Lately, I have had a great conversation with a friend who is foreign Muslim studying in the US. He wrote me, asking about how people can think that Islam can be linked to terrorists. I believe him to be honest, but not seeing that connection is strange to me, and here is how I answered his sincere question (the reference to Keith Olbermann is because my friend sent me one of Mr. Olbermann's MSNBC rants, and I felt I should address it to the degree KO deserves...):

Hi, XXX - I welcome your reasonable mind and gentle heart, and would love to speak with you about this issue, as I need your perspective. I know a little, and will be glad to lay out what I have understood about it. Please feel free to correct me if you find I am misled.

You ask how it can be that some people are connecting Islam to terrorism. You have perspective that I do not, as you see Islam from the inside, as one who practices the religion. I think most Americans see it from the outside (that is, they are not Muslims themselves) and so see only what Muslims do and say rather than what they believe. It is a hard fact to get around that 100% of the terrorism in the world is committed by people who claim to be doing it in the name of Allah. Of course it is foolish to reverse this and say that 100% of the Muslims of the world are terrorists, but the distinction between those who are and those who are not is best accomplished through the way real Muslims denounce terrorism (as you have done).

Mr. Olbermann is a poor spokesman for anything reasonable. The problem I have with his approach to most subjects (and this video clip is a good example) is that he likes to leave out large portions of his opponents' arguments, then act as though his opponents are fools (which can be very annoying.) I find this approach foolish, and does little to clarify issues.

The opposition to the Mosque/Community Center is not opposition to Islam, or a sign of not wanting Muslims to be able to worship or own property in the US, or a lack of understanding that we were assisting Muslims in Iraq when we fought a war against Hussein (a few of Mr. Olbermann's arguments). These are what we call "straw man" arguments. There are many mosques in NYC already, so Muslims are not being singled out for abuse. What's more, the opponents of this particular project are not saying that the Imam doesn't have the right to buy and build there. It is a free country - he can do so if he wants to, just like any other American. What opponents are saying is that it feels like disrespect and insensitivity to the very people with whom he says he wants to have "dialogue". It is a poor start to a conversation.

But there are other questions that have been raised about this particular project. Representatives of the project have been asked directly if they renounce terrorism and agree that Hamas is a terrorist organization (as America's government officially states). They are willing to renounce terrorist acts in the abstract, but refuse to renounce Hamas. Also, they have said they are willing to accept donations from Saudi and Iran, two of the world's greatest exporters of terrorism, and supporters of Hamas. Because of this, many have been unwilling to support the plan to build this building.

If it is hard for supporters of the Park51 building to see what respect would look like, I would like to suggest a way. I think that the Imam and his donors, who say that they want to build bridges and dialogue with Americans, should instead offer to donate the money they have raised for the Park51 building to help rebuild the Trade Center Towers. This would show the world (and especially the terrorists in the world) that they are Americans first, that there is NO connection between real Muslims and those who flew the planes, and it would prove to Americans that the money donated is not from terrorists. Does this seem outlandish? How important is it to begin real dialogue and prove that there are no ties between these folks and terrorism? It would also show the terrorists that they have no fear of them.

One other reason why Westerners link Islam and terrorism is hearing reports like this one about the Imam of a London mosque who actually supports Osama bin Laden and encourages Muslims to blow up buildings and people in order to teach the West a lesson for supporting Israel. I heard him speak on CNN last Saturday night. (see the excellent interview here: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2010/09/05/gps.int.jihadi.cnn?iref=allsearch). It would be horrible to think that there could be a mosque that preaches this kind of hate right next to the hole in the ground that came about from this kind of preaching.

While there are certainly Muslims who say, like you do, that one can be a Muslim, or a terrorist, but not both; there can be no doubt that there are Muslims who say the full opposite: that Muslims must take their faith seriously enough to die in its cause: that to be a real Muslim one MUST be a terrorist. Therefore, it seems to most of us in America that there is a civil war of sorts within Islam between those like you and those like this London Imam. And we are watching to see who will win. It seems to me that the questions you have are good ones, but they need to be addressed to the London Imam, and those like him, who claim to be "first and last a Muslim." (quote from the interview)

If there were Christians who spoke this way, calling for recruits to kill unsuspecting shoppers and businessmen to bring about the will of God, there would be world-wide outrage, and Christian leaders would be called upon to denounce this horror. The only reason why people would be reluctant to do so would be if they were afraid they would be the next targets of the terrorism. Is this the case in the Muslim world? Do you think moderate Muslims are afraid to speak up and denounce those who commit these horrors in the name of Allah because they are afraid they will be targets?

We would love to see you anytime, XXX, and will bake brownies specially for your visit! Thank you for speaking with me about this issue - relations between Muslims and Christians may be the most important issue on the planet at this time.