DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT OF "TEDDY BEAR SYNDROME"

Teddy Bear Syndrome - the tendency of many Muslims to judge Westerners and those who do not adhere to Islam as "blasphemous" when they exercise freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of choice, and freedom of religion; and to react in an intolerant, inappropriate and violent rage, demanding death or some other extreme punishment for the accused.

The etiology of this syndrome is related to a severe insecurity and inferiority complex; combined with the malignant narcissism of Islam as a religion and as a political ideology (primarily due to its failure to evolve from its medieval and primitive origins); all of which frequently results in the facilitation of the darkest and most barbaric aspects of human nature, rather than the most sublime.

The pathophysiology of the disorder is directly connected to a geological quirk of nature that has resulted in delusions of grandeur and relevance for the mostly primitive Arab tribes responsible for promulgating the religion. Mutations of the original disorder are equally lethal.

It is excacerbated by the concomitant pathology of Western multiculturalism and political correctness.

Victor Davis Hanson, who coined the term, makes some excellent points about it:

Watch out if Westerners somewhere are judged blasphemous to Islam when they draw a cartoon, write a novel, make a movie or discuss history.

In their furious reaction, thin-skinned Muslims may issue death threats. And they expect apologies. Sometimes the offense -- like the reporting of a Koran flushed down the toilet at Guantanamo Bay -- turns out to be false but still causes riots and murdering thousands of miles away.

Likewise, the reaction to this madness is now stereotyped. Often apologies -- not condemnation -- follow from contrite Westerners. To prevent a recurrence, Western writers, filmmakers, teachers and religious figures quietly edit their work and restrict their speech -- but only when Islam is involved.

So-called moderate Muslims, often residing in Western countries, will usually say they deplore such extremism on the part of radicals. Then they claim such intolerance is simply not typical of Islam. Or that the embarrassing story has been reported in exaggerated fashion by those prejudiced against Muslims.

Few, though, ever explain why it is that Muslims -- not Hindus, Christians, Buddhists or atheists -- are in the global news threatening to kill someone over a toy or a cartoon or an opera.

Finally, the uproar dies down -- only to break out again in a new place over a new grievance.

And the treatment for this pathological religious/political disorder?

What would stop this unhealthy teddy bear syndrome?

-- Weaning ourselves off imported oil and therefore the need to appease those who have it.

-- Politely informing Muslims that Westerners believe the norms of free speech and expression are to be uniformly applied. No one religion or region gets a special pass.

-- Supporting human rights abroad and offering some constitutional alternative in the Middle East to theocracy and dictatorship that both encourage Islamic radicalism.

-- And remaining militarily strong.

Remember that the fanatic waving his age-old sword in the Khartoum street over a teddy bear shows the same dangerous derangement as the nut in Tehran who may one day want his hand on the Bomb.

I think it is important to emphasize, that left untreated, Teddy Bear Syndrome only escalates and is extremely lethal and destructive to all human life. "Apologies" only excacerbate the symptomology and encourage the escalation of pathology.