Comment 27 by Alan Dente :

Annoying to read so many comments along the lines of 'too little, too late' and/or being a bit snide about this report.

How many commenters here run the real risk of injury and death when they speak out? I don't care what religion (or non-religious viewpoint) someone has, bravery is bravery, And isn't this non-aggressive, peaceful kind of sentiment exactly what we want for a safer World? Isn't this what non-theists want from muslims, particularly those living in the West?

Some of the comments above play right into the (well-wrung) hands of the 'moral relativism' idiots who drone on about atheists being just as bad as militant theists.

Grr.

Thank you. I agree.

I also wanted to clarify from previous comments: I'm no Muslim apologist. I oppose patriarchal misogynistic societies so naturally I oppose that when it occurs in Islam and I recognize it occurs there a lot.

But as someone dedicated to reason I want to encourage people to move in the other direction. So when someone does I want to support and encourage them not snipe at them.

Also, from a moral perspective it seems to me that the duty of each individual is to be most critical of their own society. Its morally easy to attack the other. That's just siding with the people in power. Its morally risky to attack your own society and government. If I were a Muslim I would (I hope) put all my energy into critiquing Islam. As an American its my primary responsibility to point out the crimes (and there are countless numbers of them) that the US has committed against the Third world and to defend Muslims against the endless examples of scape goating that occur regularly in the US.

Previously, I said that this statement was not at all unique in the Muslim world. Here are a few links to back that up:

Muslims Condemn Terrorist Attacks

Islamic Scholars React to 9/11

International Islamic Response to 9/11