THE ENEMY'S ENEMY: This transcript is worth reading. It's an interview with a Bangladeshi writer, Taslima Nasrin, who lives under the threat of death because of her criticisms of Islam. She fears for her life each day. And she specifically disputes the idea that there are several Islams, most of which are peaceful:

TN: ... [I]t is written in the Koran that if you are not Muslim, or if you are you know disbeliever, then you should be killed. Islam divides the world in two parts: Dar al-Harb and Dar al-Islam. Dar al-Harb means land of infidels and Dar al-Islam means land of Islam. So it's the Muslim's duty to make, to kill all the infidels or make them convert and to make all the land Dar al-Islam, means land of Islam.

ES: What about the idea of tolerance?

TN: There is no tolerance. There is no tolerance in Islam because, you know if it is, if a law say, because a law says that disbelievers would go to hell if you are a Muslim but you reject Islam and if you deny Allah or Prophet Mohammad, then you should be killed. You know fundamentalists issued fatwa against me. Many people, the so-called liberal Muslims, say that: no, it's not real Islam, Islam is for peace, Islam doesn't allow any fatwa. Actually, it is not true. The fundamentalists are following, are practicing Islam correctly.

And the key point is that Nasrin, like Salman Rushdie, isn't safe even in the West. The brutality isn't only "over there." It's here.

-- Anonymous, December 04, 2002

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-- Anonymous, December 04, 2002