Ockham
There's lots of reasons. First, they are being targeted as a religion that harbors extremists who kill tens of thousands of people every year.
Yes, they are spreading terror and th moderates know that. It is the moderates in Iraq who are the targets of Islamic terrorists and that holds true in other areas as well. I've read that the murders of those passengers on 7/7 were deliberately set in a specific area to intimidate Muslims as well as the general British people.
I don't know the source but I remember hearing 40K so far this year world wide. Second, people who defend muslims constantly compare the # of extremists to the 1.5 billion muslims world wide in order to prove extremists are insignificant. Not to the 40K (or whatever number) who were killed... Third, it's the right thing to do to denounce and expose these killers who give Islam not only a bad name, but kill in their religions name. If Muslims get so mad about a cartoon, I would think they'd be besides themselves with rage over the 40K deaths --- but its the direct opposite. I mean I can go on... but asking why should they? Really?
Sure. You'll see how an earlier poster used that figure to downplay the number of deaths caused by Muslims. He should have actually used the number of Muslims in a particular country who committed or attempted terrorist acts rather than the world population. But that's the way they want to present their arguments, though it's not clear why.
Then that tells me that this isn't just 0.0001% and that by OMISSION, Muslim are content to allow extremists to murder and kill innocent people. If what you say is true, then that's guilt by complacency in my view.
But they are no more complacent than those living in the democracies. Here's a column that covers that rather well.
SteynOnline - STOUT-HEARTED MEN?
I'm sorry to keep using these numbers but they're convenient ... so out of 1,000,000 Muslims --- 0.0001% is 10 extremists. The cowardice or fear - whichever is misplaced. Take 1% of the 1,000,000 Muslims which is 1,000 and go after the 10 extremists with the help of authorities - hunt them down, kill or capture them and identify that such behavior is not acceptable is Islam any longer. Sure it will take decades, but it's required. Sitting back and doing nothing when you know the terrorists are down the street making bombs is just as bad as helping them carry out their plans. I don't get it - maybe it's cultural or maybe ... just maybe we have it wrong. Maybe the complacency isn't out of fear, maybe it's deliberate.
I think, after all this time waiting for these 'moderates' to speak out that the odds are we have it wrong. In fact we have gone so far as to ignore the words of the Islamic religious and political leaders themselves, who have declared war on the west. Osama famously said that people will follow the stronger horse and, if all the hand wringing we see on here is any indication, that is not us.
No, we're asking Muslims to help us do the job we are ALREADY doing.
Our military is doing one job overseas while much of our media, courts and politicians, are doing quite another. It is a battle the military can win but this is not altogether a military war. It is cultural as well.
And we are already denouncing those things but those issues are secondary or further down the list. We cannot help those who will not help themselves. If Muslim country's would show they will not stand for these bombings, these murders, the subjugation and fear tactics any longer --- it would be Islam who would benefit in the long run and the West who would benefit in the short term.
But then you would be talking of a watered down kind of Islam, and not the kind the Islamic leaders are preferring, and fighting for.
Lumping in every other issue including Palestine/Israel, and social / cultural issues of the Middle East isn't and shouldn't be the focus. It should first be: Reject, denounce and help identify the extremists and bring Islam into the modern world. Keep the ideals of Islam, keep the traditions and keep the cultures alive but reject the slaughter of innocents by fanatics who have hijacked Islam.
That's right, but the West is not setting the agenda. We're too fearful of negative response, both from the political left and from the Islamists as well.
Until that happens - nothing will change and your kids, and your kids kids will be facing the same issue we are facing now.
Exactly. We have to defend the democratic freedoms and principles we have fought for over the centuries and I'm not sure we have the stomach for it, at least not on the home front.