Sunday 17th September 2006 - 5 years 6 days on

9/11 was and always will be an event for the history books. Just lately TV has spawned hundreds of documentaries and discussion programmes about the events on 9/11 and also during the 5 years leading up to it. Mostly they're from an American point of view, after all it happened there, and killed American civilians.

While i am no way a religious or racist person i find that i am becoming increasingly annoyed at all the press about the "muslim religion" and the way that (a small minority of) practitioners seem to take offence at the slightest thing and then use violence to resolve their differences.

Now I know the Press is well able to blow any situation up out of all proportion and it probably is just a few extremist nutters who are tainting the rest of the law-abiding citizens, but confronted on TV with "hundreds" of people demonstrating about the Pope's innocuous comments yesterday, i DO think it extends to more than just a few extremists.

Who thinks that violence solves anything? No one. So, when i get annoyed with someone for doing something, is it right that i should go and punch them for it? Of course not.

Okay so one could argue that consistent "comments" of an adverse nature is a little wearing but what right does the offended party have to "kill" people for them? I thought we lived in a civilised world.

Religion (mainly) has been the cause of 90 % of wars in history, maybe more. I am guessing some wars have nothing to do with religion (or politics) but they would be few and far between. There is a common thread, people being killed for no reason because of a person's religious belief. Much as with the 1st and 2nd world wars where millions died for a piece of dirt or in fact for a religious belief (as with 6 million Jewish people), war (and anger) solves absolutely nothing.

I uphold anyone's ability to practice religion and have a political stance, but not when they infringe and impose their will / views on others. It is said that the Muslim view of Western morals is that we dont have very high standards and this view is based upon the way people dress (short skirts, make up etc) but that view is only from the comparison of their own moral standards. Who are they to judge and more importantly in the context of the above, who are they to try and force change (by using violence)?

Blowing up innocent people for a religious belief just makes reasonable people join the side of violence in wanting revenge and everything that "hate" brings....... We all need to remember, life is too short.