America played a large role in bringing progress to the Middle East. Made many governments and certain individuals very wealthy, including the bin Laden family. In return for such good will we over empathize with their dogma to a fault. So much so that we are more willing to discuss what we don't understand about them and avoid what they have done as of late. It is very surprising to see so many people so surprised at the way Muslims behave as if it is a shortcoming of our own because we can't feel for them. Just about every amendment to our constitution is for the benefit of the individual. And yet we so readily accuse ourselves of being unable to perceive the culture of others. Empathy is one thing. Sympathy is entirely different. But one surely leads to the latter when we are not careful. We may find ourselves with having to choose between conversion, death, or enslavement. Only because we disagree whether a pothole is worth repairing in the long run. We are quick to point out the virtues of the other man's culture and our lack of empathy but hesitant to discuss in even greater detail the threat of the other man's culture, dogma, and ideology on our own culture. I realize that empathizing is an important element in planning against a threatening culture, dogma, or ideology but there is a time where killing that idea is just as much or even more important. Over rationalizing other cultures by finding fault with our own is a self-defeating defense mechanism. Rationalizing on how to counter a threat from another culture based on an understanding of that culture is enough. Especially, when that culture's ultimate goal is your demise, that the Quran is a living document in the most dangerous of hands, and it is a sin of said culture/religion/law to question such decisions made as a result.