Islamists believe that the Church can go hand in hand with Science.

How do you explain that the need for intellectual objectivity in the pursuit of science exists regardless of culture when the person you are speaking to is operating under a belief system?

Islamists believe that you can stop theft by cutting off people's arms.

How do you explain that they are solving a minor problem by teaching people to resolve differences with extreme violence? How can you show them that this is the origin of other violent tendencies in their culture when your own culture still has the death penalty and doesn't understand it. How can you prove to them that they are frequently dismembering innocent people when they believe their government is run by god and is beyond question.

Islamists don't believe in the separation of Church and State.

How do you explain that god really isn't guiding the hands of their leaders when you can't explain this to people who live in the South Eastern United States?

Why don't we see more essays from Islamists? We read western authors all the time. We know the Islamists are on the internet. Where is the dialog, anyway? I haven't read an Islamist author since the last time I was in Malaysia. Maybe I ought to start reading their paper. I'll bet its online in English.

Even if we had dialog, how do you tackle the problem of absolute beliefs? I can't even do it amongst my friends.

This is not a war that will be won with bullets. Bullets are required, but they are not the answer. This war, like every war, is a war that will be won with words. It will be won in the hearts and minds of people who might consider radical Islam. Like every war.

Are we fighting it? Do we know how?