Clerics of the Taliban.

Whether or not we are at war with Islam depends on who you ask. The U.S. doesn't think that it is, and doesn't really want to be, and in fact... is not. The U.S. has a constitutional tradition of trying to separate church from state to the best of its ability. The Arabic Islamic nations take an opposite view. For the most part, it is impossible to separate the fusion of politics and religion that exists in most Arabic Islamic countries. The inability to be able to attack a country's politics without also attacking its religion is a problem that the west has never been able to solve. We do not see the world in terms of Christian versus Jew versus Muslim. My strained understanding of Islam is that it is against their teachings to go to war unless it is a holy war fought purely for religious reasons. This does not keep the Arab Islamic nations from waging wars, it only means they all have to be proclaimed religious wars. Asking who speaks for Islam is like asking who speaks for Christianity. About.com states that 1/5 of the world's population is Islamic, with less than 10% of that population being Arabic. Fewer still are responsible for the attacks on civilian targets. The Arab nations are more prone to be pulled into a call to arms in the name of Islam. Is there any wonder that the majority of Islam is stunned and horrified at the events of 9-11-01 in NY. And can you understand the insult to injury when these attacks are made in the name of Islam. If one single thing is needed now, it is the condemnation of these attacks by all Islamic leaders who are opposed to them.