what is the deal with these terrorists?

While logging onto this site this evening, I happened to glance at the news on Netscape, and was aboslutely horrified to see that the “terrorists” gruesomely killed another American, and taped it for all to watch. Heartbreaking, heartbreaking, heartbreaking! I can’t imagine having such a dark soul to want to do that to another human being. I’m so disgusted. I can really lose sleep over this kind of stuff. It just boggles the mind how these “people” ( I use the term lightly) can justify doing such a thing to an innocent person. Sigh. 6 million years of evolution, and here we still are. Regards, Siobhan

These people, like many others in the past, have the wrong idea that they somehow have a direct link to whatever their concept of “god” happens to be. That’s why I’m a deist (belief in a higher being ONLY; no religion). I don’t pretend to try and think about what a higher being might think. As the wife of a Muslim also, I can tell you that these terrorists are not even following the basic tenants of their religion. However, I can also tell you that many American Muslims (NOT my husband!!!) secretly view the intense focus on them as a further chance to convert Americans to Islam, by pointing out what “true Islam” is, and blame the US’s support of Israel for this, and most violence against Americans. It scares my family to death, as the town (Luton) where I’ll be going to med school in England has been the site of several radical Islamic groups and terror-related arrests.
Kathy

I totally agree Kathy.
The time I spent living in Bahrain, wow, nearly 7 years ago, I was so blown away at the beauty and grace with which the majority of the population held. Women sent me boxes of dishes and stuff we needed to set up house, without knowing me, yet fully aware I was an “American” and all that might conjure. When I went to events I gladly covered, for the 80 year old women who’s world and traditions I was living in, not because anyone asked me or expected me to. There were a handful of men who scared me and fortunately they were offensive to others and did not stay at social (mixed company even) events long. I remember the father of two teenage girls throwing me his keys to his car and asking me, in broken english, to puhleeze take his daughters out for some freedom. They were over from Saudi visiting for the weekend and the girls were driving him nuts wanting to do this or that and he did not have a clue but wanted them to have fun being out from under the watchful eyes of the moral police. So I did, we hopped in the car, they uncovered, jammed to music, we went shopping, I learned a tiny bit of bellydancing, we played on the beach - an excellent girls day out!
I realize my experiences may be unusual but it kills me to see the stereotyping… and then I look at my daughter, big beautiful brown eyes and exotic features, that if you are familiar with the culture you could see the proud Arabic blood in her, not the hate that the terrorists portray - that’s something she sees from many American eyes when/if they learn of her origin. They see a budding terrorist. I see a future self-proclaimed animation artist, mother, wife and friend. I see a girl who is good to her mom, tries to do the right thing, loves Spongebob Squarepants, and yes, still dreams of reaching for the stars - freedom not in question (yet). I am convinced that many of our service folks know the difference between those they protect and those they fight, even if the population at large does not.