I believe in freedom and liberty for all peoples, and respecting other peoples beliefs and religions, so long as they afford me the same right.

And I'll be the first to point out that not all Muslims are extremists
That not all Jews are Zionists
and that not all Christians support Israel.

I know there's some Islamic leaders who genuinely frown upon the bogus caliphate and denounce as fools the mindset and actions taken by some Muslims who take up arms as extremists.

But even I myself are starting to fall victim to what you have labelled "Media stereotyping Islam as an extreme religion".

Even though I know all these extremists are just paid mercenaries.

You see, for me, I'd argue the media isn't necessarily stereotyping anything.
I don't watch or listen to the corporate media.
I've seen videos of and heard the stories of Syrian and Iraqi people.

Watching videos of religious extremist groups as they push people off 10 story buildings, running over restrained people with tanks, killing pregnant women then cutting out the fetus to play football with, running over captured enemies heads with cars, cutting off peoples arms and legs first before slitting their throats and murdering kids and the elderly, all the while screaming "Allahu Akbar".

And they are just a few of the stories Ive seen and heard and I'm sure there would be thousands more stories of similar and worse.

- and you're trying to suggest the media is unfairly "stereotyping" Islam.

Seems kind of valid on at least some level, even if they are ultimately just paid mercenaries doing the bidding of other M/E governments.

Extremist Sunni Islam ideology is a threat to peace in the world and I don't see any real reason to play it down.

I do however like Islam's insistence on upholding a free and fair market. That is actually one aspect where they may have a better idea than we in the west have.

diver dan & ttbn, 27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Naked_Communist

Jay Of Melbourne, spot on.

Armchair Critic, moderate muslims use womb jihad to destroy the enlightened, conservative, protesting christians, just like the Catholics did before them.

"I do however like Islam's insistence on upholding a free and fair market." That is actually one aspect where they may have a better idea than we in the west have. Actually islam only claimed to have that system, whereas we actually did have that system before 1972. When there were more Australian christians there were more businessmen with morals, ethics & principles. the communists got rid of that as well as importing terrorists.

The reality is that ISIS and Al Qaeda are the modernising forces in contemporary Islam, their vision of the Caliphate and Muslim community is the most progressive and the most democratic.
Apologist pundits talk about the need for an Islamic reformation, well Islamic State is exactly that, it's a literal interpretation of the Koran and Islamic life for the 21st century and it's the only alternative vision to the despotism, corruption and degeneracy of the present rulers of the majority Muslim states.

I LOL at the shrill anti Muslim comments here...get a grip!
So all the problems in the world as a result of Muslims?
And the good o'l USofA takes no responsibility for kinking the ants nest?

JoM, you observe that:

"Apologist pundits talk about the need for an Islamic reformation, well Islamic State is exactly that, it's a literal interpretation of the Koran and Islamic life for the 21st century and it's the only alternative vision to the despotism, corruption and degeneracy of the present rulers of the majority Muslim states."

Apart from the problem of equating ' literal interpretation of the Koran' with 'Islamic reformation', what you suggest is true as far as it goes.

But perhaps this is the predicament for many religious observers - how to reform, to try to catch up with 1400 years of history (while the world has been swirling past at an ever-greater rate) and join the twenty-first century, while remaining more-or-less true to the fundamental values of one's religion.

The question must surely arise: are 'our fundamental values' actually out of touch with modern reality ? Is it possible that the 'values' applicable to a violent religion of desert tribes may have little place in a world in which equal rights for all, and development and progress through peaceful means, are possible ?

The modern world is not particularly religious, much more an outcome - and an engine - of ideologies, good and bad. So perhaps what we are experiencing in this century is a struggle between uncritical, narrow-minded religion and a range of more free-thinking ideologies, usually orbiting around liberalism and social democracy ?

The dilemma for adherents of books which they regard as holy - whether they are Christians, Muslims, Jews or Hindus - is how does one critically evaluate the efficacy of those teachings in a modern world - how does one break some of the mental shackles of religion and open one's eyes to the needs of a booming, buzzing modern world ? How does one 'constructively criticise' one's own very foundations ?

If any group - Jewish, Buddhist, etc. - turns instead to an even more reactionary and uncritical observance of their ancient books, then they will fall further behind the times - and we all will suffer for it.

Joe
www.firstsources.info

Diver Dan.
The biggest crime against the Muslim world perpetrated by the Western democracies has been the brain drain of their intellectuals and educated people.
The median IQ score in Muslim lands is very low, what that means is that in comparison to Europe and Asia there are only a very few people capable of taking up leadership roles and taking on the task of nation building.
When you take out most of the smartest, most capable people from a society like Iraq or Syria and leave the dumb, incompetent people under the leadership of Imams and tribal Sheikhs you're literally putting the lunatics in control of the asylum.
Everyone in the West knows their "good Muslim" but it's no coincidence that most "good Muslims" are well educated, highly intelligent and capable individuals.
What would Australia be like if 95% of the population looked like the stars of "Struggle Street", if 50% of the university graduates every year emigrated, if every cop and public official was on the take and the community was under the leadership of people Daniel Nalliah and Ralph Cerminara?