Its' a quiet New York Sunday and I'm sipping my coffee, reading my email, the newspapers, the online media, and looking out my window at newly bare branches in a weak winter sun. Suddenly—small miracles begin to appear.

According to the BBC, more than 57% of Swiss voters in 29 cantons supported a referendum proposal to ban the building of minarets. Partial results from the final canton indicated 68% of people there supported the ban.

Look: I happen to like minarets but I also understand that today they unfortunately symbolize radical Islam which is a bad thing for women and other living beings.

Western as well as Muslim and other immigrant women who wish to assimilate have the most to lose if radical Islam takes over. Thus, early on, women led the Swiss in a poll about whether or not minarets should be banned. Only 31% of men compared to 39% of women voted for the ban. Some say this was due to a vigorous feminist campaign about women's rights. Socialist politicians viewed the feminists as unacceptably anti-immigrant. Women viewed the minarets as unacceptably anti-woman. Julia Werner, a local housewife said:

"If we give them a minaret, they'll have us all wearing burqas. "Before you know it, we'll have sharia law and women being stoned to death in our streets. We won't be Swiss any more."

And, Julia Onken, a Swiss feminist leader, warned that failure to ban minarets would be "a signal of the state's acceptance of the oppression of women". She sent out 4,000 emails attacking Muslims who condone forced marriage, honour killings and beating women."

More good news:

Britain's most prominent Muslim businessman, who was trapped inside a burning hotel in the Mumbai terror attacks, is calling on the government to toughen measures against extremist preachers. Sir Gulam Noon, one of Labour's most generous donors, says the door is being left open for foreign imams to radicalise thousands of young Muslims in mosques.

Finally, miracle of miracles, Thomas L. Friedman, in today's New York Times, writing about the Fort Hood jihadist ("America vs the Narrative") concludes thusly:

"Whenever something like Fort Hood happens you say, 'This is not Islam.' I believe that. But you keep telling us what Islam isn't. You need to tell us what it is and show us how its positive interpretations are being promoted in your schools and mosques. If this is not Islam, then why is it that a million Muslims will pour into the streets to protest Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, but not one will take to the streets to protest Muslim suicide bombers who blow up other Muslims, real people, created in the image of God? You need to explain that to us — and to yourselves."

Is the old magic not working anymore? Are people no longer as easily fooled by false allegations of "Islamophobic racism"? Do we understand that it is dangerous to tolerate the intolerant?

Ah, but when will someone at the White House understand that although the Bush administration made many mistakes (it did not try the Guantanamo inmates a lot sooner and in a military court)– the Obama administration decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others as if they are American citizens, is an even bigger mistake?

My thanks to "Esther" who covers Islam in Europe.