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I recently tried to have a discussion of politics with a colleague of mine, a religious conservative, basically asking his assessment of the Bush presidency. Instead of giving me a direct answer, he ranted about the dangers of Jihad, Bill Clinton’s failings, and asked me if I’d ever read the Koran, implying that the Muslim religion was inherently evil, violent, etc… this the perception of many conservative religious zealots, Christian zionists, and ignorant people who have had this ‘clash of civilizations’ rhetoric jammed into their brain by the speechifying of evangelical conservatives. The very creed of fundamentalist religious belief is “my way or the highway” - my god is real, yours is false.

Of course, it is a fact that extremist sects of fundamentalist Islamists can be blamed for a host of atrocities, violence, and violations of human rights. But to demonize 1.8 billion Muslims on this basis is pure ignorance, and this ignorance has been exploited for political purposes in the form of fear. Yes, by any standards, Islamic republics like Saudi Arabia are notorious for their denial of human rights and free speech. This is due to backward thinking Islamists, mullahs, and royal families that have assumed control of government. Putting any religion into government is about the worst possible affliction for a society. Eventually over time, the will of the people will win out. What does the mainstream of Muslim society really want?

A recent survey of Muslim opinion by the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies may give some insight into what Muslims think. Based on tens of thousands of face-to-face interviews over the past six years, views expressed speak clearly that the majority of Muslims view the world through an entirely different lens than the extremists who kill in their name. The majority endorse democracy and support the requisites of liberal governance. Huge majorities say that, if they were designing a constitution, they would guarantee freedom of speech (93 percent in Egypt, 93 percent in Iran, 90 percent in Indonesia). Sizable majorities believe that women should have the same legal rights as men (85 percent in Iran, about 90 percent in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Turkey, and Lebanon, even 61 percent in Saudi Arabia). Further, the survey reveals no correlation between radicalization and religiosity. Both radical and moderate Muslims say that religion plays an important role in their lives. There is no significant difference in rates of mosque attendance between radicals and moderates. So, were the 9/11 hijackers “radical Muslims”? Recall that the 9/11 hijackers enjoyed visits to strip clubs and porn shops. The only telling distinction between radicals and non-radicals relates to their political worldviews: radicals believe passionately that the West means to dominate and exploit them.

This, my friends is not a war against Muslims, it is a war against radicalism that often exploits religion on all sides - gaining nothing but furthering fear, ignorance, division, and making the world much less safe. There is hyperbole in all religion and in the perception of religion. 9/11 has caused the recent exaggeration of the role of religion in politics, or at least the perception of it.

Many positive things have come from religious organizations within government, particularly humanitarian support in the face of disasters. However, it seems to me that more harm than good has come to domestic politics and international relations because of religion (particularly in the Middle East). This is due both to the exploitation of religion, and the extremist perversion of it.

When commenting on the ignorance and failings of Americans and American leadership, the standard conservative response is: “You really hate America.” No, the fact is, what I really hate is ignorance, stupidity, and the influence of religion on politics. That’s what I really hate.