Frida:	Do you think Islam and the West can peacefully coexist?
Dmiritri:	When I was younger, I would have offered a resounding "yes." Now I'm less certain.
Frida:	Why is that?
Dmiritri:	Because any ideology which is absolutist – believing only it is correct – cannot peacefully coexist with other ideologies. Absolutism seeks total domination. Radical Islam or fundamentalist Christianity or Ultra-orthodox Judaism or militant atheism are absolutist in many ways.
Ying:	Well, fringe groups in any religion tend to be extreme. I don't think it is fair to pinpoint Islam as a problem . . .
Dmiritri:	Perhaps you're right. To me, Islam seems extremely self-righteous, possessive, non-reflective, and dogmatic. Ultimately, it is anti-scientific and reactionary. However, as you point out, perhaps the same could be said of many different faiths. Ideology can be blinding.
Satoru:	You know, in some parts of the world people would be killed for saying such things.
Dmiritri:	Sadly true. Free thought is muzzled in many Islamic socieities.
Ying:	I think you are too harsh about Islam. Look at the west today. More often than not, western powers are agressors. Most people living in Islamic countries can find little inspiration from the West. All too often western civilization is decadent and hypocritical.
Frida:	Yeah, perhaps you are right. If peace is ever going to come to our planet, I believe our core identity has to be based on something deeper than race, religion, or ethnicity. We also need more tolerance for diversity.
Satoru:	Our current path does not seem sustainable. Some deep change is needed.