Events of the last few weeks have once again thrown into sharp relief why numerous commentators across the political divide, ideologies & cultures worry greatly about Islam. Some do not just worry; they fear.
They worry about and fear an ideology that apparently condones killing of “followers” who may have second thoughts[i]; they fear an ideology which justifies war and violence against the “infidels” and enemies as long as it is for a “just” cause[ii]. They fear an ideology that shows no qualms in killing and maiming fellow believers simply because …

Sadanand Dhume explains it well. A brief excerpt below (emphasis added):
Simply put, the notion that the radical Hindu threat to India is comparable to that posed by radical Islam is ludicrous. First there’s the question of scale. Alleged Hindu terrorists—not one of whom has been convicted—are accused of bomb blasts in 2007 and 2008 in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra that killed 17 people. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, the toll in India from about two dozen radical Islamic terrorist attacks since …

Some of you may have already read this post from Atanu which he published in early Feb ’10. In this deeply thought-provoking and remarkably forthright post, Atanu explained his views on Islam (strong) and discussed related issues including that of Islamic terrorism. He has been kind enough to allow me to post excerpts on my blog (added emphasis is mine). Without further ado,
*** Excerpts from The Distinction between People and Ideologies by Atanu Dey ***

…my claims that Islam brainwashes people to become terrorists and suicide killers is supported by …

This is a “lazy” post – essentially a compilation of excerpts from articles related to radical Islam, “Islamism” and “Jihadism”. They make for worrying reading. Comments and thoughts welcome (emphasis mine, throughout).
First, excerpts from Radical Islam: An Introductory Primer by Barry Rubin (emphas.
…A young American named Ramy Zamzam, arrested in Pakistan for trying to fight alongside the Taliban, responded in an interview with the Associated Press: “We are not terrorists. We are jihadists, and jihad is not terrorism.”
What he says is well worth bearing in mind in order to understand …

Excerpts from Understanding the jihadis, by way of Sun Tzu by Sebastian Gorka (emphasis mine)
*** Excerpts Begin ***
…Sun Tzu advised us that if we wish to guarantee victory, we must know two things: who we are and who the enemy is.
In regard to the Taliban and al-Qaeda, the latter question is mudded by the scores of talking heads and self-appointed military experts who have swarmed the North American media since 9/11. Far too many bandy about the terms Taliban and al-Qaeda with abandon, never taking a moment to define what …

I somehow missed this article from Fareed Zakaria (it was published more than two months ago). I believe this needs to be discussed and debated thoroughly. Below are some excerpts from “Learning to Live With Radical Islam” by Fareed Zakaria (Newsweek, Mar 9, ’09). The subtitle is interesting: “We don’t have to accept the stoning of criminals. But it’s time to stop treating all Islamists as potential terrorists.”
*** Excerpts “Learning to Live With Radical Islam“ by Fareed Zakaria ***
…The militants are bad people and this is bad news. But the …

*** CAUTION: Long Post ***
Over the last few days, as news continued to pour in about Taliban’s seemingly unstoppable march across north-west Pakistan, the question that would not go away in my mind was: Why is this not on the national agenda?
Is the Indian media really clueless? is it really so naive that it does not realise the gravity of the situation? or was this simply something that could be dismissed with a “Yeh to hota hi rahta hai” (and/or its variant: “Kuch nayee baat batao yaar“) ?
And yet, the happenings in Pakistan are not only much …

Excerpts from an eye-opening report in The Dawn (emphasis mine) 
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Taliban will not lay down their arms in a northwestern valley as part of a deal that included the introduction of sharia law but will take their ‘struggle’ to new areas, a militant spokesman said on Wednesday.
President Asif Ali Zardari, under pressure from conservatives, signed a regulation on Monday imposing sharia law in the Swat valley to end Taliban violence.
The strategy of appeasement has alarmed US officials, while critics say the government has demonstrated a lack of capacity and will to …

Two news-reports from Friday, one heartening and one depressing. Read on:
From “Muslims see Pak army role in attacks” (The Telegraph):
Nearly 19 of 20 Indian Muslims believe what the Prime Minister said this week — that some official agencies in Pakistan were involved in the Mumbai attacks.
A survey has shown that 94 per cent Muslims believe that the Pakistan military and the ISI are hand in glove with the Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed who, they say, plotted the carnage.
The same percentage trashed suggestions that the November attacks were “revenge for the Gujarat …

Thanks to Krishen-ji for alerting me to this interview of Bill Warner, Director, Center for the Study of Political Islam (CSPI).  CSPI is devoted to the scientific study of the foundational texts of Islam, including the Koran and Hadith.
Its approach is unusual in that it relies on statistics to study the doctrines (e.g. see the discussion about “Jihad” below) and considers the Koran alongside the Sira and Hadiths as part of the Islamic Trilogy. Although published more than a year ago, large parts of it are still very relevant.
Excerpts:
…Our major intellectual breakthrough is to see that dualism …