The fact is that we all know that Muslims have had a chilling effect on free speech, even here in the States. Someone upthread reminded us all about the cartoons of Mohammend, which almost no newspapers or magazines in the States dared to republish. Why? Answer that one, O Armies of Glenn, rather than asking where the Muslim invasion fleet is.

You can see hundreds of pro/anti/wry Muhammed cartoons published in the US here:

http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/Muhammad/main.asp

I am asking Glenn's commentators to address the real issue of creeping Islam into the West, rather than laughing at arguments no one is making about waves of Islamic landing craft hitting our shores.

Islam is no more "creeping" into the West than, say, Mormonism. Most of modern Western culture was developed in concert with the rise of medieval Islam. The number system in play since the founding of America is the Arabic number system.

Just because YOU haven't been aware of Muslim presence in America and in Western culture in general doesn't mean it hasn't been there.

Why don't (any of) you tell me why you think the cartoons that offended Muslims were republished almost nowhere in the States?

See above. Your assertion is ridiculously false.

Really, I think almost all Americans would be hard pressed to think of any time they were restricted in their speech or actions due to "Islamist" presence, particularly when one compares the number of times Americans are restricted in their speech or actions due to the US government.

Any serious counter-examples would be interesting to hear about.

Yes, I am amused.

Carry on.

The christian right has been working overtime to do exactly what you say. Put bible law over everything including our government's law. Look at the people graduating from Pat Robertson's and Jerry Falwell's law school. They will tell you that God's law is paramount to everything else. That's what they get taught. What's scary is these people hold high positions in our justice department. These aren't the only schools that do this. Here in Colorado we have a "Christian" university where a professor was fired for having his students read books with divergent viewpoints. He ran afoul of school administers because some of these books were critical of the free market. As the president of the university explained we strongly believe in the free market and teach that. So these right-wing "Christian" universities are not places of higher learning. They are brainwashing academies designed to put out ideologues.

We've been through this before. Why do you still side with the Muslim extremists in their corrupt interpretation of what it means to be Muslim? The Muslim extremists are a tiny but vocal and active minority within the huge Muslim population of the world. They are dangerous and should be opposed, but the best way to do that is by working with the rational, peace-loving majority of Muslims around the world. When you claim that Islam is inherently all the things the extremsits say it is, you're playing right into their hands. Why would you continue to do that?

Many American Muslims want to see their religion become more tolerant. Why would you work against them by claiming the extremist are correct and that their religion doesn't actually allow that? You seem strangely eager to agree with the extremists and their dangerous interpretation.

Religions are whatever their practitioners say they are. No religion is inherently anything whatsoever. Look at Christianity for chrissake. A religion supposedly based on loving your enemy and turning the other cheek--and it was practiced that way for the first couple hundred years--is now used by Bush and many Americans Xians to justify going to war against another religion. Jesus must be rolling in His grave. But there it is--Xianity is whatever it's adherents say it is.

For some reason you've decided to agree with the freaks of Islam and claim it is supposed to be interpreted the way they want. Since there are so many Muslims in the world, and they're not going away, the best thing we westerners can do is encourage the more tolerant interpretation. Every time you come here and claim Islam is a violent, intolerant religion, you play right into the extremists hands. Knock it off. Or are you thinking we could kill them all off?

Can you answer the question as to how "creeping Islam" is somehow going to take over our political, governmental and financial institutions, take charge of our schools and workplaces and homes, force the women into burkas, force the men into facial hair, put us all under shari'a law, and have us all saying Allahu Akbar instead of the Pledge of Allegiance?

So far, there is NOTHING that suggests that the dreaded Islamists/Islamofascists or whatever boogeyman-du-jour term you all are calling them these days can do anything other than carry out terrorist attacks.

Frankly, the lack of any practical evidence -- and no, sorry, quotes from Christopher Hitchens, Latin debate terms and the media's failure to publish cartoons do not qualify as evidence -- is very instructive, and makes it quite evident that anti-Islamic hysteria is being whipped up for reasons that are, well, beyond reason.

-Aruru

P.S. Not interested in a login name, but thanks for caring.

... Salman Rushdie has said many times that the Bush administration is doing more than anything else to feed both militant Islam specifically and general anti-American sentiment around the world.

So, you know, since people like you don't actually have Muslim wingnuts chasing you around on a daily basis trying to kill you, that kind of puts you in an awkward position, doesn't it? It kind of makes you sound like a complete jackass.

Instead of defending your country and your civilization you all are cowering in the corner flinching at shadows. You're a disgrace.

Tied for first place in the history of world terrorism are the United States and Soviet armament industries of the cold war. A worldwide weapons auction and buffet for decades.

Second place isn't even in shouting distance.