<font color="#ff00cc">Interesting, too bad no one took more interest [img]smile.gif[/img] </font>

To be perfectly honest I have no idea why it was posted or what point was being made. Is it that there are some bad muslims in the world or is it that their customs and laws are different to ours? Because I more or less already knew that.

I don't judge civilisations with different laws - did you know that in some western countries they still have the death penalty!!! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 12-20-2002, 09:21 AM: Message edited by: Donut ]

It is a religion of peace plagued by too many extremists and fanatics.

[ 12-20-2002, 09:32 AM: Message edited by: Paladin2000 ]

The English translation is not as eloquent as the original Arabic, but let me quote from the Koran, itself: "In the long run, evil in the extreme will be the end of those who do evil. For that they rejected the signs of Allah and held them up to ridicule."

The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace. They represent evil and war.

When we think of Islam we think of a faith that brings comfort to a billion people around the world. Billions of people find comfort and solace and peace. And that's made brothers and sisters out of every race -- out of every race.

America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country. Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members of the military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, moms and dads. And they need to be treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect.

Women who cover their heads in this country must feel comfortable going outside their homes. Moms who wear cover must be not intimidated in America. That's not the America I know. That's not the America I value.

I've been told that some fear to leave; some don't want to go shopping for their families; some don't want to go about their ordinary daily routines because, by wearing cover, they're afraid they'll be intimidated. That should not and that will not stand in America.

Those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don't represent the best of America, they represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior.

To be perfectly honest I have no idea why it was posted or what point was being made. Is it that there are some bad muslims in the world or is it that their customs and laws are different to ours? Because I more or less already knew that.

I don't judge civilisations with different laws - did you know that in some western countries they still have the death penalty!!! [img]smile.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]<font color="#ff00cc">Did you know, that what is even more horrifying that some countries allow Homicidal maniacs to live? And some countries even allow terrorists to live free and safe to plot the deaths of innocent children and civilians?

A swift and clean execution is far far from a cruel or inhumane punishment and does benefit society as a whole.

EDIT:
Err which civilization is being judged? A religion does not a civilization define.</font>

[ 12-20-2002, 09:53 AM: Message edited by: MagiK ]

<font color="#ff00cc">The real kicker is what you define as "Evil" This is a religion that allows and promotes the subjugation of women (not unlike the old testement there except for it's extremes), encourages torture, and the killing of children and calls for the death of all infidels. It may sound pretty when looked at in small chunks but look at the over all context and at what is being called for....not to mention that it calls for the genocide of all Jews.... </font>

[ 12-20-2002, 09:57 AM: Message edited by: MagiK ]

In short, it's not too different from Christianity. Or any other religion, for that matter.

-Sazerac

<font color="#ff00cc">A rather valid point Saz :D except for the most part the other religions (Ireland as an exception) arent out there causing mayhem and grief at the current time.</font>

In short, it's not too different from Christianity. Or any other religion, for that matter.

-Sazerac</font>[/QUOTE]The texts of the Old Testament and of the Koran can and have been interpreted to mean anything and everything. What is important is how that religion is practised in today's world. The vast majority of Muslims worldwide do not want world domination. What do the 30 million muslims in China know of the problems in the middle east? If the 110 million muslims in Indonesia wanted to destroy Christianity in their country don't you think they are capable of doing so. The muslim who runs my local grocery is more upset by England's inability to beat Australia at cricket than he is about what religion I am.

I found this interesting:

"Remember that Muhammad was a military leader and as such involved personally in a great deal of brutality. In the course of one battle, Muhammad's troops raid a village and kill everyone "until there was no survivor left." [Full citations provided below.] During another battle, Muhammad's troops killed many men but the "prophet" is disturbed that male infants weren't murdered too--and sends the troops back to finish the job.

The early Muslims are shown to be not only brutal but treacherous (a fact worth remembering as we consider peace treaties with Muslim nations). In one battle, the Muhammadans promised peace to a tribe nearby. Then, when the other tribe members were lulled into complacency, Muhammad massacred "all the males." They kept the women as slaves.

The hatred for other faiths that we see in modern Islam has its roots in the Quran. The book tells how the Jews of the area had offered peace and Muhammad invited them to a ceremony to declare peace. Instead, Muhammad massacred the 950 of them.

Muhammad even countenances brutality against his own people. When a group in the region reputedly insulted Allah by worshiping an idol, Muhammad led the slaughter of 3,000 people in a single day. When some of his followers strayed by following non-Islamic sex practices, Allah literally directs Muhammad to slaughter another 24,000: "take all the heads of the people and hang them up before Allah against the sun."

Under the Sharia, the Islamic law, even the slightest infractions are punished with brutal violence. Some foods were not cooked according to Halal laws? Two men were immediately executed.

The notion that Allah is a forgiving God is comical. At one point, Muhammad had led his troops to victory and then had his troops mutilate the genitalia of the opponents. He and his allies also set fire to a walled city and then waited for the victims to flee, at which point they were ambushed and slaughtered. Putting aside the historical accuracy of that account, is this really the "God of Peace" that Muslim leaders speak about?

The appalling treatment of women we see in Islamic countries today also has its roots in the Quran. When a mob of Muslims is attacking a man, he responds by offering his own daughter to be raped. Allah teaches the Muslims that to in order repopulate a diminished tribe, they should go to a nearby field, wait for the women to come out, and then kidnap, rape and marry them.

This is all very consistent with the basic theology of Islam spelled out in chilling clarity by Muhammad himself: "I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."

Finally, if there's any doubt about the fanatical nature of the faith, it should be dispelled with this chilling passage: "Happy shall they be who take your little ones [babies] and dash them against the rock."

Hmmm, I seem to have made a few errors with the attributions. The passages you've just read are not from the Quran; they're from the Bible. Where I say Muhammad, I actually meant either Moses, Joshua, David, or another biblical figure. "I have not come to bring peace but a sword" was uttered by Jesus. When I say "Allah," I actually meant God of the Hebrew Bible. And when I refer to Muhammed's troops, I actually meant the Hebrews."

[ 12-20-2002, 10:40 AM: Message edited by: Donut ]