Before 1948 there were a few hundred Muslims in the country. Hardly a great history. America might be a "nation of immigrants" but we most definitely aren't.
Calling for Assad to step down but leaving the regime intact as many countries are calling for is unrealistic. Assad IS the regime. It all collapses without him.
Kofi Annan's original plan called for Assad to stay as president but devolve the power to his deputy. That to me seems a good idea.
Moazzam Begg was totally innocent of course. He just went to Afghanistan under the Taliban for a holiday. Same with Bosnia and Chechnya. Because that's normal.
I don't think there's anything wrong with executing drug traffickers after a trial. But it seems to me that what you're doing is very dangerous in that you're allowing people to effectively commit murder with no consequences. How do you know everybody being killed is a drug dealer? Totally...