[thefactor]

Yeah, damn those Muslims! It's not like the Christians ever tried to convert the entire world to their religion, let alone built churches where they were never asked to (New World, Africa, etc...) Flame retardent suit, ON! Really though, I understand this would not be such a big deal if Sept 11th had never happened. And I only know of the situation by what is said in the article, but come on. Muslims make up a vast majority of the population, give 'em a darn mosque. I wonder what everyone would be saying if they wanted to build a church there. You would be holding their hands and buying the bricks.

[bird4four4]

It's not like the Christians ever tried to convert the entire world to their religion

want to site some examples please? I don't know of any Christian holding a knife to your neck saying convert or die, as some moslem do.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Muslims make up a vast majority of the population, give 'em a darn mosque.

Why don't you invite them to construct a mosque on the site of the WTC rubble? /sarcasm!

Good grief, the spot they have chosen is considered Holy Ground by two major religions. I don't care how Muslims are in this world, they have no right encroaching on other people's Holy sites. Why don't you invite the Scientologists to construct a meeting hall there?

[katana]

If you were to read and understand anything of the history of Europe and (what is now called) the Middle East of the past two thousand years, you would know that the point you tried to make is hogwash. Christianity was not spread throughout the old Roman Empire by force. On the contrary, it was in spite of massive forceful resistance by the Roman state, and later on by the barbarians who took their place, that the conversion of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East was accomplished.

Five hundred years later, a religion with war and forced conversion as its heart burst out of the Arabian peninsula and pushed Christian Europe to the brink of collapse. That was Islam (the name means "submit !" in Arabic / Muslim is just the Arabic word derived from the same root meaning "he who submits"). The only significant periods when Christianity was forced on people with the edge of a sword were during the Crusades that occurred several hundred years after the Islamic conquest, conversion of Jews and muslims during the Spanish Reconquista (see Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand) and the forced conversion of native peoples in North and South America by the Spanish. If anything, more Christians were killed by other Christians during the wars between Catholics and Protestants than any pagans, muslims, etc. during the religion's two thousand year history.

Islam, on the other hand, has never made any pretense of "peaceful" conversion. The most tolerant of their lot were the Ottomans. But even in their case, the constant need for slaves not born as muslims to serve the sultan as soldiers, government workers, concubines, etc. required thousands of young Christians to be taken from their villages, circumcised, and converted to Islam by force (the system of "Devshirme") every year for the several hundred year history of that empire.

Next time you feel the need to compare Islam's bloody history to Christianity, try and get your facts straight. A lot of blood has been spilled in the name of both religions, but in one case the bloodshed is anathema to the philosophy of the faith. In the other, forcing people to convert with a knife at their throat is the norm and is specifically supported by parts of their scripture.

[Lent]

! It's not like the Christians ever tried to convert the entire world to their religion

Oh yeah, when was that? And what in the heck are you mumbling about anyway?

[Copperhead61]

Maybe Christians did cop an attitude but that was several hundred years ago, we grew out of it. The policy now is live and let live. Apparently the radical muslims haven't gotten to that stage yet and show no signs of doing so, at least not in this Millenium.

[gridlock]

Did they ever convert King Joseph's Tomb back into a tomb? Or is it still a Mosque? Remember last year when they were knocking down all of the parapets and painting the dome green? How many artifacts are there in Israel that nobody gives a fig whether or not King Joseph's Tomb is restored?

[RightWhale]

I understand this would not be such a big deal if Sept 11th had never happened

It did, and it is.

[katnip]

Really though, I understand this would not be such a big deal if Sept 11th had never happened.

That's bunk! This has been going on for years. The intent of the Muslims in this instance is to insult Christianity and the Catholic church.

Methinks you are a Catholic hater too????

[RobbyS]

Muslims make up a vast majority of the population, give 'em a darn mosque. You don't understand the game. The Muslims are marking their property.This is as far as they can go under an Israeli government. Under an Muslim regime they would simply take over the church and turn it into a mosque.

[Michael2001]

Your Christianaphobia is showing