I've come along to this discussion rather late
in the piece, however I read the author's article
with great interest and the comments that followed.

Isn't there enough hatred in the world?
Isn't there enough despair? Don't you get the feeling
that something is fundamentally wrong at times?
It isn't just the mess we see on our TV screens at
night, the wats, the gangs, the violence or the drugs.

I can fully understand the author's wish to look inward.
And I can understand what he is trying to do and I wish
him well. The antidote to what is fundamentally wrong is
the cultivation of what is fundamentally right.

cont'd ...

My apologies for the typo.
It should be the wars, not the wats.

<<Isn't there enough hatred in the world?
Isn't there enough despair? Don't you get the feeling
that something is fundamentally wrong at times?
It isn't just the mess we see on our TV screens at
night, the wats, the gangs, the violence or the drugs>>

Ah yes...why can't we all just get along?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPMmC0UAnj0

SPQR, I am please that you used that article about a former Kuwaiti parliamentarian because it exemplifies the hypocrisy of many atheists. On the one hand, they claim that their disbelief is evidence-based. On the other hand, they readily betray an ignorance of the beliefs thy are critical of.

AJ for example, is concerned not to disclose his own sources in regard to the teachings of Islam and yet he is prepared to say the main reason for his disbelief is “because there isn’t sufficient evidence to support the existence of a god.”

And what sort of evidence do atheist look for? Well in the case of SPQR its a former Kuwaiti parliamentarian who claims to have received endorsement from mufitis to start up a business in sex slaves. What an incredibility scientific approach. No wonder AJ is keen to side-step the issue ... an issue he raised in the first place.

For those who are interested in the evidence SPQR failed to find in his 'impartial and thorough investigation' of the issue, i give you the following:

The Prophet said:
"Whosoever kills his slave: he shall be killed. Whosoever imprisons his slave and starves him, he shall be imprisoned and starved himself, and whosoever castrates his slave shall himself be castrated."

The Prophet said:
"Your servants and your slaves are your brothers. Anyone who has slaves should give them from what he eats and wears. He should not charge them with work beyond their capabilities. If you must set them to hard work, in any case I advise you to help them."

The Prophet said:
"Not one of you should [when introducing someone] say “This is my slave”, “This is my concubine”. He should call them “my daughter” or “my son” or “my brother”. "

cont..

cont....

Furthermore, Islam encouraged most forcefully their emancipation

Abu Hurayra said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to me, 'If anyone frees a Muslim slave, for every limb of his, Allah will free one of his own limbs from the Fire until he is set free by his setting free of the slave."

For details there is a long essay by a true scholar responding to the the question: “How is it that Islam, a religion inspired by God for the good of humanity, allows slavery?” :http://spa.qibla.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=712&CATE=115

Finally, rulings in regard to the emancipation of slaves that protect their property, kin and ensure they are not left destitute : http://spl.qibla.com/Hadith/H0001P0038.aspx

However, this is not the evidence that fits the narrative that SPQR prefers so it is ignored. Instead, we are offered the “fatwa” of a former Kuwait parliamentarian steeped in ignorance.

grateful

the 'prophet ' also had many wives including a very young one.