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Last update - 14:01 04/02/2008 This is how Islam ends By Bradley Burston, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Burston, Berkeley Marines  This is how Islam ends. It is Friday, the Muslim day of prayer. Two mentally disabled women are fitted with bomb belts. Their handlers hold the switches that will activate the remote controlled detonators affixed to the explosives. One of the women is a familiar figure at the al-Ghazi pet bazaar, an open market in central Baghdad, where people come to buy and sell pigeons and other pets. The woman sells cream there in the mornings. Advertisement This Friday is an unusually beautiful morning. Clear skies after weeks of severe winter weather bring out large crowds, many out just for a stroll. When her handler closes the switch, a horrifying blast rips through the market. The carnage in the blackened pools of blood strews and confuses human and animal remains. The woman, who may not have even known that she was wearing explosives, is one of 62 people killed in the smoke and the crushing shock wave and the fire and the shrapnel that are too fast to avoid. This is how Islam ends. Twenty minutes later, a second switch is closed. The second woman, according to police a woman with Down Syndrome, has entered the bird market in New Baghdad, a mostly Shiite area in a southeastern section of the city. The explosion tears and chars her body to pieces and vapor. Thirty-six other people are dead. Another 56 are injured, many of them gravely maimed for life. This is how Islam ends. This is the future according to Al Qaida. This is the real meaning of this World War III of our times: A war of Islamists against Islam itself. This week, for the first time in more than a year, suicide bombers struck at Israel. Two bombers attacked the Negev town of Dimona, killing one woman and wounding at least 11 people. In sheer numbers of attacks and tolls of innocent victims, however, the moral outrages committed by Al Qaida of late have overwhelmingly targeted Muslims and Muslim shrines. It is a war of the self-styled devout against an Islam whose core precepts are meant to foster peace, self-discipline, respect for women, protection of the innocent and unfortunate. It is a war to the death. And Al Qaida is not the only assailant. During afternoon prayers the day before the Baghdad blasts, a Taliban member suicide bombs a mosque in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan. Six people are killed while praying. In the current conflict, the practice of lethal re-interpretations of Islam may extend even to governments which are formal enemies of Al Qaida and the Taliban. The week before the suicide bombings, an Afghan court handed down a death sentence to journalist Perwiz Kambakhshm, 23, for mocking Islam and the Koran, and for distributing an article saying that Mohammed had ignored the rights of women. Who will save Islam from the Islamists? It will not be those who, for reasons of their own, exploit the crimes of radical Muslims to smear Islam and its vast majority of decent, firmly non-violent adherents. There is, of late, good reason to believe that it is Muslims, clear-thinking, lionhearted Muslims, who will save their religion from those who butcher in its name. Among the courageous moderates whose voices are increasingly heard in mainstream media are those of writer and commentator Mona Eltahawy , and of Nasser Weddady of the American Islamic Congress. These are not Uncle Toms, they do not turn a blind eye to the moral failings of the West and Israel and their mistreatment of innocent Muslims in the context of declared wars against armed Islamists. But they understand what radical Islam is doing to a great and profoundly moral Islam. Moreover, there are signs that there has been a change in the selective abhorrence of the Western hard left, its reflexive need to denounce all acts of allied powers and tolerate and/or ignore all war crimes, "honor" killings, and racist incitement committed in the name of Islam. Perhaps the obscene terrorism committed in the hearts of Western capitals, and against civilians in Israel and around the world explains the change, perhaps additional factors are at work, but the left appears to have grown a tad more circumspect in going through with boycott and divestiture proposals, and with expressing profound understanding for the wrongheaded actions of Islamic extremists while cataloguing without a hint of perspective every wrongdoing of the United States, Britain and Israel. * * * Of course, in all of God's green globe, there is one spot that remains blithely impervious. It is the city of Berkeley, California, home to the best weather, the most marvelous views, and many of the most ostentatiously self-righteous politicians in the United States of America. Last week, the Berkeley City Council voted to inform the U.S. Marine Corps that its recruiting station in the city's downtown business district "is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders." They also voted to earmark parking spaces for and otherwise aid protesters who will hinder Marine recruiters from their work. Well, they've sent their message. It is this: There is no double standard. We will continue to countenance acts of unconscionable violence against women, Muslims, Jews, and black people, as long as those who commit the violence are Muslims. We will continue to believe - because it suits us - that the violence perpetrated by Muslims against Muslims is in its entirety a result of Western and Israeli occupation of Muslims. We will continue to live in a country - because it suits us, because it protects us, because it allows us to hate it in public - which, while acknowledging that it has made grave errors while attempting to defend itself, we have decided can get along without any defenders at all. Many Muslims have woken up to the problem. A number of people in my beloved Berkeley clearly never will. ______________ Previous blogs: What if the Hillary haters were right all along? The Qassam rocket as collective punishment Sharon, savior of the settler, killer of Palestine Mr. Bush, you were born to make peace Here's to the '67 borders, the new middle of the road Bookmark to del.icio.us   Bring the house down Dichter to police: Demolish home of J'lem yeshiva terrorist. Media frenzy Israel to boycott Al-Jazeera TV, claiming incitement to terror.   