HOUSE OVERSIGHT 024400 Nobody has done any real work to support this proposition, nor is it clear exactly how it would be tested. My view is that the grammar "Islam is x" is itself problematic because Islam has expressed itself throughout history in a variety of fashions. It is more useful to talk in terms of how seriously engaged with Islam, the Koran and other texts, a Muslim is. What is significant is how Muslims today are using Islam and most of those who are in power either throughout a large territory or within a small community tend toward, if not fully advocate, the very supremacist ideas that we try to tell ourselves are reserved for the few "extremists." Presumably most Germans did not wish to see all Nazi atrocities carried out but in the end they fell in line because they had to. Those our politicians and press call the "extremists" are in one sense more accurately the "good" Muslims who ar e following their Islamic beliefs dutifully. FP: Tell us how Western shame and guilt play into all of this. Siegel: One of the dirty little secrets the Control Factor preys upon is that if we believe we control something we can comfort ourselves that we can change it. Remember the horror film- the threat has one purpose and that is to destroy you. You can not change it, talk it out of it, teach it alternatives or otherwise. That is what makes it so inherently frightening. If we can convince ourselves that we caused the threat to act the way it does we can maintain the secret hope that we can change it. Consequently, there is a tremendous attraction to blaming ourselves for the Islamic Enemy's behavior. And we see this power in our readily accepting responsibility for terror- because of our occupation, our greedy quest for oil, our failure to extend a hand of "engagement," Israel's building settlements, our making videos that defa me Mohammed and so on. Again, the relationship is defined by the enemy blaming us for his actions and our accepting such