What religion should do

“When religion teaches, I respect it; when it coerces, I fear it.” That was Dennis Prager this morning, nailing the difference between the Western approach to religion and Islamofascism. He made the comment on air while talking about the religious police who slaughtered some Somalis for watching TV. The same thing is cropping up in Iraq with increasing frequency and nails why I fear resurgent fundamental Islam so much.

Incidentally, precisely the same mindset appeared regarding the Danish cartoon riots. Certainly, devout Muslims should feel free to refrain from representing the Prophet on the grounds that doing so is against the tenets of their religion. However, it’s not against any tenets of non-Muslims. The only way to justify the censorship the Muslim world sought against the rest of us is to recognize that fundamentalists wish to impose their religion on us through violent coercion.

UPDATE:  Word just out that Somalia has passed an edict mandating death for failing to pray.  I think, pretty soon, people in Somalia will be praying for death — just not at the hands of their new leaders.