If you don’t mind, I would like to work my way from the bottom up. I like to throw a little variety into the fray.

You’re right, “Allah” does mean “God,” but the God that Muslims worship is not the God of the Bible. They are two completely separate beings. If you would like, I would be glad to expand on that, but seeing as it isn’t the main point of our conversation, I’ll leave that up for you to decide.

You’re right, I’m sorry about the mistake. People cannot be “Islamic,” they are “Muslim.”

Now, about Mr. Pape’s article. I would agree that their primary goal is “to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland.” (Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Pape) However, does that mean that their religion plays no role in their motivation? I have a hard time believing that. Very, very many devote followers of any religion are motivate by their religion. That is not to say that all suicide bombers (or terrorists) are motivated by their religion, should they have one. Maybe he is right about the instigators, but if you look at history, it is never the instigators who get killed, it’s always the foot soldiers, so to speak. So I would agree that the instigators aren’t Muslim, maybe. But that doesn’t mean that the men and women who are blowing themselves up aren’t.

Why do you talk about things you don’t understand?

Here is what world authority on suicide bombing Robert Pape has to say:

“Over the past two years, I have compiled a database of every suicide bombing and attack around the globe from 1980 through 2003 – 315 in all. This includes every episode in which at least one terrorist killed himself or herself while trying to kill others, but excludes attacks authorized by a national government (like those by North Korean agents against South Korea). The data show that there is far less of a connection between suicide terrorism and religious fundamentalism than most people think.

The leading instigator of suicide attacks is the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, a Marxist-Leninist group whose members are from Hindu families but who are adamantly opposed to religion.”

From The New York Times
http://www.fromoccupiedpalestine.org/node/1532

2. People cannot be “Islamic”. The followers of Islam are called “Muslim”.

3. Arab Christians call God “Allah”. The word simply means “God” in Arabic.

True Christians believe that Jesus is the only way to Father. John 14:6. That’s a big difference from Islam. I am not hating; what leads you to say that? “Yet he was clearly talking about the “true” Christians, as in the followers of Christ’s message of love, not hate.”

“That is a falsehood. 95% of suicidal terrorism is committed by nationalists”

Does that mean they aren’t Muslims? Perhaps the reason they are terrorists isn’t because they are Islamic, but the majority are Islamic. I have no doubts that they believe they are freedom fighters, but they doesn’t mean their religion doesn’t play a role in their motivation.

The vast, vast majority of terrorist groups are radical Muslims (note: I did not say that the vast majority of Muslims are terrorists).

That is a falsehood. 95% of suicidal terrorism is committed by nationalists:

In his recent book, “DYING TO WIN: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism,” University of Chicago political scientist Robert Pape has provided an indispensable public service by collecting data from all 315 suicide terrorist campaigns from 1980 to 2003, involving 462 individuals. His overall finding: The major objective of 95 percent of suicide attacks is to expel foreign military forces from territory that the terrorists perceive as their homeland. There is little connection with Islamic fundamentalism or any of the world religions. The taproot of suicide terrorism is nationalism and it’s “mainly a response to foreign occupation.” The objective is political self-determination. The Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, a secular, clearly anti-religious movement, have committed 76 of the 315 suicide attacks, the most of any group. Their specific goal was an independent homeland in Sri Lanka.

http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2006/09/07/nationalism-not-islam-motivates-most-suicide-terrorists/

As for your post, you show a true ignorance of Islam. You don’t even know that God is “the Compassionate, the Merciful” throughout the Quran and the Muslim prayers.

Muslims believe Jesus (peace be upon him) was the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and he was conceived immaculately. He is the Prophet most honoured by Muslims after Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him).

Islam is a religion of inner spiritual peace and love for humanity. The Prophet Muhammad said that the Christians are the closest people to the Muslims. Yet he was clearly talking about the “true” Christians, as in the followers of Christ’s message of love, not hate.

Although there were others, of course: Patton, Napoleon…

Obama won’t know how to run the country.