I just returned from Mali in Western Africa where 99% of the people are Muslim.

You could safely say it is a Muslim country even though it is not a state-sponsored religion. Every day at certain times, you can hear the bells in the mosques calling people to prayer. And that meant they would stop, kneel, and pray. They were never hesitant to mention God in conversation, or thank him for . . . everything.

It was a very humbling lesson to realize how much more dedicated to their faith they are than most Christians who may give God one hour on Sunday morning. But what is interesting is that no one from a non-Muslim country considers this expression to be fanatic. It is the way they express their sincerely held religious beliefs.

But in America, which was founded as a Christian country, in spite of what revisionists will say, just having a Bible at work, wearing a cross, or mentioning the name of Jesus is considered fanatic behaviour.

Perhaps if Christians became more fanatic with their love of God and their love of their fellow man, their fanaticism would be embraced instead of symbolically ridiculed.