by James Glaser
July 14, 2005

Mohammed Bouyeri killed filmmaker Theo van Gogh, in The Netherlands, because of his interpretation of Muslim law. He confessed saying, "What moved me to do what I did was purely my faith. I was motivated by the law that commands me to cut off the head of anyone who insults Allah and his prophet."

Bouyeri, shot, stabbed, and nearly cut off van Gogh's head on an Amsterdam street. Here is the statement that really sets this Muslim apart from most killers in the West. He addressed van Gogh's mother Anneke, and said, "I have to admit I don't have any sympathy for you, I can't feel for you because I think you're a non-believer."

It is hard for us in the west to understand how Muslims think and what they believe, but the silence of the Muslim community about Mohammed Bouyeri's words tells us a lot. I had expected every western Muslim Cleric to be writing letters to the editor refuting those words, telling us that this Muslim was taught wrong and that feeling nothing, even for the mothers of those you kill, is not the Muslim way, but I have heard nothing.

Most Americans have never read the Christian Bible, so chances of the average American citizen understanding anything about Islam are very slim. Because we know almost nothing about what Muslims believe or what their Koran teaches them, any claims about their religion can be distorted and no one would know it.

In the Christian world we debate back and forth about Just Wars or if the Commandment said "thou Shalt Not Kill" or "Thou Shalt Not Murder," but we all agree that Jesus said for us to love our enemies and love our neighbors. We don't understand the teachings in the Koran and we look to American Muslim Clerics to set us straight, but we are hearing nothing to contradict what the murderer of Theo van Gogh had to say, and that is scary.

Ever since George Bush started his war on terrorism, it has been set up as an "us verses them" type of war, with the West on one side and the Muslim religion on the other. Everyone on the other side was branded as a "radical fundamentalist" and everyone over here was just a nice person who went to church on Sunday and treated everyone with love and respect. Of course if we were on the other side, then those roles would be reversed.

We really have no idea of what Muslims believe, because there have been so many different claims. Like Christians, Muslims have different denominations and just like over here, some are radical. Some Christians are very strict fundamentalists and like the radical Muslims we are fighting, those radical Christians are the minority.

I have no idea if main line Christians have anything to fear from main line Muslims, but it could take a lot of tension out of the air if we didn't. This whole war has been framed with the words that we fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here.

It is now reported that, "Detectives now believe the London bombings were carried out by four British-born men in what were possibly the country's first suicide attacks." Home grown suicide bombers? That is something we should take a hard look at.

It is reported that there are three million Muslims living in America today and their numbers are growing. For their safety and ours, we better find out what the true beliefs of the Muslim faith are. We can assume that all Muslims are peace loving and harmless, but that would be wrong. Not all Christians are peace loving and harmless, but it would be good for the hundreds of millions of Americans who have no idea of Muslim beliefs, to have someone we respect tell us what is what. It could be the Council of Churches, Catholic Bishops, local ministers, or our schools, but we better take a look and educate our population or we will face a lot of trouble.

Nothing causes more trouble than ignorance and that is the position American is in today when it comes to understanding those attacking us and their beliefs.