Quote Originally Posted by fetishdj View Post
Unfortunately, this stereotype is the one that is currently projected to the rest of the world. Most intelligent people know that generalisations and stereotypes do not apply to all members of a culture and common sense tells us that it is ridiculous to assume so. However, common sense is the least common of the senses and there are an awful lot of people who take the 'easy' option.

Ironically, in Britain we have an apparent link between church and state (the head of state, the Monarch, is also the head of the Church of England and is by law forbidden from practising any other religion) but an effective seperation because the monarch has no right (at present) to pass any law without the support of parliament.
I agree totally, it is very dangerous and plays totally into the hands of the extremists on both sides if religion is used as some form of justification for military or terrorist acts, after all one man's freedom fighter is another's terrorist, give him religion as a rational for his actions and you raise the profile and polarize the different positions.

it is interesting that you make the point about the UK and our link between the church and state, for many, many years the UK fought the IRA, an exclusively Catholic organisation, however at no point was religion ever introduced by the state or media in terms of the conflict, never were acts carried out by the IRA attributed to Catholic freedom fighters, they were also referred to as the IRA or a liberation movement.

Incidentally a terrorist organisation that enjoyed considerable support and funding from Americans.

both AdrianaAurora and Daymanti have if truth be told watered down the strength of feeling here in Europe about the distrust of the US governments foreign policy and use of religious conviction in their case for the prosecution of so called rogue states or the axis of evil countries, feelings do run very high over here, i dread to think how the US is thought of in Africa and the Middle East.

no one posting so far has at all attacked America per se, the mistrust and resentment felt is directed squarely at the Bush administration, who it appears to us outside the US seem to be able to act with impunity and total disregard for both the internal laws of the US and international laws as well as seeming to show a complete lack or respect or understanding for the rules of dimplomacy and protocols.

The initial post, sorry to keep reverting back to it was made by Daymanti to highlight these apparent wrong doings, and bring attention to the fact that looking from the outside in, us Europeans have the viewpoint that no one seems to care, or have the will to challenge what is going on.

Without some form of checks or balances the flagrant abuses of power that to me seem to be being conducted run the risk of escalating.

Daymanti was i believe seeking to focus attention, OR ask for clarification from those within the US as to what was being done to challenge the current administration.

NO one dislikes Americans trust me, but the reputation of the country is being severely tarnished and devalued as a result of the evangelicals rhetoric and the Bush administrations apparent lack of respect for domestic and international law.