How Does the American Elite View Religious Muslims?

"A large majority of the Western elite, the children of the Enlightenment, are actually secularists, and fearful of all kinds of religions. Although those in the United States have a more religious understanding of secularism or are more respectful towards religion than those in Europe, the end result is not so different, especially when it comes to Islam... What's interesting is that, even the Western religious elite, who try to consolidate efforts against the secularists in their own countries, generally act like secularists regarding Islam and religious Muslims. For instance, some missionary groups operating in Turkey support Turkish civil society organizations for which secularism means treating Islam like an enemy. Most religious Westerners consider Islam a threat to their religion, whereas for non-religious Westerners it is a threat to their world, that is, to their secular lifestyle."

"In short, what lies behind the thinking of a big part of the Western and American elite who believe in reports which portray Muslims as fanatics without questioning, is the secular and religious prejudices fed by Islamophobia and ignorance. If only both religious Muslims and Westerners could realize how much in fact they need each other to work against radical interpretations of religion and secularism..."

ZAMAN DAILY NEWSPAPER (2006060233647)