In the spirit of socratic dialogue, I am still compelled to ask. If 99%+ of terrorism, leaving aside the Irish and the British, is Islam, then they commit acts of terrorism...why?
And I'm afraid I don't understand your contention that seeking causes for an action justifies the action. Explaining something is not explaining it away or validating it. You're not actually suggesting that the intent of my post was to excuse their actions or to indicate support for them are you?
And without reading the book you have recommended, I am familiar enough with the history of Islam to know that historically, both Christians and Jews were initially treated respectfully by the Muslims who considered those of all three faiths to be "Children of The Book" since they all drew their basic precepts from the same semitic roots. Such status left the Christians and Jews free from Muslim taxes, no small concession for any government.
For other more historical roots of the animosity between the Muslims and Western Christians (as opposed to Eastern; Byzantine or otherwise) pretty much any decent tome on the Crusades would suffice.
Prior to typing this response however, I did do a little digging and read a few reviews of the book you recommended. Roman Catholic Books publishes it and it is reviewed at Aquinas And More Catholic Goods website. Their review concludes with the phrase, "Your guide into the dark world of Islam".
On the one hand, I am skeptical of the notion of the historical "enemy" of Islam since 1098 creating a genuinely non-biased account no matter how well-intended. On the other, it is an account of a person and a religion that sees any non-christian religion as automatically in league with the devil and any other variation on their interpretation of the christian faith as little better through the sin of apostasy. Hence, I remain skeptical of it's value in substantiating a reason for finding some fundamental flaw in Islam or the behavior of its adherents through the centuries...especially since any close reading of Christian history is no less replete with stories of some of the most monstrous acts Man has ever committed against Man in the name of, of all people, the Prince of Peace. After all, it was Chrisians who showed up in Jerusalem in the first Crusade and since they couldn't tell the Jews from the local Christians let alone who the Muslims were, they simply raped their way through the city and then slaughtered all 44,000 inhabitants with the explanation that "God can sort them out".
Suffice it to say, any account of the Catholic and / or Christian faith generally that set out to show all the bad things done in Christianity's name could easily be reviewed and conclude with "Your guide into the dark world of Christianity".
Again, none of this is written with the intent to justify anything done in the name of violence and hatred. I condemn it all. I wouldn't trust a Christian who told me he had to slaughter babies or other innocents in the name of God any further than I could spit a rat. I hold that standard with respect to any religion.
Tad
Patriotism: Supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it. M. Twain
