Could be me, and often is, but I interpret MGMs post as a tirade against the extremism within Islam rather than Islam itself. It could well have read

"the patent lesson that Catholicism should never have been allowed a foothold here to give it's priests access to innocent youngsters... "

The operative being that the foothold was given to the extremists etc. rather than the foothold given to the religion. It's the way I interpret it anyway and, as I said earlier, I am prepared to give anyone the benefit of the doubt. If however the main point is that the patent lesson is that Islam itself, in all it's guises, should never have been given a foothold then I am prepared to stand corrected.

Which is it Michael? Could you make an unequivocal statement that you have no issue with Islam and Moslems per se but you are against the factions within it that are causing the problems?

What is to be done about those unruly factions is a different argument altogether.

Cheers

DtG