Pandering to Muslims...
...this is a subject that I certainly have mixed feelings on... it is sad to me that in 2009, with the myriad of scientific advancement that we have... that we are still needing to pander to entire religious factions. It is nearly as, or possibly just depressing in a different way that, we Americans feel like it is so easy to boil down an entire region of peoples into "Islam" or "Muslim"... what happened to individuality?
It's not like EVERY person in the Middle East (aside from Israel) is Muslim/Islamic... maybe, instead of pandering to Islam or Muslim... we discuss things regionally, or nationally... and talk about human rights more than religious rights. I think that the tone is wrong... we need to frame our ideas differently, because when we pander to such a horribly regressive religion... we primarily serve the purpose of affirming the validity of how they treat women and their methods regarding the punishment of those that they deem "infidels".
An eye for an eye went out with the Persians, in my humble opinion... and it should stay the hell out of the modern world, ferchrissakes! As with most of my posts regarding one religion or another, I of course, know that not all Muslims or Islamic people support the more "extreme" versions of the religion. I will say however, that when the source text of the book that all Muslims/Islamic peoples base their beliefs on, does in fact support the more "extremist" interpretations more so than the "moderate" ones... I view it is as truly unnerving. But maybe I am "just another Fascist"... LOL