ummyasmin,
You appear naive on how Islamic shari'ah law works out in Muslim societies today. Indonesian Muslims find it OK to murder Christian men, take their wives and daughters as sex slaves, mutilate the private parts of the women and children all while announcing "Allah is Great!"

Where is the existence of slaves in Indonesia before the Qur'an? It is the Qur'an that gives them their sanction. It is a barbaric and primitive religion.

Quote, "The Qur'an does not endorse patriarchy, polygyny or slavery - it merely notes their existence and provides legislation for where it does. It's underlying weltanschauung, however, is one of egalitarianism. That is the ideal goal of shari'a."

I suggest you read the Qur'an again. It forbids sex outside marriage but sanctions sex with those women captured as slaves. This is happening today in Indonesia to young chaste Christian women being taken as sex slaves by Muslim murderers.

Qur'an: “5. And those who guard their chastity (i.e. private parts, from illegal sexual acts) 6. Except from their wives or (the slaves) that their right hands possess,.. for then, they are free from blame” [al-Mu’minoon 23:5-6]

Philo,

The Quran equates men and women (my previous response to BD on 'blaming the cultural bogeyman; thread) and people of different races and languages. In addition, the following examples from the Quran are clear on dealing with the 'slavery' that existed during the revelation of the Quran:

2:177…righteous is he who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels and the scriptures and the prophets; and giveth his wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask and to set slaves free; and observe proper worship and payeth the poor-due…

5:89 Allah will not you to task for that which is unintentional in your oaths, but He will take you to oaths which you swear in ernest. The expiation thereof is the feeding of ten of the needy with the average of that wherewith ye feed your own folk, or the clothing of them, or the liberation of a slave, …

90:11-13 but he hath not attempted the Ascent* Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Ascent is* (It is) to free a slave* and to feed in the day of hunger* An Orphan near of kin* Or some poor wretch in misery.

You got the picture: in brief “freeing a slave” became the norm to repent from repeatable sins or want to be a true believer.

According to your scripture slavery is defined as a an acceptable status quo. Slavery existed under religious Christianity in North America until 2 centuries ago.

Almost all religions condone slavery and approve the control and oppression of women and children. My scepticism about religion's supernatural origins (as opposed to faith) is partly due to how conveniently their rules and taboos seem to be designed to keep those in power, in power.

What a miserable lot you religious are. All you can do is argue about a lot of very dubious words. Whilst the world burns under your constant wars against each other and everyone else. The hijab is a religious weapon of war, it is war against equality, and war against those that don't bow down to Islam.

Both Muslim and Christian proponents credibility is constantly challenged and always fails. People get into these threads in the hope that they can make the religious see how despotic and down right selfcentred they are. Those that have sense to see, realise how stupid and demonic the expression of religious beleifs are.

You start when people are young and susceptible, you brainwash them and threaten them until they will go and do your evil bidding in the name of an illusion and get killed. Get a life and accept that the majority if this country want you all to go away and take your violent stupidity with you. That goes for all fundamentalist, evangelist and enslaved followers of god.

<clap, clap, clap, clap, clap....> 'encore alchemist! encore!'

Though I may not agree with some of your sentiments Alchemist, you boil it down so well. If religion is the bringer of peace and love to this world, what an utter failure it is...

Thanks Reason, there are also times that I do not agree with what I say here. But there are those times, when one has to take the bit and stick it right up em.