HOW much credibility does a show like “Hannity and Colmes” have since it is aired on FOX, a right-wing “hate” machine? They have pre-existing bias but bent towards neo-con fascism hence their recent plot to “destroy” both Clinton and Obama in one stone’s throw by planting a false story about Sen. Obama and blaming it on Sen. Clinton.
And they always interview someone on-the-fringe who already fits FOX’s need, to justify the war in Iraq and other right-wing perverse fantasies. Specially about the lady who left Islam and author of book, “Infidel,” the gist of the interview which aired on Newstalk K-57’s Big Show (Feb. 7), is that Islam is violent and that there has not been a revolution within Islam like “Christianity” has gone through. (When the true gospel of Jesus Christ never had a bloody need to kill.)
First, Shiite-Sunni fighting in Iraq is more about who is going to control Iraq and of course that will fall along religious lines since people tend to trust their own “kind” more.
Second, if Muslims are generally violent because of Islam, can you characterize Hindus the same way? Consider the Tamils who revolutionized women suicide bombings, in their decades-long strife for an independent homeland in Sinhalese, Buddhist majority Sri Lanka. Since Tamils are Hindus, does this mean that Hinduism is also a violent religion?
Third, if you believe that if the United States leaves Iraq, they will follow us here since they want to dominate the world and spend their “gospel,” why didn’t “they” dominate historically that Islam has been around for a long time? The argument that the neo-cons want to make is that Islam has not changed and that it has always been violent. Then it should follow that they should be invading nations, installing imams, issuing fatwahs well before 9/11, before Vietnam, before Korea, before WWII, before WWI.
But “they” haven’t. Why? Because most Muslims are insular. They want to be left alone to pursue their own faith. (Do you see them knocking on your doors? And they will even accept “tracks” from the Gospel) to paint all 1 billion as fanatics would be a victory for the Al-Qaida variant and you will make the tiny minority joyous since that will galvanize more to their side.
What is really scary is George W. Bush and his small band of things using Christianity, using the United States to occupy nations to make money for their friends and provoking Muslims (now, maybe later someone else) to commit more jihad.

MATT PHILIPS
Mangilao, Guam