WHYS on TV: America and Islam

The construction worker made an important point at the end of that clip: we hear few objections to the radical reaction of the Muslim world to one man who plans to burn Korans and yet we are continually urged by the politically-correct, lefty crew of the West, not to judge all Muslims by the actions of a few.

So let's get this straight: it's fine if Muslims judge all Americans by the actions of one man who wants to burn Korans, but it's a terrible crime if Americans judge all Muslims by the actions of Muslim terrorists.

It's about time we in the West stopped tiptoeing around these issues and started to tell it like it is.

One would hope that someone who was brought up in a free society and easy access to information and freedom to express himself would have the brains to see that inflaming hatred just for the sake of inflaming hatred is pointless. I can excuse someone who was born in a mud hit with no electricity and no access to books being intolerant and ignorant of U.S. constitutional law. Were you born in a mud hut, TrueToo? Are there no libraries available to you?

Islam seems to collide with our relatively liberal perspectives in the Western world. And the more hard-pressed Moslems are to display the liberal lighter side of the Koran, the more hard-line they get.

New Yorkers are offended by a Mosque near "ground zero" but are okay about the presence of porn shops "because they didn't kill my brother" (not my brother, just quoting a BBC News report). Yet Sharia Law allows for giving an Iranian woman 99 lashes for adultery. For adultery!!

Even here in a library in a shopping mall in Louisville just north of the so-called Bible Belt, I have checked out both "The Holy Koran" and "Satanic Verses." (There's even a picture of Salman Rushdie in the dictionary I'm using.) We Westerners want the right to consider ALL views, and not the ones that only Islam sanctions. That's a tyranny of the mind. And that scares us. It scares us to death.

Samuel Johnson once said that "Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels." If he were alive today he might substitute "Piety" for "Patriotism."

I have to say, the construction worker and the filmmaker were the two voices of reason on your show. And thank goodness that one of them is Moslem.

There is a similarity between the book burning threat and the mosque/cultural center building threat. They are both overt, in-your-face attempts to stir the pot, by extremists on the two sides. Except you don't see any threats of repercussions, from cities around the world, if this mosque/cultural center project goes through.

The biggest turn-off in all of this is the threats of retaliation. These people should be threatening retaliation in the cases of public lashings and stonings to death, instead of wasting time with trivial nonsense from a congregation of 50 people in the deep south of the US. And please, "it's not trivial to them" doesn't cut it. If a book burning is not trivial, compared to lashings, stonings, and acid in the face of school girls, with people standing by idly watching, there's something seriously out of kilter.

I would like to see an unequivocal and broad-based reaction against the these barbaric practices, from within the Moslem community, as we have seen against child abuse and pedophilia from the ranks of Catholics around the world.

i keep hearing the so called experts you have on there use the same word over and over again.Islamicphobia..I keeep hearing your experts say this about the US again and again.Lets get past the the PC bs..the US has few problems,and i say few because no one gets along all the time,with muslims..what we have a issue with is Islamist.Most amercans work,live and get along with muslims on a daily basis.Ya,there are a few rought spots,but then when is there not.Where the rub is when you have someone saying it has to be all thier way because this is what thier religion says..in Europe you gave in..look what it has gotten you..nothing good.. look at paris..look at the Dutch..in the US ..we will not give in..we will not tell a woman she is less than a person..nor should anyone...look i know having lived in Europe for a few years ,you think different..but the one thing that always sticks out in my mind is this..Chamberlain and Churchill..Chamberlain did all he could to appease,to the point of giving away a country,and where did it get you...Churhill refused to and help start the end of one of the greatest theats the world has ever known.I hate to said it ,but i see history repeating its self.Right now i see Europe going the appeasement route again,and just like last time,calling all who disagree,i belive the words were,backwards and scared of nothing..( the word you use now is Islamicphodia)..sorry but know this time there something to fear..look at every other counrty that has tried to appease the Islamist,has it ever been good?? I am sorry that most left-wingers and hyde park types just don't get this.

An intolerant mini-sect way down in Florida surely brought the US to a boiling point. WHY? 2 possible reasons:

- A wish to except criticizing/insulting religion(s) from freedom of expression.
- Not insulting/provoking mighty authoritarian forces higher priority than defending freedom of expression - cf looking the other way when Russia and China violate human rights.

In Afghanistan, Iran, SaudiArabia & CO burning bibles is OK whereas burning korans is a capital crime. In Western democratic societies burning bibles, korans, flags and ......, ..... should be (legal) examples of freedom of expression - full stop!

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I do not know why President Obama referred to sacred texts,as far as I know there are no sacred texts on this planet,or in any book.One of the Muslim speakers referred to democracy.Could someone point out to him that the Koran does not support democracy,neither does any Islamic run country. If Islam is so,so accommodating, why don't they move their mosque some where else that is not so sensitive,America is a big place.

The culture of Islam and the American culture is too far apart, quite opposite. Whilst America can accept Islam, Islam just has no room in their teachings to accept the American way of life. Is like comparing 'chalk to cheese'.

Mohammad said that followers of Islam could lie to obtain their ultimate goal to spread their faith, religion, and beliefs amongst us; the progressive advance of the Muslim State is in full swing. Only those who are blind to it’s real objective will deny that this demographical change to our western society is actually occurring.

The building of a Mosque so close to the 9-11 site is unacceptable and without thought or appreciation for those who suffered and still do suffer. No true American would allow this build to happen the time & the place is all wrong.

Those of you who stand back and watch this building rise from the ashes of the Twin Towers should be ashamed of yourselves, freedom is not a right it is a privilege otherwise all of our prisons would be empty would they not?

Islamic society has not earned our trust, they have not shown remorse for their actions nor do they plan a future with us, read the Koran read Mohammad’s writings it’s all there in black and white.

I fail to see how America can allow this build to happen. 60 years ago the Black Man had no place amongst you and was persecuted, now he fights by your side and proudly wears your uniform.

Islam does not forgive it will never be apart of America until it is America itself?

irene in texas,

the point is that the muslims expect us to be tolerant of their intolerable behavior and we have to adjust to their demands of this and that. this is a technique of concouring a country, by persistantly adjusting to their demands and their intolerance we are being subverted and it is expexted we always give in. the classic example was 9/11. the radicals did not expect that we retaliate with the invasion of afghanistan. they expected a couple of cruise missiles and a sternly worded letter and a couple of meaningless sanctions.

while i think burning the koran is dispicable, he has the constitutional right to do so. This is the hugh difference between religiouse states and democratic states. We have the right to feedom of speech, even when the speech offends. nobody has to take part or watch him burn korans. the same way i think it is a catastrophic descision to build the muslimic center near the twin tower site, BUT he has the freedom to do so as long as he complies with zoning etc regulations and has the funding. That is why it is called FREEDOM OF XYZ, that is why our country is BETTER than religion or dictactorial base countries. people are allowed to have an opinion and express their opinion without fear.