Quote/unquote

Catholic New Times, Jan 16, 2005 by James Carroll

I propose this image for our new and urgent discussions about religion. In America, a religious divide has suddenly emerged as politically decisive, and in the world, religion is a runaway engine of violence. A fanatic fringe of Islam asserts its doctrine by joining suicide to murder in Allah's name.

In Gaza and the West Bank, some hypernationalist religious Jews stake claims to land, with God as guarantor--disastrous consequences to Palestinians and Israel both be damned. Similarly, America's war in Iraq has evolved into a two-sided holy war, even if only one side explicitly defines it as such.