Religion is nothing but politcal persuasion by force and by law ,supersticion,and stealth,urged on by men who have been put in dictatorial positions called "Religious Imams", who manipulate the underdogs and illiterate masses in Muslim nations.
All to control and run things their twisted ways,at the expense of justice,care and hope .

Christianity is NOT a religion it is a lifestyle of obedience not law, as followers of Christ,which is a love walk .

So to those who say they hate religion because it causes wars STOP it, it does as it is man made.

You can be religious about anything including following blindly evil men who think nothing of taking lives whether it is Muslims ,infidels as they call the West or anyone getting in their perverted way.

I was told that the word "love",is not mentioned in the Koran .

Is this true? If not then please quote me some Sura with that word in it anyone knowing the Koran scripts.

Sunisle.Yes I do believe the cartoon fiasco is a set up.I also believe the agent provocateurs for this are more likely to be found in Washington D.C. or London than Denmark.My main concern is not so much the re-action of the Moslem world to this, but our own populace.They have in many cases fallen for this pile of horse s@&t,hook line and sinker.What truly amazes me is the referance to history thousands of years ago,with a fair smattering of qoutes from the bible.To equate this in a modern context of what is happening as I tap this burst out is sheer and utter bunkum.I don't know what lofty circles you move in?but all of my friends and acquaintances would think the Balfour agreement was some type of pie.I can only assume most Moslems are the same and more interested in making a living fishing, and other such pastimes.I belive most people that post on this forum as myself take an interest,that most people I know anyway would view as a total waste of time.

The waxing lyrical about freedom of speech is laughable,Ask the holocaust deniers David Irvine and Ernst Zundel about free speech they have both been in the pokey,for their opinions.Who incidently I believe are both barking mad.Yes we have free speech to be sure,but there are consequences for your opinions.Half the stuff that ends up on this forum could in some quarters be classed as liable I am guilty of it myself.Australia is probably the last bastion on the planet, where you can be sued for telling the truth.

Of course the best part of all of this,is the fact some posters believe westerners don't carry out acts of violence in the name of religion or other political discourse very selective I must say.They should try living in N/Ireland.The nationalist movement is still alive and well in Wales every now and then they blow up a power pylon or something.AAAAAhhhhhhhhhhh save me from this sh@t.

Oh by the way,I have read Paul Roberts a great journo(see counter punch u.s.)

Congratulations on an excellent article Irfan. I believe the western world will have more respect for Islam when it is seen to be practised true to the Koran.

Tamstar, you gotta be kidding? Islam is practiced a lot closer to the Koran under Sharia law than it is in the West, and most Westerners have very little respect for that (the death penalty for adultery? Alch and co, before you start, Christ didn't advocate that).

Dobbadan, Muslims believe the Jewish and Christian Scriptures as we read them were tainted, and wherever they disagree with Mohammad's musings, they're wrong. (Similar to the Mormons, people at the Jesus Seminar, ultra liberal Christians, etc. You just pick and choose what you like).

I think the true argument in Europe right now is: MAY those cartoons be published? Should they be? Probably not. May they be? Yes. Publishing them was merely making that point.

The Western tradition includes, as an overaching value, the idea that nothing is above criticism, investigation, sceptical evaluation and, if it seems appropriate, humour and ridicule. This is another way of saying ‘nothing is sacred’ in the intellectual tradition of questioning, examining and expressing an opinion (so-called ‘freedom of expression’). It may be that Muslim intellectuals and those who have greater education can understand and appreciate this, perhaps even practice it. But others, lacking any knowledge or appreciation of that tradition, perceive it differently. This applies in the case of Islam, Christianity, Judaism and other religions --- in fact, in any system of faith rather than a system of rational intellectual enquiry. This leaves it open, of course, as to whether one should ridicule someone else’s faith, either because such ridicule is ‘not in good taste’ or because it is dangerous to one’s health and wellbeing.

YngNlvnIt – Agree completely: The Jesus Seminar grrrrr lol talk about balloon heads.

Angry Martin:

Scout what would genuinely be enlightening is your understanding of my ‘version’ of Christianity. It would be instructive for both Christians and non-Christians in here.

It would reveal

1. Your level of understanding of Christianity
2. Your understanding of religion in general
3. Your grasp of the history of Western Civilisation

If by some miracle you accurately discern any version of Christianity the Angels in Heaven will sing with delight at the finding of a lost soul  lol

As for my agenda, I have been in your market place for many weeks now. I have expressed my beliefs fully and openly. I haven’t hidden anything. What is interesting isn’t my love of Christ but your unacknowledged agenda. Do you think you approach any subject from a neutral position?

Please contain that self deception – fast. I’m already tempted to denounce your posts as a disgrace.

My beliefs are either right or wrong. You haven’t yet attempted to argue on that level.

My hope is that you soon come up with some good arguments. Enlighten us Scout.

Forgiving Martin:

Scout I sense that you know deep down you have prejudices and are carefully testing the waters about this belief in Christ. You don’t want to be taken for a fool, and you have an automatic scepticism of the supernatural. Can’t blame you for that, it’s a characteristic of the age. And I was an atheist not long ago also.

I’d encourage you to ask specific questions about faith, don’t be afraid. Belief in God is much more rational than the alternatives. So you can expect common sense answers to your questions. If God exists we’d expect Him to want to be understood (as much as it was safe for us).