Damn.
Your point is well founded. Islam is usually referred to as a Religion, but it is NOT Religion per se. It is a Theocratic Ideology, a System of Governance under Religious Principles. The Quran provides rigid guidance for every aspect of Muslim life. It is intolerant toward other cultures and religions. Enlightened Muslims of our times are wonderful people. My experience with them is limited to those in the fields of medicine, engineering and technology. They are able to reconcile and ignore the impossibly harsh rules in the Quran to live and interact with those outside their belief system; however, this reasonable concession allowing peaceful coexistence with others marks them as Heretical or Apostate among Muslim Fundamentalists. This conflict renders them silent and non critical of the violent actions of their zealous brethren perhaps in realization of the vengeance that may be brought down on them if they attract attention. So, this dichotomy among Muslims coupled with the impossibility of knowing the hidden intentions or true thoughts of any person can understandably leave thinking people (those not willing to blindly surrender their lives, the safety of their families, friends, communities and the Nation to a naive faith in the goodness of all humanity) outside Islam with a sense of caution and suspicion when in their presence. Communication and familiarization with Muslim communities are impeded by barriers in language, culture and dress, and these differences become aggravated when Muslim Communities enclave themselves in cities and towns. Many cultures have successfully merged into our society but the those of Muslim belief are proving more difficult as they stalwartly resist changing themselves while demanding that our Westernized culture change to accept them even to the extreme of wanting approval of their non secular Sharia Law. It’s a big pill to swallow. Politicians and Social Engineers act on the belief that simply legislating and enforcing laws enforcing tolerance and penalizing prejudice is all that is needed; but this only pushes suspicion and prejudice into the darkness, it does not just disappear. Assimilation of Muslim culture will take time and effort of all parties. A good, open minded and just Muslim is (to me) another good man and a neighbor. It is strange that with all the political, academic and Media emphasis demanding our citizens trust and embrace the Muslim community, there seems an equal effort trying to create distrust between our fellow citizens. Hmmmm.
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