Prince Charles ends US trip: No word on if he persuaded Bush on the strengths of Islam

Prince Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, have concluded their state visit to the U.S.

Has anyone but me remembered this October 29 (two days after the French riots started) article from the Daily Telegraph?

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The Prince of Wales will try to persuade George W. Bush and Americans of the merits of Islam this week because he thinks the United States has been too intolerant of the religion since September 11.

The Prince, who leaves on Tuesday for an eight-day tour of the US, has voiced private concerns over America's "confrontational" approach to Muslim countries and its failure to appreciate Islam's strengths.

The Prince raised his concerns when he met senior Muslims in London in November 2001. The gathering took place just two months after the attacks on New York and Washington. "I find the language and rhetoric coming from America too confrontational," the Prince said, according to one leader at the meeting.

It is understood that Prince Charles did not - and does not - believe that the actions of 19 hijackers should tarnish the reputation of hundreds of millions of law-abiding Muslims around the world.

Fair enough on that last one...but the article goes on.

He spoke warmly of the West's debt to the culture of Islam and distanced moderate Muslims from misguided militants. "Extremism is no more the monopoly of Islam than it is the monopoly of other religions, including Christianity," he said.

Uh, no.

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