The Wisdom Of Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the most dominant basketball player I ever saw.  More to the point, he's a perceptive and articulate fellow, with wide-ranging interests and intelligence.  Last week, he wrote a column for Time magazine titled "Paris Was Not About Religion."  An excerpt:
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Another horrendous act of terrorism has taken place, and people like myself who are on media speed dial under "Celebrity Muslims" are thrust into the spotlight to explain.

We can't end terrorism any more than we can than we can end crime in general.  But I look forward to the day when an act of terrorism by self-proclaimed Muslims will be universally dismissed as nothing more than a criminal attack by a thuggish political  organization wearing an ill-fitting Muslim mask.

Religion -- no matter which one -- is ultimately about people wanting to live humble, moral lives that create harmonious community and promote tolerance and friendship.
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(Hmm.  I always say I'm not a religious person, but by Kareem's definition, maybe I am.)