What really matters?

Response to a longish post (added after my response) making a few points about fanaticism, Muslims and Islam
Answer:L, as is evident from what you've posted, fanaticism has more to do with the individual than with the religion. As long as we keep confusing the religion and the people, the eternal and the temporal, the divine and the human, we will continue this endless debate. Does it matter what kind of person a muslim, christian, jew, parsi, pagan, witch, hindu, atheist or whoever is? Does that in any way affect my eternity? If I am raised up after death, if there is to be a reckoning, will it really matter what others said or did? I will be responsible for my own beliefs and deeds as an individual. If my eternity depends on my beliefs, then I'd serve me best by sorting through the available texts and honestly trying to find the truth to the best of my abilities, faculties and resources. I cannot and shouldnot take my religion from the practice and philosophies of others. I must come to my own conclusions based upon the wealth of information provided to me by all those around me, from the written and the oral, the studied and the experienced, and critically evaluate, using my conscience and intelligence. Denying the hereafter based upon my wish not to be judged, blaming God for things we don't really understand or have full knowledge of, judging others and stereotyping them, won't really help me. My focus should be on the religion, not people. I'm mortal and so are others. We all bid our time and pass away... that seems to be about the only certain and common thing in our lives. We did not choose to be born, we did not choose which family, society and culture to be born and bred in, we did not choose to have to eventually die, hence we also will not have a choice in whether we want or not to be ressurected and judged, nor would we have a say about being granted eternal life. What I do know is that if I could be created first, I can be recreated again. My existence confirms that creation is possible, and genetics tells me DNA stores information. If humans can come up with so much science, don't you think the Creator has far superior methods of recording and preserving information? If Google can map the world, if satellites can see and record what goes on inside rooms, why can't I believe that God is aware of and recording all my thoughts, intentions and actions? If plants can grow from seeds, why can't I be grown back some day? There are so many signs in my immediate environment confirming the message of the scriptures, it would indeed be fulite and foolish to ignore them in the wish that it should not be so. God may not need me, but I certainly do need Him. He has blessed me with the Earth to dwell upon, he provides me with food to satiate my hunger, water to drench my thirst, air to breathe, people to care for and be cared by, colours in nature to brighten what my eyes look at, eyes and ears to look and hear, intellectual capacity to perceive and understand, and I would do poorly if He were to bless me with any less. I owe Him gratitude, and my heart thanks Him.
I've posted a few times explaining the islamic and muslim perspective of some of the issues raised in your post. Following are the links to some of them, in case you'd like to check them out.
http://islam-qna.blogspot.com/2009/11/muslims-science-and-nobel-prize.html
http://islam-qna.blogspot.com/2009/11/verses-regarding-war-holy-quran-ch-9.html
http://islam-qna.blogspot.com/2009/09/infinite-punishment-for-finite-act.html
http://islam-qna.blogspot.com/2010/01/on-god-delusion.html
http://islam-qna.blogspot.com/2010/03/holy-quran.html
http://islam-qna.blogspot.com/2010/03/comments-on-islam-muslims-terrorism-and.html


Post: What makes a fanatic tick?
It all boils down to one fundamental negative ( among the myriad) trait of human beings.. Jealousy/Envy. The Mexicans have a word for it.. envidia.. jealousy & envy all rolled into one & it is a despicable state of affairs (mind set). Jealousy is the fuel which oils & lubricates & keeps in motion the machinery of the muslim fanatic.
With a healthy, well balanced mind there is remorse & shame & guilty consciences... these are foreign concepts to the muslim fanatic & their lunatic craving for jihad..holy war.. For obvious reasons they will never admit to this fact so they usurp & distort religion to justify their treachery. It doesn't require rocket science to see that an all loving good "allah' would never command its 'children' to harm another. And of course with the west sticking it's nose in many muslim countries affairs the fanatic has even more of an excuse to attack the west. But if the west was entirely removed from muslim countries the hatred and attacks would not cease therefore pointing out the true reasons behind the fanatics stimulation.. envidia in the extreme. Are all muslims fanatics? Of course not but as you know one bad apple can spoil... Fact.. the majority of muslims are for all intense and purposes illiterate. They therefore are not educated as concerns the woof & warp of other countries. These people are gullible & most impressionable.
