"An al Qaeda cell in Saudi Arabia has issued a statement vowing revenge for the death of its leader Abdel Aziz al-Muqrin, who was killed along with three other al Qaeda operatives."

I don't know about the rest of you but this latest killing of American Paul Johnson Jr has me angry. The kidnappers gave impossible demands and then followed through with killing this innocent man when their demands were not met. This entire incident should be angering every single one of us. If you are not yet stirred to anger then maybe you need to see the pictures (they are *gruesome*. you have been warned). Maybe then you'll feel the appropriate rage and can begin to pull your head out of the sand. After Nick Berg I said that it was only a sign of things to come.... and so it seems to be.

Now let me ask my American readers..... how did you feel hearing about yet another fellow American being held and subsequently beheaded? And how did you feel when you heard it was done by Al Qaeda operatives, the same bastards who took 3,000 lives on Sept 11th? Now let me ask you this.... how did you feel when you heard that the man responsible for orchestrating the kidnapping and killing of Paul Johnson was killed (along with a few other Al Qaeda members)? Were you relieved? Did you feel that much safer, knowing that the threat of these "American killers" had been removed? You can admit it, you might have even felt a little bit happy that the kidnappers "got what they deserved".

Now then, how does it make you feel to hear that Al Qaeda is vowing revenge for their leader being killed? You may ask yourself, how can that be?? How can THEY be the ones feeling wronged when THEY were the ones who did the killings in the first place? THEY were the ones who took an American and mercilessly killed him! We killed that Al Qaeda leader because he was responsible for murder! Seems black and white, right?

And now, ladies and gentlemen, you know how Israel feels. Maybe NOW you get a glimpse into why Israel does "targeted killings" of leaders of terrorist groups. Just like the (Saudi Arabia) Al Qaeda leader was killed for being a terrorist, so too are those Israel removes from power by taking their lives. Taking lives to save lives is always a troubling ethical question, but Israel has been left with no choice. Again and again suicide bombers blow themselves up among men, women and children. Innocents. And again it is up to Israel to find a way of defending itself against those who would do her harm. What's the difference? Well, for one, I don't hear public outcry over the killing of these Al Qaeda members. Did you? Do you hear the world condemning the Saudi police force for killing them? Of course not, they were KILLERS, right? Then why is it Israel is condemned for taking the same steps against known killers? Why is it acceptable for the rest of the world and not for Israel?

Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. And it pains me to find that I am developing a fear and therefore prejudice against a group of people based on religion. I have always prided myself on not being a bigot or racist or harbouring any prejudice against a group of people. I hate that I am beginning to look at Muslims with a suspicious eye because it is not fair to those who just want to have a life, a family and a home like the rest of us. And it troubles me that the world is also developing a fear of Muslims, for it was a fear and hate that lead one man to target a particular group of people not so long ago... and caused the death of 6 million Jews. Six million died because of their religious beliefs (not to mention others, such as gays, who were killed for being who they were). I am conflicted as I try to resist categorizing all Muslims as evil when again and again in the news there are reports of violence, threats and attacks. And 90% of the time it seems to be from Muslim extremist groups.

Here is my real fear: there are an estimated....what?....2 billion Muslims in the world (and growing)? Now let's say that only 3% of that number subscribes to these "extremist" beliefs (and that's being pretty generous, I think). Afterall, many Muslims declare that it's only a small percentage that are extremists, so for the sake of this example, I'll say 3%. That's small, right? That means there are about 60 MILLION Muslims out there that feel that the Western world and all it's dwellers are infidels and should be struck down. 60 million who would like to behead an American (not to mention a Jew) if they could get their hands on one. 60 million is a huge number. Imagine when they finally get fully organized what they could do? Welcome to being an infidel, America. Be thankful that you are not surrounded on three borders by your enemies like the infidel Jews in Israel, though I wouldn't get too comfortable. Times, they are a changing....
We over here in our North American bubble (coz hey, Canada is just as guilty of feeling too safe) are going to be made to feel very UNcomfortable one day. And then we will truly know what it's like for Israel. You got a taste on Sept 11th, and you sure didn't like it. A war was caused because of it! And while I have never been a big supporter of Bush or the war, he has the right idea. He just needs a little work on how he executes his plans.

Mark my words, folks..... there will be more and more of this to come. And until the whole world wakes up to what's going on it's only going to get worse....

Maybe this cold of mine has made me pessimistic today. Then again, I have felt like this about the world for quite some time now. And I'm betting I'm not alone.