Comment 1 by Schrodinger's Cat :

It baffles me how, given that the general human trait through-out history is to escape repression, intolerance, and fundamendalist ideologies................Islam seems capable of turning people into unthinking zombies who want the reverse. It's on par with citizens of East Berlin demanding that the wall not be pulled down. I cannot understand people who have the chance for genuine freedom...not taking it.

Brainwashing people starting from when they are young children is mighty effective, and the effects last to adulthood. And Islam is obviously not the only ideology capable of creating "unthinking zombies", as evidenced by the hysterical wailing and weeping exhibited by the North Koreans over the death of their "Dear Leader".

There was an interesting New York Times op-ed last week from an ex-China national who had experienced a similar "outpouring of grief" when Mao Zedong ("Great Leader") died 35 years ago:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/24/opinion/sunday/in-death-north-korea-imitates-china.html

Obviously, it is possible to break free from such brainwashing. But enlightenment through education is a slow and long drawn out process, easier on an individual basis than transforming an entire society at once. For the latter, I am afraid only a drastic event like a disaster, a war, or a revolution could accomplish this. And that is not something that most people would relish.