Pew Poll - Suicide bombers

WASHINGTON – One in four younger U.S. Muslims said in a poll that suicide bombings to defend their religion are acceptable at least in some circumstances, though most Muslim Americans overwhelmingly reject the tactic and are critical of Islamic extremism and al-Qaeda.

I am hopeful there is a fair amount of bravado in the results,but given the planned attacks on Fort Dix and the attacks in England and Scotland by native Muslims, I must admit that I just don't know.

The issue sweeps across religious lines and cultural lines. I think assimilation is hampered by several key issues.

In the past the immigrants had no effective means of keeping in touch with friends and families in the old country. Mail was slow and uncertain and telephone was expensive. Now we have the Internet and very cheap voice communications.

There wasn't a lot of "culture" from the old country. Sure there would be a local newspaper in the native tongue and the "church." But now we have multiple newspapers, radio stations and TV networks.

There was no bi-lingual education. The student was taught in English and pushed by society to speak/write English. To not do so was unacceptable and looked down on.
Now we have bi-lingual education and the norm has become that we must be bi-lingual.
That may be a good thing where there is no push to assimilate a smaller group into a larger, but it sends the wrong message when the goal is assimilation.

The "churches" pushed religion, and not politics. That is no longer true. See the Rev Wright and Farrakhan for two of the less, BION radical examples. See the statements made by many Islamic Imams for more drastic examples.

So we have an existing culture that does not seek to dominate the new arrivals. That is a formula for creating a group of people who are ambivalent about who they should support, and who are ripe to be controlled by installing a false sense of shame in their good fortune and demands they react to perceived attacks on their "real" religion and culture.

To further complicate the issue, Islam has a very rigid set of laws, Sharia laws, that are entwined and part of the belief system.

Islam does not have a "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's" directive or component.

Because of this, at some point, Islam will have to reform and totally accept secular law, or it will need to be looked as a political program instead of a religion. To do otherwise will further impress many that western civilization is weak.

Power abhors weakness and will always rush into take its place.