Nearly a hundred years ago, the Bolsheviks struck a blow against capitalism that sent shock waves around the world. During the reign of Stalin, the millions of people that starved to death, fueled a growing fear that communism was "evil". Our fears were reinforced later after hearing of the atrocities committed in Cambodia and recently in Tianamen square. Since then though, communism has been un-demonized and the perceived threats have all but vanished.

What was it about communism that really frightened us though? Was it the socialist form of government? I don't think so. Socialism is very different from democracy in theory, but in practice, they end up looking very similar. Was it communism? Perhaps. The idea that a person's private property provides him certain rights is quite profound. Was it the expansionist attitude of the leaders of communism? Perhaps. There were/are many countries in this world where the populations are being oppressed. In my mind though, it was the brutality of it's birth. The Bolshevik revolution, Lenin's purges followed by Stalin's collectivism and the millions that died from starvation. It was the millions that died in Cambodia. It was the viciousness of the Tianamen Square. In our minds, we will forever associate communism with social engineering programs that indiscriminantly killed millions of people.

Islam is the new communism. Communist countries have learned that there is a balance that must be achieved between the needs of the group and the needs of the individuals. The result has been a peaceful coexistence over the past couple of decades and a growing acceptance that promises a true new world order. Islam though threatens to undo what we have spent a long time trying to repair.

Islam uses religion, instead of economics to engineer their socieities. In their mind they have an image of what the "ideal" society should be like. Just like Marx, Lenin and Stalin did when they architected, built and then executed their vision for the future. They saw themselves as cooks in a kitchen, understanding that in order to bake a cake, you have to break a few eggs. Islamic leaders of today are no different. They have a vision for the future and they are not afraid to do whatever it takes to realize that vision. In Cambodia, people needed to be "reprogrammed". So doctors, lawyers, teachers, artists, were all herded out into the farms to remind them of their roots. They died by the thousands and they were willing to export their ideas to their neighbors. In Afganistan, the Taliban created the Vice and Virtue police to make sure that people adhere to the strict laws of the Koran. I read an article today about kite flying. Under the Taliban rule, a man was arrested, his place of business burned down and he was subjected to days of painful "programming", because he was caught flying a kite from the rooftop of his home.

If you were to pick up a newspaper today, you will read about terrorist acts, civil wars, assasinations and arrests. In those articles you will see the words "Islam" or "Muslim" in them. All you have to do is replace those words with "communism" and "socialist" and it will be like a journey back in time.

I have nothing against Islam as an ideology. Christians have done similar things over the past 2,000 years. There were some valuable lessons learned though that they are not paying attention to. The first is that freedom of religion is a fundamental right. People should be allowed to worship as they see fit.

Secondly, the only way to guarantee the first is to separate religious ideology from the state. At this point, I am wondering: Did Muslims simply not pay attention and learn from the mistakes of the past or do they think that they can succeed where Christianity failed? What frightens me the most though is that Muslim leaders use the ideology of Islam to influence the oppressed and motivate them to action. Their blind devotion and fanatical mania make them very dangerous, on a potential scale that could rival any of the tragedies of the communist movement.

There is a small community near where I work and I find the average Muslim that I meet to be kind, gracious and courteous, but these are Belgian Muslims and live a very carefree life. Rotweilers can be very lovable and affectionate animals too, but there are times when they just "snap" and the result is a mauling or a death. I am not trying to compare Muslims to animals here, just illustrate a point that, when not threatened Muslims may be fine, but when they get into "jihad" moods, they are more than just a little dangerous. This by itself is not all bad, I mean, you have to be able to defend youself. The problem is, it doesn't take much to put them in the "jihad" mood. They basically call for war, anytime they have a disagreement with someone. Why? Here is the key. Because the disagreement is almost always a theological issue and not a secular one for them. They are willing to fight to the death over some pretty trivial things in my mind.

Here is a good example. In Kashmir, the Muslims are upset that the Hindus tore down a mosque there. Upset enough to burn 50 Hindus alive in a train. On the other hand though, the Muslims in Afganistan had no problem destroying ancient religious artifacts from another religion. Go figure.

In contrast...

In this country not too long ago, some hate crimes resulted in several churches being fire bombed. What did the Christians of those congregations do? Did they go around burning people alive? No, they let the authorities do their job and they built some new churches and got on with their lives.

Which example is "reasonable"?