Moderate vs. Conservative Islam: Guess Which One is the Problem?

Most people don't realize that there are different brands of Islam, some moderate and some conservative, just like we have moderate and conservative Christian churches -- such as the Episcopal church versus the "hell fire and brimstone" churches, like the pastor in Florida who wanted to burn the Muslim holy book.

Guess which ones cause all the trouble --the moderates or the conservative believers in Islam?

The poor Pakistan farmers being flooded out mostly practice Sufi Islam, which is downright liberal compared to the ultra conservative Wahhabi version of Islam that Saudi Arabia's leaders have allowed to flourish with our oil money. Saudi's leadership, who belong to the minority Sunni sect, made a "deal with the devil" with the ultraconservative Wahhabi Imams (who don't approve of women drivers, etc.) in order to maintain their power. You may recall that a majority of the 9/11 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia as a result.

In Iran, the same is true - the more radical Shiite fundamentalist conservatives have taken control ever since Ayatollah Khomeini's supporters toppled the Shah.

Wikepedia says this about Sufi's:
"The Islamic Institute in Mannheim, Germany, which works towards the integration of Europe and Muslims, sees Sufism as particularly suited for inter-religious dialogue and intercultural harmonization in democratic and pluralist societies; it has described Sufism as a symbol of tolerance and humanism – undogmatic, flexible and non-violent."

So, there you have it. The trouble doesn't come from the moderates in Islam; it comes from the conservative elements of Islam: namely the Taliban and Al Qaida extremists (who are Sunnis and so they often target Shiite Muslims in Iraq with car bombs). Americans seem to miss the point that the radicals are blowing up Sunni Muslims with the same passion they attack our troops.

Got that? Islamic extremism doesn't come from the poor farmers in Pakistan and their moderate Sufi brand of Islam. It comes from the groups that are given free reign in Saudi Arabia, so every dollar you spend on gas from Saudi, or Venezuela, is helping fund these extremists -- another reason we should embark on energy independence with U. S. produced renewable energy and natural gas. Why finance our own terrorism?

The NASA head of security says that there are 50,000 terrorists in 60 countries. That leaves 1.5 billion Muslims who are not extreme, although idiots like the Florida pastor and the media that give him attention could change that.

Just the IDEA of a Koran burning ignited violent protests in Afghanistan, endangering our troops and nearly a decade of effort to beat back the fundamentalist conservative Taliban. If they win, the Taliban will return to blowing up girls' schools and teaching religious hate, just like when bin laden was there.

So, who is the biggest threat to us?

It's ironic that we are helping the extremists by filling up with gas made from Saudi Arabian oil but are doing little to help the desperate, flooded-out Pakistani farmers who are moderates caught between the Taliban destroying their schools on one side and an indifferent, corrupt government on the other.