As events seem to heighten with Islamis terrorists throughout the world, it would seem that the doomsayers would have cause for their predictions. After all, islamofascist violence is on the upswing, and we don't hear enough of the sane voices of Islam speaking out against these individuals.

As negative as things might seem, though, I believe that Islam is going through a growth process that is as common to religion as it is painful. They are going through a reformation, and a battle between the hardline fundamentalists and the younger Islamic sects with more progressive thought.

Islam has about a 1400 year history as an organized religion. If we look at the history of Judaism, at this point in their history, they were pretty much butchering anyone who got between them and posession of their Holy Land. Likewise, Christianity went through the Inquisition and the Crusades, a bloody time in the history of Christianity that most present day Christians would rather forget. Islam, I believe, is going through that painful transition, and unfortunately doing it during a time when the culture of much of the world not only clashes with the values of fundamentalist Islam, but does so in a way that INVOLVES them. While the reformation era Christians could pretty much cloister themselves in sheltered communities, and the Jews could keep to themselves within their own communities, it is becoming an increasingly rare luxury for the Islamist who wants to preserve his values. Globalization, for all the good it brings in bringing better nutrition, communication, education, information, and health care to the remote corners of the earth, is also bringing different moral standards, popular entertainment, clothing, and magazines with it, fueling the curiousity and rebellious natures of those who would press for change. The old guard, standing on the wall, feel as though they are fighting for the very heart and souls of their youth. And that is one reason why so many are willing to take this fight to the death.

Judaism survived these conflicts to become a strong religion, with practitioners holding a wide variety of philosophical views. Christianity did the same. And it is quite possible Islam will do the same. What is different about Islam, however, is that, while the other religions' conflicts came about in the time of the spear and the sword, Islam's is coming about in the time of the biological and chemical weapon. Their ability to kill in greater numbers is what is making their conflict stand out. Let's hope they go through this reformation before they inflict much more damage.