Islam is Not Our Enemy

It puzzles me that so many people who are proud that we live in a Judeo-Christian society somehow have decided that Islam is a dangerous religion.  It's same tradition guys.  We all pray to the same G-d.  It all comes from Abraham, the patriarch of Jews and Muslims.  You can look this up in the Christian Old Testament.  Ishmael and Isaac are both there at the end to bury their father together.

Here are a couple of points that the Muslims win in the bonus round:

• G-d didn't just make promise's to Ishmael's father Abraham, He also makes promises to his mother Hagar.  G-d promises to make Ishmael's descendants a "great nation".  (And face it, America never would've been a great nation state if it hadn't been for the Arab contributions in the maths and sciences.Their poetry and art would've been helpful too, if we'd ever paid attention to it.)
• Jesus is revered in the Koran.  Yep, it says right there that he was born of a virgin.  Something to think about next time someone wants to use the Koran for target practice.  

It seems like the inclusion of these people in the original Abrahamic religion would be enough to make Christians and Jews fill a kinship with this group.  If it wasn't enough, I think that the points that they get in the bonus round definitely should make us sympathetic.

Yes, yes.  I remember 9/11.  I remember what a handful of people did on that day.  I think that we should've learned by now not to condemn a people based on the actions of a few.  If we want to play tit for tat we can always mention the Crusades.  Or the Spanish Inquisition.  Or... I think you get the idea.  We kind of lose when we play that game.  

Just remember, no matter what language we say it in, G-d is great.