This scares me to death! Is all the Islamic world mad?

[Zylka]

That's true, because Extremism and idealism will kill us all. Sitting on the fence drooling and watching others put their murderous intentions into practise is the best way to avoid this death, I gather.

[ranskaldan]

Standing in the field and hurling various unfounded, bigoted, one-sided insults would quickly bring about peace and brotherhood, no doubt.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Hobbes
A man has a harem and raises a large family of children and then sells the children as sex slaves. This, in my opinion and practically everyone else, is terribly wrong. This takes place all over the rocky mountain region between British Columbia and Utah and probably in many other places in North America.
Every culture has its 'black eye', both western and Islamic. Every culture has its crazies and the not-so-crazies. No culture is better than another.

Oh come on, what fraction of 1% of the population does this comprise? Don't forget Jeffrey Daumer, a sure sign that our civilization is no better than barbarism.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by ranskaldan
peace and brotherhood

There is no peace and brotherhood with Islamists, unless you are an Islamist. Don't you get it?

Maybe you would have a different perspective if you were a non muslim in the Phillipines, or Malaya, or Nigeria(??).

Grab a clue. The Islamist movement is not something that can be co-existed with. Sooner or later, more and more will realise this. The later it goes, the higher the price.

[Tolls]

"Nigeria isn't quite a muslim country. The population is slightly less than 50% muslim, 40% christian, and 10% indigenous religions, yet the government has imposed Sharia law on the whole country."

No. The government doesn't impose Sharia on the country (they would have a civil war between north and south if they did). They let the individual states determine whether they use Sharia or not, so it is in force in the north but not the south.

"There is no peace and brotherhood with Islamists, unless you are an Islamist. Don't you get it?

Maybe you would have a different perspective if you were a non muslim in the Phillipines, or Malaya, or Nigeria(??)."

I was born in Malaysia, and lived for a few years in Jos, Nigeria (the North East, Plateau State). We had no problem there at all. The military government of Nigeria was the biggest cause of trouble, mixed with a still very tribal culture...the elections just after we left (1980) were not fun, but this had nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with local chiefs trying to secure power for themselves.

In other words, your talking crap...

[TheStinger]

sharia law is fine and dandy- they keep a woman sentenced to death for adultery alive long enough to have her baby weened.

compassionate fundamentalism

[Sikander]

Originally posted by TheStinger
sharia law is fine and dandy- they keep a woman sentenced to death for adultery alive long enough to have her baby weened.

compassionate fundamentalism

[DanS]

Good God. At least 105 now dead!

http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1037872204889&p=1012571727088

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Tolls
I was born in Malaysia, and lived for a few years in Jos, Nigeria (the North East, Plateau State). We had no problem there at all. The military government of Nigeria was the biggest cause of trouble, mixed with a still very tribal culture...the elections just after we left (1980) were not fun, but this had nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with local chiefs trying to secure power for themselves.

In other words, your talking crap...

In other words, you haven't been there since before the Islamists managed to defeat the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Quite a bit different world that created. The next time you want to talk 'crap', get your dates right.

[Carver]

The disturbances are all, most likely, politically orchestrated. The government is percieved as being dominanted by the Christian South. The Islamic North wants power and to that end they want to destabilize the current situtation (within limits). It's all about proving Pres. Obasanjo's government ineffective and winning the presidency for the North in 2003.

This is the problem when the government is seen as one of few routes to prosperity. Elections are viewed as a zero-sum game. Control of the central government becomes an obsession for most sectors of the country. It's a rather dangerous situtation.

[Dr Strangelove]

I thought that the current president of Nigeria was a muslim.

[Carver]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove
I thought that the current president of Nigeria was a muslim.

He's a Bible reader. Although it's funny, he was backed by most of the Muslims in the last election - in a compromise arrangment. But now most of them distrust him and want him gone.

[Ned]

I don't buy this as being politically motivated rioting. Muslims have rioted like this in recently in India, Pakistan and in East Timor as well. I don't doubt that they are inspired to rampage by clerics at their mosques.

Islam across the globe, appears to be a very violent religion. Where are the moderates?

The defenders of Islam here are trying to deflect blame by blaming Christians of yesteryear of equal violence. That is, in fact, a form of agreement that Islam is, at least in today's world, a violent religion.

[Datajack Franit]

Moderates are actually in moderates arab countries (Syria, Tunisia, Lebanon and so on)

If a muslim would do such things to a christian in one of those countries- poor guy

Ah, don't ever mess with syrian police- not even if you're a stupid tourist

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Ned


Islam across the globe, appears to be a very violent religion.

As opposed to the pacifist Christians, who turn the other cheek and believe thou shalt not kill...

in Lebanon, in Rwanda, in Burundi, in Northern Ireland/Six Counties, in Croatia/Bosnia/Serbia/Albania/Kossovo, in Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras) in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, in South Africa...

Christianity and Islam are not in themselves to blame, but how people choose to interpret them is. The Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa used the Bible to 'prove' the superiority of white people over Africans- and then to subjugate them.
The Orthodox Churches in the Balkans acted as centres of nationalist groupings against the Turks when they were occupiers, and this legacy carried over post-occupation.

Protestant Christians in the United States happily lynched African Americans and Jews and Catholics at the equivalent of family picnics, with souvenir postcards and bits of rope as memorials to the day's work.

In South America and Central America, Christians have helped kill each other (Archbishop Romero a notable example) and indigenous peoples, and political dissidents.

Similarly, they have killed each other in Africa- in Burundi and Rwanda, prelates and nuns (!) happily collaborated with militias and armies in mass extermination campaigns.

Let's not start asserting the moral superiority of Christianity over Islam- it won't fly.