The notion that people become offended when Islam is associated with terrorism reflects denial on a scale that is almost pathological. While nobody denies that Christian and Jewish zealots have had times when they conducted terrorism in the name of religion – that time has, for the most part, passed. When Mohammed Taheri-Azar rented an SUV that could “run things over and keep going,” and drove into a crowd of students at the University of North Carolina last week, it was in the name of the Islamic Ummah. When as many call them, the “Magnificent Nineteen” flew hijacked planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon killing thousands in the name of Allah – that’s Islam associated with terrorism. When the terrorist Zarqawi sawed off 26 year-old Nick Berg’s head with a steak knife it wasn’t “Get out of Iraq” that he was chanting, it was “Allahu Ackbar” or “God is Great.”When co-pilot Gameel el-Batouty crashed EgyptAir Flight 990, he chanted “God is Great” into the radio.Some fuzz the argument with prattle about how “Muslims are victims, West are oppressors” They are welcome to tell that to Nick Berg, or our classmates from class of 2000 and class of 1999 that perished in the 9/11 attacks. The US and the West has blood on its hands too – but to imply that Islam is NOT associated with terrorism is disingenuous. Yes, the cartoons were deliberately offensive. So is burning the American flag. So is equating the Israelis with the Nazi’s. So is calling a Socialist a “Commie.” Nobody is exempt. Get over yourself and wake up. Not all Muslims are terrorists – true, very few are. The majority of the terrorist acts over the past ten years have in-fact been carried out in the name of Islam. Anyone who thinks otherwise has their head in the sand.