I totally agree that what the video portrays of Islam is absolutely true, and had I not been a muslim I too would not be too fond of the religion. Anyone can make up an anti story about muslims and publish it, but pictures cannot be created. You're right, muslims themselves have provided the ammunition, and now they must reap the consequences. However, a member would say something like "these people have been driven to extremism by non muslims who seek to expolit us. We condemn the actions of such muslims, but we also understand where the hatred comes from. Mj, can you sympathise with the above? Can you sympathise with the anger? I, personally, can't see any justification for such behaviour. But I'm also aware that these muslims are uneducated and don't know how to fight intelligently, so does that put them entirely at fault?

I'm glad that you agree with me dearak, because this very fact is not agreed upon by many in the ummah, and lack of acknowledging this fact is the root of all of the ummah's problems, in my opinion (perhaps others may disagree). Individuals who say this are using the same worn out argument that I have heard for the past 4 years from almost every muslim activist I've spoken to. To put it frankly, the only reason why muslims are conjuring up excuses for the palestinian's tactics is... because they are muslim. Any intelligent and objective individual who looks at the history of this dilemma, and the tactics employed by both the jews and the palestinians will realise that the palestinians brought this upon themselves, and the zionists are no worse, but perhaps even morally superior as they seek to protect their grandchildren. It's a competition of understandable interests.

Absolutely.. I agree with you. There should be no understanding or sympathy with UNJUST acts, no matter WHO does it where. Period. The Muslim community can't seem to grasp this, because.. the killers share their identity.. muslim.

I really think the problem lies within Islam itself. There are elements within this imperfectly worded creed that is enabling these oppressed victims to channel their anger through, justify injustice, and hijack minds and innocent lives. There are elements in this creed that is enabling extreme interpretation by scholars people look up to without question (as the religion itself, in a sense, allows for the fortification of the notion of the imam being the supreme leader and knowing more than the common man, whose words we must absorb and accept without doubt-- I'm sure you have witnessed this). Without this aforementioned medium, or web of "religious justification for terrorism", suicide-bombing, hate-speech, and destruction of innocent lives would be non existant by muslims no matter how oppressed they become, because they would have no way to justify murder, and mobilize thousands into their web of terrorism under the context of it being justified (and western media would not have as much ammunition to fire). If religious scholars absolutely forbade extreme interpretations, do you think suicide bombing of innocent civilians would exist? Extremist Islam has existed far before the onset of contemporary israeli warfare... it has not been a sole product of zionist "oppression". If this was true, why would a young man raised in London and never subject to oppression, who always had food, clothing, and loving parents, who once became exposed to islam and heard some imams speak, developed a desire to kill innocent people for "jihad's sake"? Recent UK car bombings were done by two british-trained physicians with comfortable lives, what drove them to injustice? Oppression?

Millions of people get exploited and oppressed.. do they all become suicide bombers and kill random people on the street, inlcuding women and children? Hmm.. what do you think?

Lastly, I don't think it matters to say whether these muslims are at fault or not, it's not for me or you to decide and judge.. the reality is that they are currently engaging in ridiculous behavior that goes against all views of morality.. and this is invoking zionist response that is making even the good muslims look bad. To ameliorate the latter, getting rid of the former should be made the ultimate priority of all muslim activists and those that are truly "awakened".

-mj