So therefore the image of Islam the importance of Islam seems to be very high today. But the causes are not there. Now that’s essentially one of the major, the major theme of the book. It does matter not because this is an interesting or clever historical thesis. And many of you will, I have been reminded by many people of other interesting ways to have thought about the same problem. And I hope maybe in the second edition to add to some of these interesting ideas. And you may have some a well to add to this. Or you can interpret it a different way. I could write my own rebuttal to this book by presenting things… But I present it simply to make the case. The case is not interesting well it is interesting. But the results are what I’m interested in. If essentially is not Islam then the way we treat the problem is different than if we say the problem is Islam and it becomes much more complex and difficult and requires self examination and examination of history and the world of imperialism and all of these things. This is not to put blame down in one side or the other but simply to acknowledge the complexity of these issues.
So I hope the book will, I think many of you are probably already well familiar with these ideas. But I hope the book will, anybody who’s read the book will never again think in quite the same way about the nature of religion in power. The early chapters are particularly to me exciting because I didn’t know that much about it before I began the research. When you see how religion was the banner for all kinds of revolts in these eastern empires. Even among Christians they would take a Christian heresy and use it to express anger against Constantinople for local revolts. So it’s an old, old tradition it will go on forever abusing religion to justify genuine other grievances. But Islam or religion is usually not the cause. So with that I look forward to arguments rebuttals please rebut or tell me I’m wrong I learned from the… let’s go ahead
Interviewer: Okay so we move forward to questions all right sounds good all right yes sir. And if yes sir if you could stand.
Person: You want me to stand up? My names Steve Buck I’m a retired foreign service officer and it’s almost more a comment. If I remember when there was the report done on 9/11 they had a panel representing all of the major US intelligence agencies. And the heads or the representatives of all those agencies stated that a major factor with the 9/11 hijackers was not religion but it was anger over the Israeli oppression of Palestinians. And yet that never got into the final report.
Graham Fuller: It did not that’s interesting.