Interestingly, I've received a lot of mail recently on the probability of
problems with "conservative" religious groups which apparently includes many
Muslims, conservative Christians (primarily creationists and bible
"literalists"), Mormons, and Southern Baptists, etc....  I've personally
received Email letters encouraging the signing and mailing of protests about the
Taliban in Afghanistan and their retrogressive treatment of Muslim women.  There
have been several programs on television recently about the practice of Muslim
men in India killing their wives at night and leaving their bodies to be found
the next day, presumably from not very serious offenses (one survivor said her
husband said she "didn't smile enough").

From what I've been able to piece together it is the very conservative (I
hesitate to use the term "primitive") sects all over the world that are
resisting scientific advances and retaining "caste" beliefs, double standards
for the sexes, racial discrimination, etc., etc.  Apparently they feel a real
"threat" to their belief systems because of the criticism, publicly, of their
beliefs and practices in more "modern" societies?  Here in America we have the
dangerous combinations of conservative religious beliefs and militant armed
response to "change,"  with "new world order" and "black helicopter"
conspiratorial ideas...   There does seem to be a growing disenchantment between
those groups and the rest of society with the error of lumping together
"terrorists" and Muslims which I'm sure is offensive...

Cordially,

Bob

Milutin wrote:

> >I appreciate your posting about the horrors in Chechnya.  Certainly US
> >influence could be used to mitigate the slaughter there.  However, your
> >recent generalizations about Islam make less sense to me.
>
> Sorry, I didn't spend enough time on it.
>
> >Actually, I think you have to be careful here.  The largest Islamic nation
> >in the world is Indonesia.  One of the most fundamentalist Islamic nations
> >is Saudi Arabia.  Close allies both.  Certainly foreign policy decisions by
> >US planners take more into account than religious orientation.
>
> Didn't know that stat on Indonesia but am well aware of Saudi Arabia and
> their ties with the US.
>
> What I was basically trying to say -- in too few words -- was that the media
> was moving from communist to muslim enemies since 1989.  Of course, it
> doesn't have to make sense or be consistent, just effective in mobilizing
> the masses to unnecessary military spending.
>
> Milutin
>
> --
> I am the Nina, The Pinta, The Santa, Maria
> The noose and, the rapist
> The fields overseer
> The agents, of orange
> The priests of Hiroshima
> The cost of my desire
> Sleep now in the fire

--
Bob Grimes

http://members.aol.com/bob5266/
http://pages.hotbot.com/edu/bobinjax/
http://www.phonefree.com/Scripts/cgiParse.exe?sID=28788
Jacksonville, Florida
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Man is not in control, but the man who knows he is not in control is more in
control...

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore....."