I think the problem lies in who is an extremist. Who is becoming more involved, becoming more "devout", becoming more radicalized?

To dismiss a problem summarily by being kind and accepting as we were taught to act and believe is right to act is dangerous. Therein lies the real trouble. It is wrong to group all people in with those who will kill you, but we have to have some means of where to look. I guess all profiling is suspect, but sometimes it is the only means at hand to work out where the danger is pointing. The CIA and the FBI look at certain places when they are looking for terrorists. It is something that being politically correct doesn't quite cover. We are hamstrung by our political correctness. We must be aware and cautious but not throw the baby out with the bath water. NOT lose our common sense. Not lose our respect for others differences. But we must be aware that there is a very real danger.

I must admit that since 9/11 I am a lot more nervous around people who look Muslim to me but it is the terrorist who looks and acts like us who should be a big worry.

I do not travel to NYC very often though nor even to Orlando.

Our country is applauded by the Europeans because we have the greatest success in assimilating them into our culture. We need to continue as we have been rather then having them feel isolated as they are in Europe.

Developing relationships with people in these communities would help prevent future terrorist attacks as well. I have had a number of friendships with people from abroad whenever I have had that opportunity even if some of them did not work out all that well.

I have Facebook friends from all over the world now for instance. Part of my 224 613 Project to a certain extent but also like to see what these many people are thinking about many subjects.

I have mentioned my friend Mahmood Jergis Mohammad that I had while at the University of Denver Graduate School of Librarianship and Information Management. He was from the University of Mosul. I hung around with him and a small group of Muslims/Arabs from about a half dozen different Muslim countries. This was in 1983-1984. During the Iran-Iraq War. I did really hate some of the jokes about the Kurds I heard from this group though.

My friend probably now in 2016 would probably consider me an enemy if he survived the ISIS take over of Mosul. I had a correspondence with him for two years or so before he just became too full of hatred for the West.

We don't have the numbers of Muslims they have in Europe and it has been reported by all news stations after the last terrorist attacks in Belgium that the Muslim communities in Paris and London and Brussells isolate themselves.

I know that when I was involved in our church that invitations to involve the Mosque in area wide religious activities were not accepted. I think that people like to give all faiths the same virtues and behavior, but sometimes that is not true. To tell you the truth I was very surprised to see the Muslim person who was on stage last night at the Orlando vigil.

I would like to think and believe what you are presenting and I do not like war or violence, but my instincts tell me that there is a real danger from the Muslim EXTREMISTS that live here and everywhere.

I see most of the responses have totally missed the point of the question.

We are not disagreeing. I for one would have no problem taking up arms against anyone attacking us. We all need to distinguish who and what are the real threats, treat that alone so that the innocents are not affected. I don't like wasting ammunition.

Not really.

No those cannot fairly be interchanged.

https://pibillwarner.files.wordpress...8/untitled.jpg to see 9-11 terrorists

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/files/2...ks-suspect.jpg Paris ringleader

https://www.fbi.gov/news/news_blog/i...ammed-deceased Tanzania embassy

http://www.trbimg.com/img-54026997/t...state-20140830 Fort Hood

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopo...ns-suspect.jpg Boston bombers

http://www.epictimes.com/12/08/2015/...-the-shooting/ San Bernadino

and of course Orlando

No or minimal beards, Western clothing. But some people form opinions, or pre-judge situations, despite evidence completely contradictory to their sincerely held personal observations. So religious garb may indicate religious but it does NOT indicate radicalized.

I personally think that most are the better for having religious beliefs, and traditions, but I do not agree with those that think that infidels are better off dead.

Now you can say that Catholics are taught that it is a sin to use birth control, which is almost universally ignored, but one seems far more dangerous than the other. I will continue to use my marker for folks in Burqas, (sp) actually more because it appears to me to be a way to subjugate women. It offends me although I thought nothing of nuns dressing almost identically in my youth. We change. We have opinions and we debate. But most of us would never kill another unless they were trying to do terrible harm to themselves or their families.

Who gets to define "our ways"? Those pesky Amish, wearing clothes covering their bodies, speaking in a semi-English tongue, refusing to modernize instead practicing an 18th century faith, refusing to fight for America but still getting all the benefits. Those Jews wearing their beards and curly sideburns, refusing to dress like we do, asking for special privileges like their own holidays and litigating against "our" faith. And those pushy Catholics, insisting their interpretation of the Bible be the proper one, all the tax deductions they get and fighting birth control so they can take over by over-reproducing children just like the Mexicans (also they're Catholic, see proof). And those Native Americans, the worst. Demanding their own territories, refusing taxation, having all those casinos and no cigarette taxes. Especially those people. They should go back where they came from. and don't come back. And the Cubans, ruined Miami, and the Negroes.. nothing but trouble, one way boat ticket home for them.

It gets tricky unless I give you the right to separate the They from the Us. Sadly I think I'm in the They group if you get to do the separation

And so I ask, how many of these not like "us" people do you want to get rid of, and don't let come back? Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller suggests a successful plan is first get rid of Communists, then Socialists, then ...

27,000+ MUSLIMS IN Orlando area.

You are my new hero.

:shrug:

Current news: Shooter was gay! So I guess it can't be a hate crime? I don't know. Can a black hetero killing another black hetero be accused of a hate crime? Could be just an attack on US citizens that happened to be at a gay bar because the shooter was hanging out at his "watering hole".