stevenmeyer,

Yes, I can understand, but not excuse, BBC management, outraged Moslems are lot scarier than outraged Christians, the aura of "Otherness" is really enhanced by the threat of violence. Fear is obviously an inhibiting factor that contributes to the current double standards in regard to criticism of Islam-eg the silence of many Western feminist nutcrackers is appalling.

Nothing makes this grumpy old man even grumpier when some "Cultural Studies' poseur cites some platitudes from the Qu'ran in defence of the ridiculous Islamic ideology, any meaning whatsoever can extracted from any sacred text.

I'm also fed up with the Left's monumental and perhaps wilful, ignorance of the history of Islam and the West--the Crusades were a minor campaign in a 1400 war.

I was educated at a Christian school to absolutely no effect. I don't have the gene for religion but I don't have any objection to believers lawfully practising their religion as long as they don't "practise" on others.

I'm also a lapsed leftist, multiculturalism and its dysfunctions was the last straw, the irony is that the old Left probably would have rejected it as an "anti-progressive" fantasy.

The anti-Christian bias in the left-dominated press is an oddity the probably does start out at Uni level. This article points out a glaring double-standard that even the most anti-Christian rationalist should be able to see?
The connection between the left and Islam is a well-made point on one of the posts; they certainly do make for strange bedfellows.
I guess if there's a fatwa on offer, you might be inclined to agree with whatever someone said. It would be good, though, to see Christians decrying insensitive and inappropriate messages directed at Muslims, Hindu's and Jews, or anyone for that matter; Jesus did teach that Christians are to love their enemy. It would be just as good to see others looking after Christians - I don't really see much leadership in any camp in the area of respectful free speech to be honest.