It seems that most people are still unable to discriminate between religion and culture.

As far as repressing women goes, Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world. They recently had a woman as their Prime Minister and I don't recall ever seeing her in a Burqa. Likewise, a prospective female candidate for leader was assasinated in Pakistan a few years ago.

Turkey is also a Muslim state and is apparently a great place to go to see belly-dancers.

Most of the notions that westerners find difficult to accept are from fundamentalist states in some middle-eastern countries and should be identified as such - not some one-size-fits-all idea.

It's like claiming that the Amish are typical of all christians or that all jews hold strictly orthodox beliefs.

It's religious intolerance that's help cause this problem and it's what is keeping it alive.

Is it culture or religion - they usually go hand in hand.
Whether they wish to convert our culture to their barbarism in the name of their culture or religion then I am against it.
I am not a against a race, I am against barbarism.
if budhists or hindis acted this way I would be against it just as much.

wobbley "It's religious intolerance that's help cause this problem and it's what is keeping it alive."

No, I believe it's not intolerance of the religious that's the issue, it's the intolerance by the religious - that's at the heart of all the riots after prayers by muslims on a Friday .. they go to the mosque, the imams stir them up they come out rioting and killing .. because they are intolerant .. don't even mention cartoons!

It's at the heart of all the christian and other religious fundamentalism, islam is just way more over the top of the same and they get attention because it's in that religions name, right now that they kill people and in fact insist a whole country has no right to exist

Sure, other religions are intolerant as well, but not to the extremes of a religion that is also the basis of their culture .. that they then demand we have to accept their cultural intolerance because it is their religion that governs their society.

there is no breaking that loop, and the odd one out here and there appears tolerant .. right up till they find there is a line they do not cross, their religion denotes that line.

we need to stop tolerating BS from all religions, and push back really bloody hard on any that insist on their intolerant "rights" because of some holy book or other object/belief

Some of the old crew I see. I'm just going to throw this in, just to see if it bounces:

Shall we be enlightened? or, Do we think, rightly or wrongly, that we are already enlightened?
And God created "Man" in his own image. As African, Nordic, Inuit, Germanic, Arabic, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Melanesian, Indonesian, Aztec, New Guinean, Aborigine .....
As Adam and Eve had transgressed, and taken a wrong path, "Jehovah" shed light on a better path, and some took heed.
And God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to Palestine, to be amongst the Jews who had been suppressed by the Romans, who had annexed Egypt.
To the darkness of Arabia came a voice for progress, loving "Allah" and urging Rules and Law and pursuit of knowledge. Mohamed.
In Greece there was philosophy, democracy and literacy, whilst the Romans built roads, bridges and aqueducts, and cities with sewage systems.
In the East a voice came for love and benevolence and the sanctity of life. Buddha.
Still in the East a voice for philosophy and learning. Confucius.
For some others truth lay in the earth, in nature and the cycles of life.

We are "Man" in His image - Inside. "I" am not more than "He" or "Them".
"We" are not entitled or allowed to force change on "Them" to "Our" image, we may only ask for harmony within the breadth of God's creation of Life. We may only respect and preserve the abundance and profusion of HIS creation, in harmony and absence of conflict, in love and kindness and sharing. To be true to Him.

Brothers all, in the name of peace, and His Will (or just because it makes sense).

Ok, forget all the religious hyperbole, isn't it time to move on towards a world culture - given globalisation in trade, immigration, and inter-dependency? Still rival groups, each looking to see who's going to blink first. Tolerance? It's getting that way I'm just about ready to nuke everybody that doesn't think as I do. How sick is that?

Mohammed Ali sounds like a nicer person than his name sake. One would need to be blind Freddy (sorry you ain't suppose to say that anymore) not to observe what Muslim immigration has done to Holland, Germany, France and England. Taken as individuals muslims can be very good citizens. Taken collectively and especially with a large population they have proven to be very troublesome. Malaysia is quoted as a 'good'example of a Muslim nation. It is however against the law for a native (ones who claim to be native anyway) to convert to earth worshipping or Christianity or any other religion. The reason most Muslims want to leave Islamic countries is because of the rotton fruit of their philosophies. We have enough of our own issues without creating the inevitable problems which are clearly evident wherever Muslims immigrate.

Amicus

I have been impressed with what of i seen of ayaan hirsi ali. She seems very dignified and has commosense which is why you won't see her getting to many more ABC interviews. They would rather run the Arab news channels.

"It's like claiming that the Amish are typical of all christians or that all jews hold strictly orthodox beliefs."
Wobbles- you DO realize that the people you are talking to probably DO only understand the world from basic stereotypes?
I guarantee if you were to put forward to some of these people a story about, say, the Egyptian uprisings- without Islamist groups, mummies, phaorohs, pyramids and camels to refer to, they would NOT know what to think about it.
.....

Ok, forget all the religious hyperbole, isn't it time to move on towards a world culture - given globalization in trade, immigration, and inter-dependency? Still rival groups, each looking to see who's going to blink first. Tolerance? It's getting that way I'm just about ready to nuke everybody that doesn't think as I do. How sick is that?
Posted by Saltpetre, Wednesday, 4 May 2011 3:44:15 PM
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A singular "World Culture" will never likely happen.
I'd actually think along the lines of each country be more tolerant to the domestic practices of the other and stand up for their rights to do so; while nurturing more interdependency and cultural exchange between compatible countries that both agree to do so.
That way unnecessary divisions are reduced, and incompatible countries are free to mind their own business without worrying about what the other might do.