Hat-tip Dupa.

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From Current.com:

Heh heh heh...I love it.

This is, of course, an Open Thread.

From the story 'Politics, not piety' dictate radicals in Muslim world: poll (hat tip Lordrag) it appears that over 90% of the Muslim world condemns the attacks of September 11, 2001. Of the 7% who condoned them, it was not due to religious justification -- it was political.

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One of the largest-ever opinion polls conducted in the Islamic world found that seven percent of Muslims condoned the Sep 11, 2001, attacks on the US, but none of them gave religious justification for their beliefs, according to the figures released Tuesday.

The Gallup organisation’s poll of some 50,000 people in over 35 predominantly Muslim countries found that what motivated those considered "politically radicalised" was their fear of occupation by the West and the US, though most even admired and hoped for democratic principles.

The overwhelming majority of Muslims - 93 percent - condemned the Sep 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, and most said the biggest obstacle to better relations with the West was the latter’s lack of respect for Islam.
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Well, so much for the American Taliban's insistence that the followers of Islam are trying to destroy us and are required by their religion to do so.

Funny thing, the interesting double-standard that is invoked here: it's almost reminiscent of the magnificently hypocritical shell game that evoked the Crusades. Remember them?

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The Crusades were a series of military conflicts of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal threats. Crusades were fought against Muslims, pagan Slavs, Russian and Greek Orthodox Christians, Mongols, Cathars, Hussites, and political enemies of the popes.[1] Crusaders took vows and were granted an indulgence for past sins.[1]
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I think I have found, however, a key reason why radical right-wingers and conservatives want to paint all Muslims with the same broad brush: Muslims worldwide apparently admire our liberal democracy.

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Substantial majorities in all Muslim countries said they supported bringing democratic principles to their own countries and admired the US primarily for its technological innovation and liberal democracy, but less than 50 percent believed the US was serious about bringing that democracy to the Islamic world.
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Emphasis mine.

I guess that explains why Conservatives are scared, too -- there are billions of Muslims in the world, and they like liberals. If I were conservative, I suppose I'd be feeling pretty put-out at being dissed and ignored by billions across the planet too.

Gee, breaking news from Kossack calipygian about Bush's bestest buddy, Saudi Prince Bandar and family:

...the British Government had launched an investigation into defense contractor BAE for paying bribes to Saudi officials, including Bush family BFF and former Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Bandar bin Sultan. As you probably already know,Prince Bandar knew about the Invasion of Iraq before our own State Department.  As it turns out, while Prince Bandar was getting more access to our deepest secrets than our own State Department, he was also getting up to 120 million Pounds a year deposited into a Washington DC Riggs Bank account for facilitating the 43 billion pound Al-Yamanah arms deal between Saudi Arabia and BAE.

The investgation was quashed because Bandar threatened the UK if they didn't stop.

[...snip...]

Why is that significant? Because Bandar's wife was paying some of the 9/11 hijackers:

Findings from an inquiry by the House-Senate Joint Intelligence Committee suggest evidence indicates money from the Saudi Arabian government could have made its way to the two hijackers through two Saudi students when they were in California.

There is some evidence that the students received a payment through the wife of the Saudi ambassador to the United States, according to the inquiry.

Do you get that? Money goes from BAE to bank accounts controlled by Prince Bandar bin Sultan to the 9/11 hijackers in California.

In addition to that, most Republicans probably want folks to overlook other Republican ties to terror. For example, while Reich-wing nuts cry out how liberals are "terrorist-lovers trying to destroy our nation," two Republicans have already been arrested for aiding Al Qaeda and terrorist organizations.¹ The true nature of today's Republicans and Conservatives -- and the Beasties in the White House -- is coming to light; they can be easily found by the company they keep.

And that's not all...