Report: U.S. should 'marginalize religious extremists, not religion'

Appropos of the comment to my previous post, I'd be remiss in not presenting a more balanced picture.

CNN puts the Chicago Council on Global Affairs study in a more coherent light:

The success of American diplomacy in the next decade "will be measured by its ability to connect with the hundreds of millions of people throughout the world whose identity is defined by religion," the report says.

"The challenge before us is to marginalize religious extremists, not religion," it concludes.

The report, "Engaging Religious Communities Abroad: A New Imperative for U.S. Foreign Policy," finds the key challenge for America internationally is to "understand the role of religion in world affairs and to constructively engage with religious communities around the world."

The report, presented to the White House this week, was written by task force of 32 experts, including former government officials, religious leaders, heads of international organizations and scholars.

Religious communities, they point out, are central players in major developments around the world: the war in Afghanistan, the promotion of human rights, environmental policy and the pursuit of peace.

The portion that I highlighted is the part I'm in especial agreement with--we can't extricate religion from a society, but we can agree that some activity is unacceptable--and the world being what it is, it's people of faith who might have to convey this to their extremists--which someone like myself could not ever do. I'm the secular "enemy". Some things have to be discussed between friends.