Insight

From a book review:-

That said, there is a degree of commonality about how international affairs are viewed across the Muslim world which is simply not shared by the West. He acknowledges this unconsciously when he writes of the widespread Muslim sense of humiliation at the hands of the West over the centuries.

What he does not say is that Muslims are bound, to varying degrees, by their membership of the ummah (the global community of Muslims) to a much greater extent than is the case among Christians. This fact goes a long way to explaining the commonality.

In Pakistan he wonders, for instance, why millions have demonstrated against the war in Iraq, but not one demonstration (up to that point) has been held in a Muslim country against terrorism.

Anyone who has travelled widely in the Muslim world will recognise the truth in his observation that rarely has he felt fear during his travels. They will also share Burke's frustration at the intellectual laziness of the blame-it-all-on-the-Jews take on world affairs.

Yet Burke is no romantic when it comes to his assessment of the Muslim world. He cringes at the 'ridiculous' statement that 'Islam is a religion of peace', preferring instead to observe that 'any faith is what its believers make of it'.

What he doesn't say is that every time there is a terrorist attack anywhere in the world, there is a good chance that the person or persons behind it is Muslim. An uncomfortable observation, but one that it is difficult to refute.