Some have commented that if I deplore Ted’s idea of talking to “the fellas” in his imagined lunch with Jesus and Muhammad, then what’s to be done? Isn’t it better to jaw-jaw than war-war?
Yes, but we have to have a good understanding of our interlocutors. We can’t be naïve about where they come from. Only then can we know how to deal with all the issues thrown up by the resurgence of Islam.
For now, any discussions with the likes of Muhammad, or his fanatical followers, to borrow from Ruth R. Wisse:
“…requires confronting hostility that is not subject to rational persuasion, does not obey the liberal version of the rule of law, does not abide by liberal ideas of fairness, and does not extend peace and goodwill to others....”.
[Daniel Bielak comment at 5:46pm]
