Atticus   

I have to agree with Sector 7-G: I’m tired of moral equivalence and tiptoeing around to make sure we don’t hurt someone else’s supposed fragile feelings.

From sports message boards to gay blogs, this week I once again stumbled across comments from people online arguing that fundamentalist Christians are exactly the same as fundamentalist Muslims and scolding others for insensitive comments about Islam.

Humor me as I make some comparisons:

• The Da Vinci Code and The Last Temptation of Christ: Many fundamentalist Christians complained, picketed and boycotted.
• The Satanic Verses and Danish cartoons depicting Muhammed: $3-million bounty placed on Salman Rushdie’s head by leader of Iran; scores of Muslims worldwide riot, burn buildings and inflict violence.

• Gays in America: Fundamentalist Christians, who consider homosexuality a sin, try to get the FMA passed and urge churchgoers to boycott certain companies; family of Kansas kooks picket funerals and incur wrath of American public; society at large continues greater acceptance of gays and lesbians and bids sad farewell to longrunning gay sitcom Will & Grace.
• Gays in Muslim society: Fundamentalist Muslims consider homosexuality a sin — punishable by death with public hangings, torture, etc.

• Women in America: Feuding over abortion rights; some pinning hopes of electing first female president on Hillary Clinton.
• Women in most Muslim countries: Struggling to no longer be treated as property; sometimes killed by members of own family for getting raped or having premarital sex.

• America bombs “Christian” Serbs in an effort to protect (it can’t be!) Muslims
• Scores of Muslim leaders say America has declared a “war on Islam”

• Illegal immigrants in America: Nation divided over how to deal with people pouring in, searching for prosperity
• Illegal immigrants in Muslim countries: Huh? Is anyone actually sneaking into Yemen in hopes of a better life?

• Freedom of religion to most fundamentalist Christians: People can believe whatever they want, but they’re going to hell if they don’t agree with our ideology.
• Freedom of religion to most fundamentalist Muslims: Submit to Allah or die — you’re free to choose.

• Fundamentalist Christians’ influence on U.S. government: Robert Mapplethorpe’s “Piss Christ” leads to review of government-funded arts programs; religious groups can apply for government funds for charitable efforts; fines increased for alleged obscenity on TV; some local/state governments put “warning” stickers on science textbooks; etc.
• Fundamental Muslims’ influence on Iranian government: state-sanctioned killings and punishment for breaking parts of sharia law; pursuit of nuclear weapons to wipe Israel from the map; the whole idea of freedom pretty much doesn’t exist.

I know, I know: Christianity has been guilty of its share of oppression and violence in the past. But I’m talking about the 21st century, not the 12th. The predominant religion of the West has evolved over time. I’ve yet to see evidence that Islam has.

I certainly don’t think all Muslims are terrorists, but it seems like a sizable swath of Americans are much more concerned about offending someone else with words than they are about combating people who want to place the world under the rule of sharia law.

As I was telling a couple of friends of mine in the past week, there’s the perception (whether it’s true or not) that the Democratic Party leadership and most of its faithful voting block don’t believe that Muslim extremism is truly a serious threat to the West, and, instead, consider much of these violent actions as nothing more than a reaction to whatever oppression America has allegedly inflicted on the Middle East. This notion of Democratic indifference to extremism will linger in the minds of many American voters until they see evidence to the contrary.

And that’s unfortunate. Though I’m mostly conservative/libertarian in my political leanings, I want a strong Democratic Party. I believe America is a country of moderates and functions best when we find the middle ground among us in public policy.

So even if you have liberal or socialist leanings, find satisfaction in today’s news of al-Zarqawi’s death. It doesn’t mean you’re a Toby Keith-lovin’, Tom DeLay-supportin’, anti-U.N. redneck if you do. It means you love the life you’ve been able to carve out for yourself in Western society and you don’t intend for anyone to take it from you.