Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1927 – 2003) was a four-term U.S. Senator, ambassador, administration official, and academic.  The title of this post is a famous quote from him, “You are entitled to your own opinions — but not your own facts!”  It seems a universal human vulnerability that we construct our own facts, with the help of like minded people, to support our world views, desires and ambitions.  Sometimes our assumed facts create contradictory and unsustainable opinions and world views, a catch 22 from which there is no easy way out:

Some painful facts and truths are shared here.  Please do not shoot the messenger and let us all follow the advice of Sir Francis Bacon, “Read not to contradict… but to weigh and consider.”

I liked the answer of a German Muslim scholar when he was asked about terrorism and Islam; he said:

Who started the first world war? Muslims? Who started the second world war? Muslims? Who killed about 20 millions of Aborigines in Australia? Muslims?  Who set off the nuclear bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Muslims? Who killed more than 100 millions of Indians in North America? Muslims?? Who killed more than 50 millions of Indians in south America? Muslims?? Who took about 180 millions of African people as slaves and 88% of them died and were thrown in Atlantic ocean? Muslims?? No , They weren’t Muslims! First of all, You have to define terrorism properly …  If a non-Muslim does something bad … it is a crime.  But if a Muslim commits the same … he is a terrorist …  So first remove this double standard … then come to the point!

Some similar realities were also exposed by the first British Muslim in the beginning of the last century, Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthal and his article, Tolerance: Cultural side of Islam, is also linked here.

Some additional recent facts from the State Department of USA, All Terrorists are Muslims…Except the 94% that Aren’t.