MUSLIM FANATICS HAVE BEEN JUMPING UP AND DOWN LIKE SPOILT CHILDREN BECAUSE A CARTOON WAS PUBLISHED THAT THEY FOUND OFFENSIVE.
MAYBE BECAUSE OF THEIR OVER SENSITIVITY TOWARDS SUCH MATERIAL, THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE GONE AROUND BOMBING THIS THAT AND THE OTHER THING SCREAMING 'MOHAMMAD IS GREAT, DEATH TO THE INFADELS!'AND KILLING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE. NOW THATS WHAT I FIND OFFENSIVE.THERE'S AN OLD SAYING...."IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN.'

Coach,

My comment was in response to your claim that 'there is no common ground for a dialogue with Islam'.

Yet you claim it easy to have a Judeo-Christian dialogue while the existence of judaism means you are living a fantasy. The Judeo part is still waiting for the messiah and savior. And you don't follow the Torah (notice I never call it OT). So where does that leave you? I thought Islam is a step closer.

GZ Tan,

Emotional upper case and making your own jokes and laugh at them tell us a lot about you.
I don't need to prove Islam is peaceful since OLO is a living proof of Muslims actions: over the last few months, myself and few other Muslim posters (including new Anglo Muslims) communicated with many and established a dialogue with lots of people from different faith and interests.

On the other hand, we have people like you with 35 postings with nothing else in your brain but bashing Islam and Muslims.

Get a life!

If OLO can be used as a microcosm of current levels of religious understanding and tolerance. It can clearly be argued that Muslims are indeed being targeted. The high levels of denigration of Islam is dismayingly high. It is no wonder that Muslims feel victimised.

This observation in no way condones the violent response of some Muslims to the 12 cartoons. There is no excuse. However, continuing to abuse moderate and innocent Muslims is not going to solve anything.

If Fellow_Human was to respond with the same levels of vitriol hurled at him day after day - the self-appointed,self-righteous contingent would be screaming murder. These deluded souls reserve the right to hurl abuse but are unable to accept even the mildest critism of their views.

In all things, balance.

I think it is an accurate comment that leaders of Islamic countries are happy to divert attention away from themselves. They may not know that the newspaper editor in question in Denmark refused to publish insulting cartoons of Jesus only a couple of years ago, with the reasoning that their readers wouldn't appreciate them. This puts the free speech arguement (of the editor) into some perspective.
For everyone else, however, the free speech arguement is sound. Insulting someone's religion should be a right, because it is one of the ways societies change. Brave people stand out from the crowd, and say sometimes contemptable things. But over the following years, the majority reflect on the truth to be found in such statements, and accept that truth. And so societies change.
Islam's main problem is that it is not really a religion, but a political system pretending to be a religion. As such, it seeks power. Hence it is opposed to free speech, because that acts as a brake on the power of the political elite.
Any return to the golden age of Islam would be a retur to an age of ignorance and oppression. Islam's political agenda is quite clear: Islam seeks a prefuedal society where the political elites murder eachother and the populace with impunity, and where the political elites gather wealth to themselves.
And anyone who seriously thinks that Mahommad never sought revenge does not now the early history of Islam. Islam is soaked in blood.
Read a few of the critical histories and see for yourself. This is the world the Muslims would take you to.

I'd like to second Scout's comments regarding Fellow Human. He is a model of patience and humility and a credit to his religion.

As for the response to the cartoons, an interesting situation in Pakistan- on the same day that the parliament passed a law repealing some of the more horrific aspects of Sharia's treatment of rape victims, they also condemned the cartoons. I'd suggest that a lot of moderate Islamic elites see the cartoon furore as a harmless way of shoring up their Islamic credentials and securing power against the fanatics in their societies.

FH,

Gee..."a model...and a credit to his religion". (Is KRS1 an Anglo convert to Islam by any chance?)

Won't I have to tone down in face of such lavish compliment? But I certainly think camo is a person of far better analysis and insight.

Now that we have experienced freedom of expression in OLO, how about we all move to your Islamic forum sites and have a bash around. Do you think we'd be granted the same latitude? If not, then why the hypocrisy?

FH, isn't it safer to fallback on friendly supports than trying to prove Islam is peaceful and tolerant? You'd fall flat on your face every time.

Your saying "...OLO is a living proof of Muslims actions....including new Anglo Muslims..." is yet another hint of the ulterior motives of Muslims - here to (i) convert the gullible to Islam and (ii) subvert an institution of freedom which OLO represents.

Warning, this is in bad taste:- Know why those drug mules arrested in Bali are Anglo Aussies while the master-minds are not? Simple, the Anglo are a lot more 'credible', hence success rate is higher.

So Anglo Muslims are 'pride' and 'joy' of Islamic conversion. Better still, an Anglo ex-Christian minister, who is now all too ready to give testimony why he converted to Islam. Heavy-duty deception indeed....

But there's more... What better use than to turn some Anglo newbies into suicide-bombers... Now the MIND BOGGLES !! Some Anglo may go anywhere without being suspected. Some are probably working in the heart of 'homeland security' department right now...

So, just like when Islam extremists told us "We can hit you anywhere, anytime...God willing". They are not kidding you know.

But God willing? What God??

Now listen good - Where truth is concerned, it's IRRELEVANT what personal good-will you espouse. Knowingly or unknowingly, you're doing the DEVIL's bidding. It's not God by any stretch of imagination.

Even the most evil regime can have a charming facade that deceives outsiders. Islam certainly needs someone like that in OLO, that'd be - YOU !!

(Take this as a compliment as well)