I do say however that "common sense" does not require an education. Why then the fanaticism? Well first off you've have those who do know whats what and are quite simply filled with envivia. Then you have those who've seen famil & friends die & are lead to believe the west was responsible.. these very ones who are living without purpose and in dire poverty.. This is the fertile ground where the real evil fanatics seek their recruit.. the lost & lonley, poor & grief stricken,.. they are ripe for hatred, thye are seeking someone, somthing to blame & the real fanatics know just which buttons to push. In addition as usual divide and conquer techniques enforced upon people just barely struggling to survive who live every minute in fear and being bombarded with false negative propaganda what hope is there of the ' truth' ever reaching these people when any truths that might per chance circulate are denounced as lies by the manipulators whom the people have ever reason to fear. All have seen whats happens to those who protest..The Truth? Whose truth? Facts I have actually seen are my truths..the elite in the muslim countries live lavishly...while they disseminate untruths to the people about the west.. that the west is their enemy.. that their dire unbearable existence is due to the activities of the west. This smoke screen is very effective especially to a people who can't afford the luxury of getting, in any way shape or form, to the truth of the matter, they whose only goal in life is getting enough to eat and getting thru this day alive..They haven't time for analyzation ferchrisakes! One of the sheep isn't going to round up the rest of the flock. The only efficacious activity that will accomplish some sort of honest, fair enlightenment is "EDUCATING" the people.. guns will never alter anything. But war is good business for the western munitions manufactures & the many who profit indirectly (trickle down effect) from the wars. I say your average run of the mill muslim could get along just fine with your average run of the mil westerner with out the power elite in both camps stirring up the hatred between the two with disinformation & a barrage of lies & dirty tricks. Then there is this thing religion... Unfortunately many henious acts since the beginning of time have been perpetuated in the name of religion. A few deceitful individuals/groups desire, for their own selfish ends, a particular scenario which will allow them to get/have their way. They use religion as the instrument to get their dirty work done. Saying to the people the koran says death to the unbeliever.. the koran says this or that.. anything to further the cause of the bully! The sheepish, uneducated, inexperienced, afraid people are helpless to believe anything else... To the delight of the few who would rule them. Divide & conqueor & brainswash & intimidate with fear... Sadam was only too well aware of these ever so efficacious tactics. Just as mentor/philosopher Machevalii said to his student prince's " do whatever you wish for there is only one in a million who will stand up against you". In all honesty so are the western leaders manipulating their sheep however their tactics are less brutal and much more subtle but nevertheless they employ underhanded tactics upon their subjects.. obviously a certain amount of control is necessary to ward of total chaos. Yes it is a tender balance & I prefer the western style
control over the muslim style. In the west the people, as can be proven, enjoy more freedom than exists in the muslim world. The women are not so brutally treated in the west as in the muslim world.. this is one of my biggest bones of contention. Why even the men in muslim societies who are brutally dominated exercise the same vicious tactics on "their" women.. yes "their" women.. Thus though they abhor the hand that punishes & holds them down & severly brutally restricts them they "HYPOCRITICALLY" are guility of the same vicious behavior towards their wives & children! Do unto to others as you would have them do unto you is a non existent concept! You can to some extent see a similiar behavior pattern in the west. Western Psychologists will tell you that children raised in abusive families often abuse their own children. The barbarian seed in the human runs deep. Somehow the west has evolved a less unfair, brutal outward civilization though the seeds are there perhaps somewhat dormant. Fear of reprisal is the only thing that restrains many westerners. The muslim world has no monopoly on brutality & unfairness..History is replete with human treachery.. It is the old struggle between good and evil.. which one will ultimately prevail. A people ultimately get the governance they deserve............... Sad but the guy in the street vehemently dislikes being bullied by his 'superiors' hoowever he does not want these ' bully' tactics outlawed lest he not be able to (git dis) " discipline " his own brood! And none dare call it treason!