What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?

Noted physician, philosopher and peacenik Deepak Chopra wrote an essay that was published in the Baltimore Sun's op-ed pages a couple days ago. Entitled "Try listening to Muslim world" [I'm trying to, but I can't hear anything over the explosions and gunfire! --ed.], Chopra asks:

Isn't it possible that we would be more secure by trying to understand how Muslims think and feel?

Now that's all well and good, but I think we already know how a "radical minority" of Muslims think and feel, and the only ones I'm concerned with are the ones that hate me and want to kill me. As for the rest, I assume they want to peacefully practice their religion, raise their kids well, yada yada yada.

Chopra goes on to say,

"Watching the news, one would think that all Muslims are either wildly fanatic or wildly irrational."

Well, that might be true if we weren't constantly reminded by the news media and CAIR that these "wildly fanatic and irrational" Muslims don't represent the "vast majority" of Islam. He then cites a recent Gallup poll of ten Muslim countries:

• A majority of Muslims in all 10 countries had a favorable opinion of the European Union and thought the EU could serve as an agent of peace. This contradicts the mantra that Muslims hate the West and that a clash of civilizations is inevitable. [Well, it doesn't really contradict the "mantra". It merely highlights the dhimmitude of Eurabia. --ed.]

• A majority of Muslims supports freedoms of speech, assembly and religion. [Of course they do...provided the freedoms are limited to Muslims. How would they hold all those protests otherwise? --ed.]

• The same majority believes that women should have a right to vote, drive and work outside the home. [Wow...now that's really progressive. --ed.]

And then there's this quote, where he further cites the findings of the poll:

For example, a basic question with regard to the war on terror is how many Muslims are religious extremists. The answer: far fewer than anyone tends to believe. According to the Gallup Poll, only 8 percent of Muslims hold extremist views (for example, they think the 9/11 attacks were justified). Fifty-five percent are "skeptical moderates" (they don't like the United States but don't believe that 9/11 was justified). Fully 35 percent are pro-American (they like the United States and also feel that 9/11 was unjustified).

These facts make me breathe a little easier. I see a ray of light, and we certainly need one.

What? These facts make him "breathe a little easier"? Assuming 1.4 billion Muslims in the world, if 8% of them are radicalized, that makes a potential army of jihadis 112,000,000 strong. That's one hundred twelve million. And I won't even speculate on the number that wouldn't admit to being extremist.

We now have the answer to Elvis Costello's question of "What's so funny about peace, love and understanding". The answer is "Deepak Chopra".