(Thanks, D. :)

Folks, I receive emails all the time from a variety of points of view on many issues. Perhaps the single most divisive issue at this time is that of whether Islam is a religion of peace or something else entirely. The recent mass migrations in Europe make the issue a very important one.

I've done my best to stay out of it, because there's so much "fog" surrounding the issue.

Some believe strongly in the idea of "peaceful Muslims versus radical Muslims", and that certainly sounds like a plausible idea. We had a posting Agent here at RMN named Aladdin, a Muslim I think, and I always enjoyed reading his posts - I miss him, still - but he chose to leave us not long after events of Sept 11 2001, saying he could "see the writing on the wall". As far as I know, he was certainly "a peaceful Muslim" but one who could see the atmosphere in America following 911 was going to make it tough on Muslims here.

At the same time there are those who (metaphorically speaking and with no intention of offense in saying this) "have their hair on fire" with the idea that _all_ Muslims are here to take over and institute Sharia law, etc., while deceiving us about their intentions until it's too late to do anything that might successfully save and preserve our way of life.

Clearly, these two points of view lead in drastically different directions, each with profound risk involved. We either do nothing, running the risk that any action would come too late; or we take some kind of precipitous action now, running risk of doing enormous harm and injustice to some of our fellow human beings.

That's the "fog". :) Many have expressed disappointment in what appear to be anti-Muslim comments from Zap in recent weeks. And many have expressed the idea that Trump is a "racist" because of his idea of putting a hold on immigration until we can actually determine "who" it is we're allowing in. But at the end of the day, all they're doing is expressing their thoughts about a particularly knotty situation that may demand some sort of clear action at some time. Viewed in light of some of the options, Trump's idea is actually among the more level-headed to have been brought forward so far.

I don't think most of us have sufficient information to cut through the fog at this point. But I'm grateful to Reader D. for forwarding this video of remarks made in early March, providing food for thought from one on-the-ground perspective.

Reader D. forwards to us:

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Paul Weston CPAC Live Stream March 3 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-hPCnel0qc

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