Oh, We Kind of Did It Ourselves

AP did it first. Money quotes by opinion makers who see the root of the problem in a new cultural climate:

“There is no use denying. ... We incited the crime of Sharm el-Sheik. … The bombers didn't just conjure up in our midst suddenly, they are a product of a society that produces extremist fossilized minds that are easy to be controlled. …Regrettably, the incitement is coming from mosque pulpits, newspapers, and TV screens, and radio microphones, which are all state-run.”
- Al-Musawwar's editor in chief.

“After December's tsunami in the Indian Ocean, he went on Arab television and called the devastation God's revenge on Westerners engaged in vice.”
- Columnist in Al-Ahram daily pointing to a famous religious scholar.

“Islamic leaders need to do a lot of work to enlighten clerics and preachers and educate them about the true religious ideas ... and teach them about the realities of the age we're living in.”
- Theology professor at Al-Azhar University, a leading Sunni Muslim institution.

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