I also believe many Europeans are gripped by a growing fear of both the spread of Islam and of growing number of Arabs. Demography shows that the influx of the Arab culture is leaving a noticible impact in Europe and can change the notion of cultures in Europe as we once knewit. Is this wrong, I do not know? What will happen if one day Islam will become the dominant religion? Will there be the same amount of freedom of expression that we have now in spite of its flaws?

I disagree about the reaction to these cartoons because it spurred more hatred and racism. Violence should be never used as a solution

I am pleased that you felt my sentiments on various subjects related to your country and culture were with merit. It is good to communicate with others from around the world. Invariably, we are all biased to some extent toward our country or culture. Both of us were able to step back and criticize our own countries for the injustices that are occasionally practiced and continue to this day. No country is perfect and humans are fallible. You raise many good questions. Why do governments continue in the same paths that have proven unsuccessful? Violence has never been the answer and yet we persist. We must elect leaders that are righteous and vote them out if they prove otherwise. The problem is perspective. I might think our president is unjust while another American believes he is set in the right course. I wonder what the most high thinks of the mess humans have created. Will he step in soon or let it go on until we fix it ourselves. Sadly, the mentality of the few (those in power) affect the masses. God help us all.

I am of Palestinian decent, and am ashamed of the acts being committed by the extremist side. Although it hearts me to here of the deaths of Palestinian children by IDF I can not understand how mothers allow their children to strap bombs on their bodies and blowup other innocent human beings and actualy think that they are going to be rewarded in in the afterlife. (isn’t it a sin to kill your self, or unarmed people anyway?)

I have heard and can somewhat understand that when people are desperate they can be driven to do many things, but for the past 30 years I have seen or heard of people dying on both sides of this conflict and except for a short time in 1994-1995 both people have acted in the same manor …..” I kill one of you and distroy a home and you retaliate by killing another one of us” … never really achieving anything except to bread more hatered… it just makes me wonder are they ever going to learn that continuing on this path will never achieve peace to either side? I wonder if one day some leader would arise and say “hey why don’t we try a new approach? lets attempt to coexist”..

But instead we end up with a Sharon and Hamas governments, who are bent on distroying one another….I say enough is enough.

As for the cartoons I think people should just let it go… I am sure the whole world has heard the reaction and the point has been made so at this point why are people still protesting and burning flags is beyond me…

After all they are still published on this website and probably a hundred other muslim publications, and no one has made a fuss about that so let us be realistic …this is not about dumb cartoons it is about extremist politics and personal agendas.

Hope you all have a peacfull day.

I think that you made many worthy points regarding the suicide bomber and the oppression Palestinians have suffered for the past 35 years. You seem to have thought things out fairly well. However, I disagree in principle on several points. Yes, I am a westerner from the U.S. of Mexican decent. That, however, should not preclude me from giving an unbiased opinion since I don’t vote and certainly avoid politics. I can see things for what they are. We are not brainwashed here by our newspapers. The truth always comes out one way or another because of freedom of the press. Blaming the Israelis for your suicide bomber mentality is weak. I understand that it has become an effective way of fighting back. However, you allow children to strap bombs on to fight and kill innocent people. You might say that Israelis kill innocent people first therefore you retaliate. That makes you the same then and you have no argument. When you revenge someone you set yourself below him but when you forgive, you set yourself above him. Those are principles that I wish all humans from all countries would adopt. We seem to believe that violence is the answer and so we celebrate in the streets when others die. To make things worse, your government and ideology makes ridiculous promises that suicide bombers will get X amount of virgins. That is a joke. No, I am not poking fun or degrading your religion or culture. Just pointing out from my perspective how unrighteous many of your beliefs are. We American are not without stain. Yes, we have bombed the Japanese to end the war and currently detain prisoners of war or terrorists as we call them in Cuba. Our philosophy sometimes is hypocritical indeed. However, we have the declaration of independence and other documents that are a general guide to keep us in check. Sometimes we do act in a misguided way but allow for oppositon and dialogue to correct those injustices. There is currently a lot of backlash againt Guantanamo in our country and against the war in Iraq. The new Palestinian government will not even recognize Israels right to exist. Hamas has a goal to destroy Israel. A government formed with these nefarious goals is bound to fail because it is unjust and unrighteous. The world is turning more and more against you. You, like Iran, are isolating yourselves. Why can’t the Palestinians continue to work for peace with the Israelis? Why has your new government decided to ignore past deals with the Israelis? Hamas will fail until a more clearly thinking government is put in place. I wish for Palestinians to have success but only if it is righteous, rational and without random violence. You, R, seem to be clearly thinking things out but as I pointed out earlier, blaming will not cut it. We all have to take responsibility for our chosen reactions to others and circumstances. I someone insult me I have choices to make regarding my reaction. I can choose to respond as my enemy, ignore him or teach him that he cannot defeat me with mere words. The caricatures that have inflamed the Muslim world is a prime example. Radicals act unreasonably and make fools of themselves when they burn flags and rant like troglodites on the streets. Remember, he who angers you conquers you. Peace to all and goodwill.