Dear Joe,
While I agree that two wrongs don't make a right, taking the higher ground generally does not inspire the other to better behaviour, though we might like to believe that it will...
If the 'other' (and that 'other' can be an organized religion, or as I have experienced, man, or a woman)lives by the world; by his own rules;, by a mindset of paranoia; by bullying tactics; by lack of ethics and morals; and by the code of life 'games'; they will RARELY, if EVER, stop and say: "oh that person/religion/organization is being nice, so let me be nice too".
Their very core being will not accept the other's 'niceness' as being what it is at face value, and their paranoia will always make them suspicious...thus, nothing changes. If they don't look at the niceness through paranoid tinted glasses, they will simply laugh the 'other' off as being weak.
Thus, I think that a little verbal bullying back and a little show of strength as is being shown by the Russians, is the only language that *might* gain Christianity some priveledge in the Muslim world.
In Christ,
Alice
