A fanatic commits to an ideal to whatever end. A fanatic throws everything aside to pursue their idea. Take something which it would be good to be committed to, like basic human rights. You might campaign for such a thing. You might spend every day of your life pursuing such a thing. But once you become fanatical about it, anything can happen.

For historic reasons - principally the political Right's opposition to gay rights - most gay spokespeople continue to think that the political Right is the sole locale from which anti-gay sentiment can come.

Londoners say, 'We're so proud of our diversity and tolerance,' but what if that diversity ends up making us intolerant?

Rather than being a 'perversion' of Islam, it is truer to say that the version of Islam espoused by ISIS, while undoubtedly the worst possible interpretation of Islam, and for Muslims and non-Muslims everywhere obviously the most destructive version of Islam, is nevertheless a plausible interpretation of Islam.