1.   Articulate and Accurate 09:35  |  Impressed 04/02/08   2.   Muslims will self destruct 09:52  |  Kevin 04/02/08   3.   LOL POP says its" fun` .In denial for Al Qeida.LOL 09:56  |  PETER SM 04/02/08   4.   A little misdirection from Bradlry 09:57  |  Natallie Durson 04/02/08   5.   Islam = violent religion. 10:02  |  Benjamina 04/02/08   6.   calling a spade a spade 10:08  |  don 04/02/08   7.   enemy knows nothing ! 10:16  |  atilla karagözoğlu 04/02/08   8.   Opposing USMC doesn`t mean supporting Al Qaeda 10:18  |  Michael 04/02/08   9.   Where are all the peacefull Muslims? there are billilons of them 10:31  |  Judith, Haifa 04/02/08   10.   Bradley youre fooled by "moderate" Beliefs 10:34  |  Elham 04/02/08   11.   PLAYING WITH WORDS 10:42  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 04/02/08   12.   not in THIS country, bradley 10:49  |  eric 04/02/08   13.   BRADLEY`S SUBCONSCIOUS ON ISLAM`S FATE 10:52  |  indrajaya 04/02/08   14.   After all, we expect it of the terrorists. 10:58  |  MaryRose 04/02/08   15.   Islam is all through a violent intolerant belief system 11:02  |  Johnny 04/02/08   16.   poor jews ! your enemy is lucky than you 11:02  |  atilla karagözoğlu 04/02/08   17.   Cutie Burston deceives himself and the readers,no outrage among 11:03  |  Absolute Sweden 04/02/08   18.   Sorry, Bradley, you are mistaken 11:05  |  Michael Steiner 04/02/08   19.   Berkeley and Al Qaeda?! 11:06  |  David Howard 04/02/08   20.   Islam is Intolerant 11:07  |  nishant 04/02/08   21.   I fear the Berkeley types much more than Al Qaida 11:10  |  AA 04/02/08   22.   natalie, sees no evil 11:12  |  ash 04/02/08   23.   Atilla 11:18  |  Iz Ray Leigh 04/02/08   24.   oh dead 11:24  |  jj burke 04/02/08   25.   Al-Qaeda is not Islam 11:38  |  pal 04/02/08   26.   Burston - whats your point? 11:46  |  Sex on the Beach 04/02/08   27.   Islamic Terror 11:46  |  Naim S. Mahlab 04/02/08   28.   Did they end Christianity? 12:00  |  Muslim 04/02/08   29.   The West needs Islam 12:08  |  Israeli Arab 04/02/08   30.   Tell us how Judaism and Christianity ends? 12:21  |  Joe 04/02/08   31.   PAL.La its always the same story.Somebody elses fault. 12:34  |  PETER SM 04/02/08   32.   Jews have been there too... 12:37  |  Edith 04/02/08   33.   #16 The Arabs are incredibly lucky. I agree 12:42  |  NB 04/02/08   34.   No misdirection, Mrs Durson 12:42  |  Daniel W 04/02/08   35.   To #5 - WRONG!! 13:09  |  An Arab Neighbor 04/02/08   36.   NB I understand why you pretend to be happy 13:10  |  Iz Ray Leigh 04/02/08   37.   # 8 Michael of UK 13:23  |  Lynn 04/02/08   38.   it`s not working, Bradley 13:47  |  whoopsie 04/02/08   39.   Hurtful, Stupid Title To Article 13:48  |  dyinglikeflies 04/02/08   40.   Arab Neighbor 13:55  |  Lynn 04/02/08   41.   # 28 Muslim - Such a peaceful religion for noble souls. 13:57  |  17 04/02/08   42.   # 28 Muslim....Too much ugliness being 14:06  |  Lynn 04/02/08   43.   #32 Edith, do you mean Jews were bombing each other up? 14:10  |  Judith, Haifa 04/02/08   44.   THE WORST EVER, OUTRAGEOUS 14:13  |  indrajaya 04/02/08   45.   Deja Vu! Remember the Husseinis 14:21  |  Buzaglow 04/02/08   46.   # 27 Naim S Mahlab 14:22  |  Lynn 04/02/08   47.   Lynn 37 14:25  |  Michael 04/02/08   48.   WHY ISLAM MAKES YOU THINK DEEP ? 14:27  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 04/02/08   49.   Samarkand..writer: Amin Maalouf 14:33  |  Buzaglow 04/02/08   50.   Because they turned a blind eye 14:44  |  JG 04/02/08   51.   Bradley, why don`t you just admit it? part 1 14:50  |  The Arab Hammer 04/02/08   52.   #29, Israeli Arab 14:52  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 04/02/08   53.   Celebrations in Gaza after the suicide attack in Dimona 14:55  |  AA 04/02/08   54.   Burston and self-criticism (Cipora) 15:01  |  Dorothy 04/02/08   55.   Bradley, why don`t you just admit it? 2 15:01  |  The Arab Hammer 04/02/08   56.   This is how Islam ends 15:03  |  sirius 04/02/08   57.   Israel should use Arab self destruction 15:03  |  Rick and TC 04/02/08   58.   in Gaza, little boys are handing out flowers and candy 15:11  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 04/02/08   59.   # 47 Michael of UK...in answer to the hyperbole 15:21  |  Lynn 04/02/08   60.   Let Islam take care of itself 15:24  |  Tosefta 04/02/08   61.   Hang on a sec,Bradley,are you sure these women were mentally 15:26  |  lakshmi 04/02/08   62.   It is all about OIL 15:28  |  Najour 04/02/08   63.   # 29 Israeli Arab... what the West needs 15:32  |  Lynn 04/02/08   64.   #47 Michael, correct analysis 15:32  |  Ben Alofs 04/02/08   65.   it takes just a moment of reflection to aver 15:46  |  bozhidar bob balkas 04/02/08   66.   Good article, but Berkeley??? 15:46  |  a wandering Jew 04/02/08   67.   Targetting civilians? Who would do such a thing?! 16:18  |  Natallie Durson 04/02/08   68.   Until Homicide Bombing is Condemned in ISRAEL 16:20  |  Ron 04/02/08   69.   Want to understand Islam? Read the Qur`an