Click here to read Part 1

Introduction

We begin with Glen Beck, who is known for radical views against Muslims and Islam.  He uses his CNN show as a platform to invite Islamophobes, bash Islam, and build his ratings by stirring up drama, hate, and misconceptions.  He puts on the face "I'm just a clown, I'm not part of this, I'm so innocent), yet he is the media force to give legitimacy to illegitimate hoax - Florida conference is yet another one.  It seems everyone is there to speak about Islam, except the Muslims themselves. 

Here is a video clip of a known Islamophobe woman declaring herself as the click here - "New Prophet of Islam", celebrated by the media and many Islamophobes.  Would you like to know about WAFA SULTAN this self- appointed new prophet of Islam: Reformist or opportunist? Click here to read her unlikely journey from obscurity to fame, rags to riches.

Watch here Glen Beck who orchestrated this media stunt for ratings, offers "I'm just a clown" introduction.  Glen puts on an Israeli guest pretending to be a Muslim, who offers click here "New Quran".   Wow, now we have a new Quran, and a new prophet!  What a joke Glen.  Indeed you are a clown.   

Psychiatrist examines some of the reasons behind today's hostilities

 By: Dr. Khalid Hasan - Berckley psychiatrist

Psychiatric patients sometimes project their problems on others, rather than take personal responsibility for their own lives. This psychological phenomenon is not isolated to individuals. It also can be found within societies, cultures and religions.

No faith can claim a peaceful history, not Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs or others. In my opinion, God, Allah, Brahma and Yahweh are the same entity but called by different names. It is this Supreme Being that we, as humans in times of adversity, seek for peace and harmony.

Religion itself is not the problem, but various sects use religions for their own nefarious needs. The Muslim world, and particularly Arab society, blames the Western world (and especially the United States) for its troubles. The West has become the recipient of Islamic anger. Muslim resentment grows out of the present administration's policies toward Palestine, the unchecked support of Israel, the recent invasion of Lebanon, and a war in Iraq under false pretext. American policy in the Middle East, and in Iraq in particular, has created a power vacuum in the region. This has exacerbated the present Shia and Sunni conflict and is just one consequence of the U.S. invasion.

All of these factors have, in essence, created a crusade against Islam and phobia toward Muslims in general, who are presumed to be bloodthirsty fundamentalists. The anti-Islamic attitudes in our country have fostered resentment in the Muslim world and have created a self-fulfilling prophecy. American Christians blame Islamic society and in essence try to solve what they believe is "wrong with the Muslim world."

The Muslim world has provided great innovations in all areas of the humanities and science. Islamic society was universally admired until the 14th and 15th centuries. Unfortunately, just as Pope Benedict XVI's comments were taken out of context, the message of Islam has been distorted by fanatics of all faiths. Inaccurately portrayed as a religion spread by force and the sword, early on, Islam grew via peaceful means and by religious men of peace (Sufis, scholars, and preachers).

If force were the method of conversion, then regions under Muslim control for centuries, such as southern Spain and India, would have been wholly converted. On the contrary, the sword of Ferdinand and Isabella converted the Iberian Peninsula to Catholicism. With the expansion of Western colonialism, Muslims were forbidden to openly express their beliefs and culture. Often, they had to adapt to the culture and society of the ruling country. This still occurs in the 21st century.

In time, a minority of Muslims expressed anger at neglect and rejection. Some reverted to ancestral practices of the "glory days" of the 11th and 12th centuries. A small, fanatical faction of one such group, the Wahhabis, has created resentment toward the entire sect. But not all Muslims are similar. Apart from the Koran and the religion's five pillars, there exists a large diversity in culture, language and ideals. There is no cohesiveness in Islam apart from the Koran, but this religious cohesion is stronger than other aspects of society.

In most countries, the Koran is read in its original Arabic. Application and interpretation is seldom provided in local languages, leaving many with little concept of its content. This practice is only recently changing in select locales. In numerous areas, Wahhabi religious schools called madrassas have been established by rich Arab states to promote a strict religious upbringing. This has a profound effect upon poor societies where there is little interaction with those of other religions and where there is little other opportunity. Children taught in this manner are often narrow-minded and are exploited by radicals who extract small portions of the Koran and interpret it in a manner to justify the promotion of violence.

