There should be no "dilemma of the good muslim" here. If right is right and good is good then "good" Muslims need to stand up against the "bad" Muslims. That is unless Islam's views of right and good are vastly differant than the West's, which I fear is the case.

Mr. Chopra,

Will you please stop insulting your Muslim readers with this "Good Muslim/Bad Muslim" dichotomy? I and countless others wince whenever we encounter this rhetoric. The determinant of who is a "good Muslim" and who is a "bad Muslim" is God alone " not any columnist, politician, or any nation's policy framework.

You do well to cite the earth's massive Muslim population to counterbalance the minute percentage receiving such a disproportionate amount of exposure. I'm also glad that you discussed the malicious intent behind the awful stereotyping we"ve experienced over the last decade. Sadly, these points are overshadowed by the insidious arrogance of the "Good Muslim/Bad Muslim" device. This device is pregnant with demeaning connotations of subservience (akin to "be a good boy") and coercion (e.g., "Will you be a Good Muslim, or will we have to...?"), and is suggestive of an unresolved "Muslim Question". I think we can all appreciate how unacceptable it would be to ask "Who is the good Jew?" or "Where are the good Blacks?" If you go to your local Mosque in a spirit of respect and open-mindedness, you will find an abundance of "good Muslims" happy to educate you about Islam.

I'm surprised that we have the nerve to ask "What went wrong?" about the "Muslim World" without asking the same of ourselves. Western military adventure and colonial intrigue created or perpetuated many of the conditions we"re seeing today.


Sincerely,

A Muslim reader

It's all very well to ask 'where are the good muslims?' but in the past 8 years (at least!) I am sure many around the globe were asking 'where are the good Americans?' Nor were Europeans much different from the Taliban a few hundred years ago. Fundamentalism is universal, unrestricted by national boundaries, so we might want to look within ourselves before asking such provocative questions of others.

I think the problem is that the "bad" Muslims have no problem with killing the "good" Muslims. Ipsofacto, the "good" Muslims dare not speak out against the "bad" Muslims.

I just wish the Mulsim Shia and Sunni would learn from the mistakes of the Christians in dealing with the whole Catholic/Protestant differences. Until they accept each other as equals they will never be able to address the question of "good" or "bad" actors.

I think the problem is that the "bad" Muslims have no problem with killing the "good" Muslims. Ipsofacto, the "good" Muslims dare not say anything against the "bad" Muslims.

I just wish the Muslim Shia and Sunni would learn from the history of the Christian religion and aviod the pitfalls that arose from the Catholic/Protestant conflict. Until they accept each other as equals they will be too divided to tackle the question of "good" and "bad" actors in their religion.

For most of my long life, in America, I have been humiliated, threatened, tormented, ridiculed, and had my civil and human right curtailed, because of being an LGBT citizen. I and many of my cohorts have fought long and hard for small gains. For many years, this was done with virtually no support from the hetero world. Certainly no support from an implacably hostile and smug christian world. We still have the pope and other icons of the religion of love ranting and raving ridiculous hate speech about LGBT people.
I guess it is easier to see the splinter in their eyes, rather than the log in your own. All of the millions of people in the hetero who have tolerated and facilitated the torture, torment, restrictions, beatings, hate speech, legislation, etc. directed against LGBT people, should be ashamed. What total, self involved, uncaring cowards you are. If there were such a thing as a loving god, and justice, then you would surely be destined for a bad after-life.

Once again, great point. As someone who grew up Muslim (not practicing today), I, a liberal, have grown disgusted with the silence from the majority of the Muslim world on the fringe that exists in their societies. I may be slightly biased against US & Israeli bias against the Middle East (try as I may, I can't escape certain judgments... the same way I struggle with accepting and embracing GOPers), but I see how silence among the 'good' just enables the fringe to take over. That's what happened with the Repubs too - the good were silent while the extremists hijacked their party.

his is a case in studied ignorance.

To compare the vast and multifaceted range of Muslim-populated countries with Nazi Germany is naive, ahistorical and right out of a pro-Israeli playbook.

The existence of Israel, foisted on an unwilling Palestinian population, clearly constitutes an outrage -- it is a "Crusader" state placed exactly where the original Crusader states existed. Jerusalem is a sacred city to Muslims, we might see quite a few "berserk" Catholics around the world if we facilitated Turkish occupation of the Vatican.

Our many interventions, including removing Iran's legitimate government and putting in the Shah of Iran, have exacerbated things also. You may want to think about how the Iraq invasion strengthened the appeal of Osama bin Laden.

There are many things in some Muslim countries that we can disagree with, including infantization of women, persecution of gays, suppression of other religions. for example. But the fact is that our meddling has constantly aided the extremist among the Muslims, Muslim moderates constantly tell us this.

It's good to remember also that there are more progressive Muslim-majority states such as Turkey, Indonesia and Malaysia who are making forward strides.

seems to me that if there are a billion muslims, it would only take a million or so to throw off the shackles of "patriotism" to bring the radicals under control. But since we have just come thru our own version of that for the last 8 years, who are we to talk? Bush et al basically shut down any critism with the "if you don't support us, you don't love america" meme. so do you think any muslim wants to stand
up to the local version of "if you don't support us, you don't love Allah"....................

Question: Do Charles Manson, Timothy McVeigh, Rick Warren, Charles (or is it James) Dobson from Focus on the Family, The KKK, White Separatists/Supremicists, Warren Jeffs (The FLDS leader), and Fundamentalist Christian abortion clinic bombers represent the majority view of values and practices in the United States and the majority view of Christianity?

Of course not. That's absolutely absurd if you believe that.

So, then why do we take Muslim Clerics, Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Al Quaeda and The Taliban as our view of the representation of the true Islam and The Muslim world?

I have no idea myself.

Something to think about before people go off spouting about Islam and their squeeky wheels that are getting the grease of publicity

"Since taking office he has addressed the Islamic world with respect -- a key concept in that culture"

Unless your a woman.

I am shocked something this sensible coming from Deepak. I had thought he was a far lefty. But he seems quite reasonable here.

Mea Culpa!

I am quite certain President Obama said that in Turkey during the G20 trip and not in Israel. He has yet to visit Israel since being President of the US.

Our world needs more of the calmness and understanding that Deepak shares in these areas of conflict. We need to establish a Dept of Peace in our country to continue peaceful conversations both inside and outside of our country. Making all forms of violence unacceptable, whether it"s domestic, child, gang or extremists. All of us "good" people can share in bringing patience and clarity to the forefront of each conversation. When more people listen and hear the similarities in each other, that brings us together with respect and understanding for the differences. We can resolve the issues that less than 1% of the population is trying to escalate, when we get to the root of the problem.