linguistic tolerance

[Kim & Rima McKinzey]

>...I don't understand what "moderate" Moslems are supposed to do,
>exactly, to=20
>"reclaim the name" of Islam

Disassociate themselves loudly, clearly, immediately from those who
are killing as many as possible in "their" name.  When David Koresh
had his group in Texas, no one thought they represented
"Christianity" as a whole.  Mainstream churches clearly disassociated
themselves from him and refused to let him define Christianity.
Muslims, by and large, did nothing similar.

>... In the end, it is=
>=20
>not the labels that are the issue, but the behavior.=20

Of course, but every group tries to define itself to the rest of the
world.  Every individual as well.  I'd be very upset if someone tried
to define me in terms I felt were untrue.

>...The attempt at appropritating language exclusively for one's own use i=
>s a=20
>kind of prescriptivism that I'm not comfortable with.

This is precisely what I'm saying - in a way.  If the huge majority
of Muslims do not agree with the definition (and behavior) put forth
by those Islamic terrorists, they should not allow that small
minority to define them.

Rima