Why Islam is disrespected

The point is this: Islam has verses that require (note, REQUIRE) its followers to kill, where Christianity and Judaism proscribe it. Clear enough?

"I'd happily toss a koran down any public toilet where everyone, ESPECIALLY Mohammadans, could see."

Funny, I would deliberately NOT flush a Koran down the toilet. Why?

1) I don't want to sully my toilet.
2) I don't want to dignify either the Koran or its adherents by drawing attention to it in any way, even negative.

I don't know what frightens me more about Islam -- its perversion of Judaic concepts or the people it attracts. Is everyone in that part of the world a pyschopath? Or a narcissist? People who, in reaction to a perceived insult to their faith, go on the rampage and kill OTHER MUSLIMS? (Not to mention, as the article states, freely desecrate other religions.) Frankly, I think this whole Newsweek story was just a pretext for starting up something they were itching to do long ago.

I could respect Islam more if I saw real piety, not just hotheaded violence by a bunch of wackos caught up in machismo & tribalism.

Also, perhaps Condoleeza slightly misspoke. I think what she meant to say is not that Americans respect the Koran but that American troops and government workers have orders not to disrespect the Koran. I think that's legitimate. There is no excuse for doing that to a crucifix OR a Koran.

Slightly misspoke?!! What Condi said is part of the PC nonsense that pervades our country left and right. The following excerpt comes from a National Review editrorial that will be published in the June 6th ediion of National Review:

"Even if such incidents turn up, the fact is that the military has bent over backward to accommodate Muslim sensitivities at Gitmo. A January 2003 memorandum stipulates that only Muslim chaplains handle the Koran and do so wearing clean gloves. Excessive? Perhaps. But such rules are also a cost-free way for the U.S. to demonstrate that its fight is not with Islam, only with militants who murder in its name."

Both the Left and the Right in this country have been intimidated by radical Islam. We must wear clean gloves handling the Koran, while Saudi Arabia bans the bible from its country and the practice of any religion except Islam. Christians cannot even visit Mecca or Medina.

Frankly, we are free to do whatever we want with religious items, bibles or korans that are our personal property. It is not up to vigilantes to mete out "justice" if they are not treated respectfully.

By the way, there was a hidden message at the right of my post. ;-)

I mean when she misspoke when she said that no Americans should disrespect Islam. She isn't entitled to make that commitment for all Americans. But she is entitled to say it about our troops, prison guards, and others who work for the government.

I don't agree that it isn't sensible to order our troops to respect the sensibilities of people whose countries we are in. It's not a matter of belief, it's a matter of preserving good order and avoiding unnecessary trouble. It would be self-destructive to do otherwise.

The issue of what to do if terrorists attack us from a mosque, for instance, is much more mixed. But it doesn't cost anything to be polite about people's religion at least until that conflicts with military necessity.

I do certainly agree that politicians, news reporters, and others who kowtow to Islam while bashing Christianity are contemptible.

What's your point about Christianity having a commandment against killing and Islam not? Followers of Christianity kill in the name of religion to this day. They don't seem to take notice to the commandment.

What specific contemporary events of Christians killing in the name of religion are you referring to? Actually from the original Hebrew, the commandment is against murder, not killing. The Christian commandment is "Thou shalt not murder." "Thou shalt not kill" is an inaccurate translation. This is the response to give to all of those left-wingers who claim it is hypocritical to be against abortion but for the death penalty. Killing is sometimes justified in Christianity. Murdering innocent people (fetuses or 3000 office workers in the WTC, for example) is not.

Whereas in Islam the commandment is "Kill all infidels." There definitely is a big difference.

I mean when she misspoke when she said that no Americans should disrespect Islam. She isn't entitled to make that commitment for all Americans. But she is entitled to say it about our troops, prison guards, and others who work for the government.

What do you mean by disrespect? Who decides what is being disrespectful, us or the Muslims? Should we instruct all USG employees that the Koran should only be touched by Muslims and that clean gloves should be worn? Do we have women cover up in their presence? Should we allow alcohol to be consumed in their presence?

I don't agree that it isn't sensible to order our troops to respect the sensibilities of people whose countries we are in. It's not a matter of belief, it's a matter of preserving good order and avoiding unnecessary trouble. It would be self-destructive to do otherwise.

That goes without saying. It is SOP for all USG personnel assigned abroad, the employee and family members.

The issue of what to do if terrorists attack us from a mosque, for instance, is much more mixed. But it doesn't cost anything to be polite about people's religion at least until that conflicts with military necessity.

We have been "polite" to the point of endangering the lives of our own troops. Such "politness" was not deemed as important when we were fire bombing Dresden, Hamburg, or Tokyo. Monte Cassino was totally destroyed and Cologne cathedral was damaged severely along with thousands of churches throughout Europe.

We defer attacking Muslims during Ramadan even when historically, they have attacked one another during this month long holiday. When a group seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca, they were taken out by force of arms.

We are more attuned to Muslim sensibilities than they are themselves. On a personal note, in preparation for an assignment to Saudi Arabia, I received some cross-cultural training. One supposed taboo was to show the sole of your foot while talking to a Saudi. On my first trip to the Saudi FM, I met with a government official who sat across from me with the sole of his foot pointed at me. Obviously, he didn't attend the same cross-cultural class. Nor did many of his compatriots who had no problem consuming alcohol.

We need to hold Islam and Muslims to the same standard of civility that we hold other religions and people to. Jacoby correctly notes that what Newsweek reported does not justify the Muslim reaction.

I have been a bad boy and deserved that spanking. Thank you.

By in the name of religion I meant that there are supposed Christian people that kill others because of their religion. Just take a look at Northern Ireland.

"The Western media is focused inward in its self-perceived role as a check on everything bad that its own culture might produce. The same is true of "human rights" organizations. Neither calls to task abuses in other cultures."

As far as I can tell, Amnesty International takes everyone to task. But the MSM - in its "self-perceived role as a check on everything bad that its own culture might produce" - never reports their condemnations of other countries' abuses.