I guess I should thank B-D for illustrating my point so well.

I mean, the sheer arrogance of Christian missionaries who go to a Muslim country in order to spread their religion, and then complain about a hostile reception from the authorities there... duh!

As usual, in amongst B-D's rabid assertions are numerous erroneous assumptions. As far as they apply to me, I'll take the opportunity to inform him that I too have lived and worked in Malaysia, also at times with Orang Asli peoples. However, in my case I was there to work with local organisations in helping to improve services for disabled people, as opposed to 'saving souls' under some pretext.

I had no problems whatsoever with the Malay Muslim authorities, and in fact the organisation with whom I worked comprised members from the Malay, Tamil, Chinese and Sikh communities, who worked together in a model of tolerance to develop services for people with disabilities from all ethnic groups and religions. B-D could learn much from them, if only he wasn't so certain that his belief system is the only correct one.

With respect to the conflicts he brought upon himself with the Malaysian authorities, perhaps he might like to consider what reactions would be like here if a mob of Muslim missionaries set up camp in some of our benighted Aboriginal communities. However, I'm not aware that any Muslim organisations exist for such proselytising purposes, unlike the evangelising Christian groups who seek to peddle their beliefs where they are neither needed nor wanted.

Garra,
You don't appear to have read David's post too well. The province he was in wasn't in peninsular Malaysia, it would seem, but Sabah or Sarawak which originally had very few Muslims. Something has happened to change that? Wonder what? Something like the huge increase in the Muslim population in West Papua maybe? lebensraum?

You comparison between prosletising in Malaysia by Christians, and by Muslims amongst Aboriginals, is totally ridiculous. It's prohibited by law in Malaysia and in fact Malays are Muslims automatically, under the constitution. The penalty for an apostate from Islam is death, by the way (not carried out in Malaysia, but Malays who convert lose their bumiputra status- I'm sure you'd know what that is).

There is nothing to stop a bunch of Muslims hopping on a bus and going out to the bush and doing some dawa in the settlements, if they could stand the noise, dust, smells and the dogs. Unlikely. Muslims do quite well building mosques with Saudi oil money, I think you'll find, and manage to find a largish number of Aboriginal converts without ever going near the outback- in urban prisons.

You knowledge of Islam is abysmal, and your example of "working with the Orang Asli" another example of name-dropping, because they are not Muslim and are held in great contempt by Malays because they eat pig (or used to).In fact the Malay slang word for the Orang Asli translates as "slave". Malaysia loves to project an image of great tolerance, but do some digging and the reality's different. Like how many new churches or Hindu temples are being built in comparison to mosques? Very few indeed.

garra, you might investigate the success of Islam in converting angry indigenous people. Let us know.

JustDan, on another post you say "If so, then why do Christians (such as BOAZ_David, Reality Check, Viking, etc on this site) revile Islam and deny its validity. "

Revile? Pretty strong claim on the basis of my post don't you think?

My comment, that appears to 'justify' this slur (above) was where I was noting that I found it interesting that 'good Catholics' didn't know about scriptural references to Mary (Mother of Jesus & God?!) and were happy to rely on Islam for their knowledge. The same religion that doesn't (according to another poster) seemed prepared to follow its own traditions regarding polygamy et al.

I am more than happy to concede that I don't hold Islam valid, nor do I agree with the rewriting of Islamic history by apologists from that tradition. At the same time, I am also happy to express my concern about any man prepared to house several women and their offspring at variance to Australian marriage & social security laws, irrespective of the religious (or lack thereof) affiliation.

However, I do not revile Islam, but, disagree with its reinvention as anything but a cultural variation of earlier religious traditions and cultural empowerment of Arab nationhood (caliphate)and its demonstrated ability to continue to suppress non-Islamic religious practice. I have the same reservations about Communist China, so am I am also to be accused of reviling the Chinese?

PS: to put a smile on your face about what we have in common:
the whole chapter 19 (98 verses) in the Koran talks about Virgin Mary’s life before and after Jesus and his first days miracles as a new born (which are not in the bible by the way, Koranic miracles of Jesus when he was a new born is exclusive to muslims:):))

Have a good day.

Posted by Ash Koheil, Tuesday, June 21, 2005 7:23:29 AM

Dear Ash,

just on the above, the Koranic miracles may well be the same ones that gnostic gospels include and which were 'ignored' when compiling the New Testament - don't know? Anyway, anything we have in common is because you ripped it off from our shared tradition (as we 'ripped off' a fair bit from the Jews)! (This is an aside, not an attack.)

Keep smiling!

I hate to say this, Mr Boaz, but i have just thought of an excellent title for your new book (should you ever choose to write one). you can call it "the protocols of the learned mullahs of malaysia".

Dear Viking,

Nice fantasy on Saudi money building mosques and funding Dawa!
Last I have checked donation boxes are waiting for weeks to fix a whole in the roof of a Sydney mosque.

Death apostate: is more of a cultural penalty than a religious penalty, I knew few in Egypt who changed from one religion to the other and vice versa. By the way, the death sentence in tribal mentality applied to Orthodox Christian girls who married Catholic men as well. All you need is follow local news in these countries.

Dear Reality check,

Islam never claimed to be a new religion but all references in the Koran “it is a reminder of previous messages”. Don’t hold me accountable for your lack of knowledge please.

As for Islam ‘supressing’ other religions so how come most of South Egypt are still keeping their faith then? Maybe you should compare that to the Queen Isabella when they took over Spain from the Arabs how many muslim lives did they spare? Maybe your memory does not go that far since the Daily Telegraph wasn’t published then but how religious is the Serbian Orthodox (blessed by an Orthodox priest in killing 8,000 muslim women and children)?
How come the leaders of the Islamic empire from the year 996 AD onwards appointed senior ministers from Christian and Jewish faith?
How come in North African musslims countries senior ministers are of the Christian faith (today’s Egyptian treasurer for one)?

Now I am really amazed!