This phenomenon mirrors Christianity eight centuries ago. Only after many years was Christianity (as a whole) able to reach its current state of tolerance and acceptance of the beliefs of others. Outside of the extreme right wing of Christianity, there is a focus upon individuality. In Islam, however, the focus is on society. Because of this, I believe it will take longer for Islam to reach the level of tolerance found among Christians.

Even at this, the majority of Muslims are law-abiding people who want to live in peace and harmony. They want to raise their children with dignity, strive to improve the standard of living through education, and have an overwhelming desire to become productive members of society.

Unfortunately, the majority of Muslims live in countries impoverished in education, finance and politics. Combined with a strong political agenda against the West and the United States, these societal issues have been responsible for the formation of small, fanatical groups willing to sacrifice their own lives for the betterment of their society.

Fanatics are not born. Cultural and environmental factors play a major role in the development of this ideology and the resultant destructive behavior.

In Europe, particularly Great Britain, after World War II, Muslim immigrants were brought in to build the labor force. They were the subservient class relegated to life in the ghetto. Children of these immigrants have faced the problem of becoming yet another minority class of Muslims. Their sense of "otherness" arises from neither being accepted by the Western society where they live nor by orthodox Muslim society. Radicals have used these European Muslims to promote violence, such as killing Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh in Amsterdam in 2004.

Because of their feeling of social, economic, and political disenfranchisement and the abandonment from other Muslims, individuals further portray themselves as different. They wear the traditional head scarf or hijab. This demonstrates to the West: "We are different and you must accept us and not expect us to conform to your society."

I believe radicals use these differences to help boost an individual's pride. By killing Westerners, and especially Americans, these European Muslims increase their self-esteem. They think they are promoting their religious beliefs and that they will gain unsurpassed tranquility in heaven. Unfortunately, such promises are foreign to the Koran and the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him). These actions also create a vicious cycle of Islam phobia which is promoted by Christians and Jews, and hence, Islam is falsely perceived as a bloodthirsty, violent faith which spawns killers.

While this appears to be an overwhelming problem in Europe, the same cannot be said about the United States. Islamic immigrants to the United States are largely professionals who have been tempered by their education. They have more easily assimilated into American society than those in Europe.

Problems are exacerbated in some Muslim societies by the overwhelming lack of education coupled with tolerance of other religions. There is a perception that the West is morally and socially corrupt. Add to this the United States' desire to propagate Western style democracy, and the fire of fear is fueled. The faithful believe that Islam and its tenets are under attack. Even an educated, orthodox Muslim will strongly believe that the Western world is attempting to hurt Islam both religiously and politically. Their perceptions, although false, have, in essence, become reality. These ideas and perceptions are also advanced by imams. In order to remain in control, they promote the evils of Western society.

Another area of concern is that, in Islamic society, there is little or no separation of mosque and state. As it has occurred in the Christian West, it needs to occur in the Islamic sphere of influence. This must occur for Muslims to begin to have tolerance of other religions.

The political silence of Muslims, especially in the West, does not help. On one hand, an American Muslim who speaks against the Iraq war may be characterized as unpatriotic. A strong stand against the violent activity of fanatical Muslims may create a rift among their brothers in the faith. Therefore, silence becomes normal.

Finally, in the Muslim world, the sense of the economic and social superiority of Arab Muslims over other ethnic groups has complicated the issue. We can trace this to 1956 when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser seized political control of the Suez Canal. His Arab nationalist movement has caused more harm than good in the Muslim world. This is further complicated by the fact that the non-Arab world has readily accepted the economic and religious superiority of Arab society. Economic superiority is obvious from the oil-rich Arab regions of the Middle East. Religious superiority is because the Prophet (peace be upon him) was from Arabia and the Koran is written in Arabic. In contrast, the Prophet's (peace be upon him) own final sermon categorically stated that there were no distinctions between Arab and non-Arabs; they are equal. We must remember that, while religion provides an important role in the cohesiveness of a society, other factors play a larger role. These factors include culture, language and education.