Darlene Pineda

via Facebook... This is the best piece so far. " RICK MACARTHUR: If I could just quickly interrupt you, because I—to say at the end that there’s a political question here which we’re not dealing with, which I keep trying to deal with, while separating it from the principle of freedom of expression, and that is, yes, there’s a huge Western, violent Western presence in the Middle East and in the Arab world that didn’t exist 25 years ago. When we sent troops to Saudi Arabia before the first Gulf War, we tore something in the Muslim world. We outraged people. But this is a political question that you should also be talking about. The American Army sending troops to holy soil in Saudi Arabia is a different issue and a different provocation from a French magazine publishing satires of the Prophet Muhammad. And if people don’t begin to look into—make the connections or discuss the political context of the Western presence in the Middle East, the military presence, I think we’re going to have a hard time getting around this roadblock. TARIQ RAMADAN: I really—I really agree with you on this. I think that this is essential. It’s essential for us, as Westerners, and Western Muslims should be involved in this discussion. We cannot cut this discussion from the big picture. And the big picture is, yes, the way, for example, our Western governments are dealing with dictatorships, are dealing with Gulf states, and by being silent about freedom, about dignity, and even supporting regimes where there is no freedom of expression. And this is the right point to make, but this is part of the whole discussion. And you and me, as Westerners from the United States as well as from Europe, we have to be clear: We are not going to defeat anything which has to do with violent extremism, if we are not dealing with justice, with freedom for the people, with the real reform—reformist approach in the Muslim-majority countries. And what is happening today is exactly the opposite. We have the West supporting the worst dictatorships and coming to us, as Western Muslims, say, "OK, now apologize for the consequences of what is happening." So, we should stand to principles, but we cannot avoid talking about the big picture, and a political one is essential."