SOME ON THE LEFT AWAKEN

Previously, admiring myself as a left wing, tolerant liberal, into Buddhism and yoga and all things "peace and love", I thought that America and Britain were causing a lot of the extremism with its violence towards others. I marched against the war, and thought Bush was a tw*t and Blair a liar.

Then, I met a girl from a (non-practising) moderate Muslim family. I decided to do a bit of research into Islam, I thought it would be helpful and open-minded of me.

Well, the more I learnt about Islam, the more I was felt sick and disgusted. There is a strong vein of intolerance running through this mythos, a clinging to the belief that every word in the Koran is correct and that none of it has been corrupted or is wrong, and certainly not to be questioned. Moderate Muslims, either through fear or ignorance, will trot out the line of "Islam is peaceful" while failing to scrutinize a dogma that helps violent people justify their violence. Islam needs reformation, and the moderates need to be the ones who start it.

So, now I am of the same mind as the writer (Hassan Butt), but having come from two different directions. I still think that "our" part in violence will only bring violence, just as if I hit someone they are likely to hit me back. But if they follow a system that countenances violence—and the system's rules against it are slack (and they are)—then it's even more likely they'll hit me, perhaps even if I don't hit them.

Let's move to end the violence, from ALL factions. I still think Bush is a tw*t and Blair is a liar, only now I know that Islam isn't really about peace and love, it's about superiority and intolerance. The whingeing about victimization is nothing but a lament for lack of power to impose this will to superiority.

A powerful, astute piece and I applaud the writer's courage.

Just sign me,

Yogaboy