[FBD]

>"If we start persecuting innocent Muslims simply because they are Muslim, then we'll be doing exactly what this woman was able to say that Christians and Jews don't do -- attack innocent people without provokation."<

That's ridiculous. Muslims need to learn to accept honest debate about Islam. The anger with this woman is a prime example. Were the men on the show defending Islam threatened with death?


An honest confrontation about the religion of Islam is not persecution. Muslims also need to be confronted with an honest evaluation of the "prophet" Muhammad. As of yet, that has not been happening.

>"I just don't think the delimiting line is necessarily between Muslim and Christian but between Western civilization and Arab civilization, influenced by but not entirely defined by religion."<

-The largest populations of Muslims are not Arab, anymore.
So the premise that this is an Arab culture clash is false.
There are many radical Muslims who are not Arab.
There are also many Arabs who aren't Muslim.
Of course all the Muslims aren't radical. But around 40% of Muslims polled in England support the imposition of Sharia law.

-That is a very large minority of Muslims who support a form of oppression; the imposition of Islamic law.

Again, an honest look at Muhammad and Islam is not persecution.

[Question_Assumptions]

That's ridiculous. Muslims need to learn to accept honest debate about Islam. The anger with this woman is a prime example. Were the men on the show defending Islam threatened with death?

I'm all in favor of an honest debate about Islam. I'm not in favor of persecuting Muslims simply because they are Muslim but are not otherwise doing anything else wrong. You may not be calling for that but other Freepers are.

An honest confrontation about the religion of Islam is not persecution. Muslims also need to be confronted with an honest evaluation of the "prophet" Muhammad. As of yet, that has not been happening.

It's starting to happen. This article names several women who are doing it, for example.

-The largest populations of Muslims are not Arab, anymore.

Correct. Yet you will notice that he largest numbers of terrorists are not coming from those non-Arab populations of Muslims. Why do you think Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, "Palestine", and other Arab areas are generating more terrorists than even Iran?

So the premise that this is an Arab culture clash is false.

There are many radical Muslims who are not Arab.

There are also many Arabs who aren't Muslim.

As a proportion, more radical Muslims and terrorists are Arabs. Of those who aren't Arabs themselves, most seem to be embracing the whole nine yards of Arab-Islamic culture, including elements that are not really in the Koran (e.g., head scarves, circumcision, etc.). Islam did not define many of those elements of Arab and give them to the Arabs. Many (if not most) sects of Islam absorbed many of those elements from Arab culture and made them Islamic.

Of course all the Muslims aren't radical. But around 40% of Muslims polled in England support the imposition of Sharia law.

That means that 60% of Muslims, a clear majority, don't support the imposition of Sharia law.

-That is a very large minority of Muslims who support a form of oppression; the imposition of Islamic law.

Absolutely, and it's sad and needs to be addressed. But let's not forget that they are not the majority and we shouldn't just group the majority in with this minority and punish them all. We should make distinctions. I'm not saying that all Muslims, guilty or innocent, should be protected from criticism. I'm saying that we need to at least make some attempt to differentiate the guilty and the innocent and not consider them all guilty simply because they are Muslims. You might not be doing that. Other Freepers are.

Again, an honest look at Muhammad and Islam is not persecution.

I never said it was. In fact, I think it's healthy, just as I think a good honest look at Jesus and Christianity is healthy.