Like Mr. Syed points out, devout Christians wouldn't blink if one of their bibles was thrown in a toilet because there is a cultural difference between the West's Christianity and Islam. Islam still retains its reverence among its followers that Christianity, through fault of its church, lost a long time ago. But that is no excuse to some of the things I've been reading around the blogosphere. The insensitivity that some of these people have shown in response to the deaths of others astounds me. It doesn't matter that they believe the Qu'ran is just a book or that there is no symbolism in even the imagery of the Qu'ran's verses lying in a pool of urine.

Our Canadian friend (hope he appreciates the extra links) had no problem judging and condemning Christianity while providing excuses for Islamists, and although that didn't set too well with me, it was his blaming my Church, for loosing what it hasn't lost, that was the last straw. I just had to comment, and you can find my comments at his post. Here is an example of my comment on the Iraq issue, and it just happens to relate to Michael Yon's piece on our soldiers and Marines in Iraq.

.... And until you've lived the life of a United States Marine in combat, and spent your time in hell, while caring for sick and dying children and risking your life to do so, you just don't have the right to criticize us - and since much of the U.S. military effort in Iraq right now is being conducted by my son and my Marine brothers, that's my barometer for giving a damned about your opinion - at least in regard to the military issue.

Now I surely support his right to believe as he does and to express his opinion, but I believed that he was so far off base, that I just had to say something. Although, I did go on to comment that I thought his post offered a nice balance to my own, and perhaps, somewhere in between our two points of few, there was real truth to be found. Furthermore, it is my hope that if we work at it a little, we'll find far more that we agree on, then we can find to differ on. And that's a good thing. Now , having gotten much off my chest, let's take a look at Michael Yon's piece for some real perspective on just what our guys are doing in Iraq. At the end of his piece, you'll understand just why this post and his, have the title, "Killing for God." The difference between our guys and the Islamists will be abundantly clear, if it isn't already - except of course to our Canadian friend and other like-minded anti-American folks on the left.

- Michael Yon in Mosul, Northern Iraq:

"An American soldier told me today that he has been telling kids to stay away from his unit so they won't be killed. This is harder, on all parties, than it might seem to anyone who hasn't seen firsthand how much the kids here love the soldiers. The sound of heavily armored trucks rumbling through the streets has the same effect on these kids as the tinkling bells of the "ice cream man" back home. Imagine having to tell kids to run the other way when they hear the ice cream truck on a summer afternoon.

Recently, an insurgent hid behind a child in order to attack Americans. The tactic came as no surprise to the soldiers here. Terrorists routinely play wounded or feign their surrender in order to get close enough to launch an attack on Coalition or Iraqi Forces. In January I wrote about one bomber who grabbed the hand of a small child while she was playing on a sidewalk. Smiling, he walked with the child in hand, approaching some Iraqi police, and exploded. Americans standing close by were unharmed.

During the month of May in Mosul, there have been so many terrorist attacks killing women and children--often when no American or Iraqi Forces have been in the area-- that they are barely news. It happened again on Saturday. This time by radio-controlled IED.

Soldiers from Deuce Four happened to stop three cars in the immediate vicinity where explosives were buried on the roadside, and while Americans searched those cars with women and children about, a terrorist clicked the radio switch, and slaughtered eight Iraqi civilians. Three of them children under the age of 10. Other children were wounded.

During the same attack, Deuce Four lost one much-loved and respected soldier who died at the scene. Eleven other soldiers were wounded. Tonight, over dinner, amid the sharing of memories of their friend, came the sad sharing of ways to make the kids stay away on future patrols.

One wonders if the terrorists bother to wait till the funerals to climb on their cars and do their rifle pumping victory dances."

... and the enemy posted the following today in "In The Name Of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Mercifull Allah!"