The Conservative Cat

We have been hearing a lot that Islam is a religion of peace, but the face of Islam in the daily news is suicide bombers. The mantra is that the bombers are extremists, while most Muslims are peaceful moderates, yet most of us believe in our hearts that liberals would say that even if you had to kill someone to join a mosque. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the average American's knowledge of the Koran is limited to a vague idea about terrorist martyrs getting 72 virgins in paradise.

It is a very serious problem that up to this point, the only serious defense of Islam to actually get air time has been the statements of Catherine Bell's character on the TV show JAG. But this is not because people aren't trying. Hendi, in particular, has been talking the talk for quite some time and not getting any coverage except in his own press releases.

In order to make a ripple in the aether of the dominant media culture, Hendi had to use the loaded (and mostly misunderstood) word "fatwa". I can only imagine the disappointment in newsrooms everywhere when the fatwa turned out to be a bland denunciation of terrorism instead of a diatribe against the Bush Administration. Still, it is something that everybody needed to hear, and it having been heard, we can start moving forward to a badly-needed reconciliation between Christianity and Islam.

Personally, I'd like to see a lot more of Hendi. (Laura has invited him back, which is a good sign.) I know most humans would rather look at Catherine Bell, but JAG has been cancelled, so in a few more weeks she's going to be out of the picture. Hendi at least is willing to do the job and risk the death threats. More power to him.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat

(Tracklinked to Outside the Beltway and Mudville Gazette)