was brought upon Islam by Islam's own actions. In short: reap what you sow.

I should say that it is not my intention to offer offence to you or to any other Muslim.

However, I need to transfer the general idea across without dilution, so I'm going to be as blunt as possible.

By far the worst 'offense' committed by Islam is the perceived treatment of women. I have seen forced marriages and have been forced to conclude that they are nothing more than barbaric. Much to my surprise, when I was talked into reading the Qur'an, I came across a passage that read "Oh ye who believe. It is not lawful that you should take women as heritage against (their) will." This, as far as I can tell, bans forced marriages altogether, and yet they carry on! If Muslims break their own codes, how do you expect to gain any respect or liking?

Many people, for different reasons, although I suspect that they all spring from the same source, find it hard to repress a shudder when they see a women completely veiled in a burka or a chowdor. By preventing people from making subconscious communication, it suggests that a women is indeed lower in status, or even a slave. Even if we stretch the Qur'an and accept that they should be forced to do that (which is an act of doubtful morality in the first place), it certainly does not stipulate that Women who are in imminent danger of a horrible death should be trapped to face that death, merely because they have not been veiled. But that is what happened in Mecca. The religious police would not allow the girls to escape, and some died. I would have died before allowing such a thing to happen, and so would many of the Muslims I know. If that act is permitted in any part of Islam, then perhaps it is time for Islam's basis to be carefully examined.

Many Muslims have complained about the unconditional support given by Tony Blair to the US. However, many Muslims are equally guilty of the same crime, providing unconditional support for the 'Muslim' countries in the world.

To be perfectly frank, Iraq is not a good example of a county to be proud of and its leader is guilty of mass murder, genocide and more evil than you or I could do in a lifetime. I agree that bombing innocent civilians is useless, but supporting him because he is a Muslim or because he supports Islam is counter-productive. At worst, it could be regarded as treason and treated accordingly.

The hounding of Salmon Rushdie was a disgraceful affair. As western society turned away from organised religion to some degree in the ninetieth and twentieth centuries, the crime of blasphemy became to some degree redundant and it slipped from the public mind.

The burning of the book - one of the less ambiguous 'protest votes' on record - evoked horrifying memories of the Nazi era and tainted the perception of Islam by associating it with the Nazis.

The Jewish philosopher, Heinrich Heine, remarked that when people begin burning books, they would end by burning people. After the Nazi era, the evils of burning books became firmly engrained on to the European mind, and, when peaceful protest failed, some Muslims burnt the book; it horrified millions who would not normally care.

The truth of the matter, or what truth becomes apparent with sixteen years hindsight, is that the whole conflict was not a simple matter of the West vs Islam, despite claims by both sides that that was indeed the case.

Prejudice against any single religion can be said to start right at the beginning of that religion, such as the crucifixion of Jesus, and western prejudiced against Islam probably started when the Turks invaded Europe though the Balkans, continued though the crusades, became partly quisiant when Britain found itself with the greatest number of Muslim subjects and Wilhelm II embraced Islam and never really ended.

The Satanic verses is a very badly written book, quite undeserving of its fame and I don't really think it was worth making a fuss about. The result: Islam showed itself to be very determined in suppressing opposition and consequently, became distrusted

The media, sadly, needs sensation for its news programs.

News such as the Flanders have just had a new baby does not receive a look-in, they want sex, violence and rock-and-role. This probably means that anything violent will be blown out of all proportion and anything that is controversial, such as Islam, will be blamed. Its not fair, I know, but I don't think that many people really believe all that they hear in the news.