Since I posted the last, I thought you might like to hear my Muslim friend's response to my long post (names are withheld, and are not important). Here it is:

Thank you very much for your answer Mr. Y, (ZZZ) is getting these messages too.

I understand what you're saying from your perspective and it sounds correct. I watched the video an CNN and maybe I need to watch it again to understand better. They are talking really fast. However if somebody supports such suicide attacks I cannot agree with them since I am a muslim.

You're right that not every Islam world leader denounced suicide attacks or bombings. But for Turkey I know many Islamic Scholar that they denounce those kind of acts. I like the commentators point on "muslim people are victim of terrorism as well as christian people are". There shouldn't be problem between real believers otherwise the dark powers are going to try to have us fight with each other for those acts that real muslims and christians do not accept. I know you since we met and spent some time, and I did not have any hesitation about your position on that matter I mean I don't think that you think this is real Islam.

We as Turkey have some Al-kaide members in our country's prisons and they did some suicide bombings in Turkey at several locations before 9-11 and after 9-11. I am trying to say that we started to deal with terrorism before 9-11 so I understand your feeling about it. However, we have to work together and protect each other, or they bomb a mosque today and then bomb a church tomorrow then uneducated people think that this is a war between religions. That would be a chaos.

I think we should talk about this on this sunday.

Regards,

XXX

(the Sunday he is referring to is an evening discussion group we have with college students. We have invited this young man, and he has come several times -- once he even cooked dinner for us, and it was GREAT!)