by Sabrine Elk

Created on: July 04, 2007

For years now, I've had a headache. A headache both in the literal and metaphorical sense. For the last 6 years, Ive been told by my auburn-haired, arrogant anchorwoman that Islamic extremism is expressed in the bombs which seem to go off daily in Iraq, in Palestine and other countries I cant think to name at the moment. Ok, I say to myself. Accept what she tells you , for of course, the media surely is the be all and end all of knowledge. But then, lo and behold, Larry Clifton comes along and tells me that Islamic extremism is not this at all. Apparently, Islamic extremism is the fatwa some ayotallah issued yonks ago about some half-witted writer who's imagination is somewhat lacking in the originality stakes.And of course, Larry then reminds us that the Quran supposedly permits wife beating.

Why thank you, Larry, for your insightful and obviosuly researched perspective. Too bad, you didn't realise the verse has been wilfully mistranslated. Too bad you dont understand the roots of extremism nor have the open-mindedness to see that maybe, just maybe, the bombs exploding daily in so many places all over the world has more to do with retaliation than fatwa-issuing.

I want readers to imagine this. Your family has just been shot in front of you. Your sister has been raped. Your father humiliated before being murdered. How would you feel? Anger? Hurt? Confusion?

Now imagine the thousands and thousands of young children in Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan and countless other Muslim countries ravaged by war and oppression at the hands of certain Western nations I need not name. Day in and day out, they are forced to witness this before their very eyes. They are left with no family, no food, no shelter. Hunger breeds desperation. Poverty breeds despondance. Oppression breeds anger.

So yes. People in Muslim countries are angry. Yes, they find a way to channel this anger. While it is not correct nor right to kill one person for another, their extremism is bred not out of a desire to follow a fatwa nor sheikh, but to retaliate against injustice. It's not Islam that's breeding this anger and hatred. It's injustice. It's oppression.

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, that's true. And there is no excuse to kill an innocent person. But dont be so naive and narrow minded to think Islam is to blame. If you want someone to blame, I suggest you look closer to home.

I believe he lives in a white house.

Learn more about this author, Sabrine Elk.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.