“In fact the countries that contain the largest numbers of Muslims — Turkey (70 million), Indonesia (240 million), Bangladesh (114 million) and India (121 million) — are all liberal minded and democratic. All have populations that overwhelmingly reject the terrorist jihad. All prefer their women uncovered. All find the rigidity of belief as exhibited in some of the Middle East as both archaic and uninformed theologically. For them it is the ballot not the bullet that counts.”
One could ask then if the issue is only with Middle Eastern Muslims or if the problems exist throughout Islam. I maintain that this is a problem that faces all of Islam. I am hopeful that what we see here will be promoted elsewhere in the Muslim world, but that promotion is not enough.
The reality is that there are still multiple issues that come from places outside of the ME, including the Phillipines and Chechnya.
Still, there is reason to believe that there is a real opportunity for change and more progressive thought and behavior.
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