Thanks Irfan for being a voice of moderation here.

Sadly there are a few crazies on the other side of the fence also, and they don't have the same excuses as the Pakistanis

Fellow_Human,

THINK of dozen cities where christians MAY BE violent if mocked? Ha.ha.ha...

Even atheists KNOW that if they wear a T-shirt mocking Mohammed, they'd be dead-meat in ALL cities, towns and villages in ANY Islamic country (including secular ones). If any non-Muslim dares sheltering them, ALL would be killed also. They'd be attacked even in SYDNEY!!

What was in your mind when first heard about decapitation of christian school girls in Indonesia? Or was that not on your radar?

R0bert,

You've a sense of integrity. Thanks!

My spiritual worldview? Knowledge of Christianity does boosts insight which non-christians lack eg. most atheists think Christianity's bad like Islam and Buddhists have no clue.

I cannot emphasize enough Islam is UNIQUELY DANGEROUS because it's thoroughly infringing. Unlike other political system (such as Communism), Islam is ONE-WAY STREET, ie. NO TURNING BACK once a country becomes Islamic.

Unfortunately Islam cannot be moderated. Because (unlike other faith) Islam provides low-level personal instructions on how to live.

Whenever there's a rule, there'd be a perceived need to comply with that rule and an INEVITABLE enforcement of compliance. In Islam, the compliance is thorough- from individual, family right up to world level.

Therefore, Islam is in fact a very CARNAL religion (as opposed to spiritual).

In a Muslim family, father would instruct his son to pray 5 times a day while mother persuade daughters to don Islamic clothes. Both ensure halal food is served, explain why television is bad and expect their many children-in-laws to all be Muslims.

At community level, one's prayer attendance in local mosque is expected. Mavericks challenged with impunity, dobbed in by peers and students stripped off their overseas scholarships. Those dare to renounce the faith are hounded out of town (if they're lucky) or be killed for dishonour.

At state level, governments enshrine laws to punish non-Muslims who preach to Muslims. Build mosques, censor television, devise laws to close down pig farms (Islam's anti-pigs) while using non-Muslim colleagues as facades to project a semblance of religious tolerance. Every election result is the same...same Muslim faces...same idiocy.

to continue...

continue...

Then at world-level, staggering number of Islamic states with their twisted sense of peace and tolerance. Sworn brotherhood solidarity globally. Hope for destruction of the west and that another one of them may acquire the ultimate nuclear arsenal.

Goodness gracious, what a hole some Muslims must live in, from cradle to grave, family room to prayer room in international airports. It's Islam.. Islam... and more Islam... the narrow-mindedness, falsehood and utter hypocrisy.

Once they become the majority, you just put up and shutup. Perhaps this is where the moderates Muslims come in... to sooth your angst (which now you dare not even show as you're unsure whether those moderates will dob you in). Perhaps one day you decide to live a lie - Join them if you cannot beat them. Just like that Indonesian Chinese man who looked every bit a Muslim- kept a long beard, don a turban and a white robe. Not only did he surrendered his oriental heritage, he also sold out his children's free-will and placed them in the clutch of Islam which they could not get out of- They all must became Muslims. Their off-springs too.

So match on, one-fifth of narrow-minded world population on a broad ONE-WAY street to H... ( Did I hear the road to Heaven is narrow and few goes there? )

Your comment about FH and Irfan is fair to some extend:-
1. Moderates being moderates are actually quite 'useless', they will NOT make a real difference in Islam.
2. Freedom & democracy are NOT even Islamic precepts. So no Muslim can be counted on to save freedom and democracy, NONE. (But of course the moderates may join the ride.)

Excluding those who don't even understand the meaning of freedom & democracy... in reality freedom and democracy rest on the shoulder of a VERY SMALL MINORITY !!

May the truth sets us free.

MUSLIM WORLD REACTS CALMLY TO DANISH CARTOONS.

Those people who have the intelligence to see the irony in that particular statement are the ones who can see through the shreikings of the politically exquisite that no group must ever be stereotyped.

If there is one factor in particular that characterises the average Muslim, it is that they all have an immature anger management problem. It is reasonable to deduce that such people who are passionately violent because they possess such little self control have little to offer advanced societies. Western societies already have plenty of people just like them who occupy the bottom rung of our society, and we most definitely do not need any more of them. it is small wonder then that every Muslim country in the world that dies not have a bunch of overseas Chinese running the economy is an economic basket case.

The difference in attitudes of Western society and Islam is similar to the difference in attitudes between Mosman and Moe.

To all of you trendies who are now going into bat for the Islamofascists, I double dog dare you to walk down the street with a "I hate Islam" t-shirt on.

Cmon, comrades. Your perfidious ilk never rests when it comes top tweaking the noses of Western civilisation, let's se you do it with your new Muslim friends.

GZ Tan,

“Islam cannot be moderated because it provides low-level personal instructions on how to live”

Not sure what does that mean; Islam (ie the Quran) offers a framework of morals and ethics. Everything else is a personal choice.

You missed my point above. I wanted to illustrate that you are confusing cultural influences with religion: Christians in the West have a different set of behaviour than Christians in the East. The same scenario is correct for Muslims: cultural influences vary greatly that’s why American and Japanese Muslims chose a march in protest for example.

Culture is not the only factor but education, social and economical factors come into play.
I play soccer with a couple of dozens of Muslims and non-Muslims from different backgrounds, the opinions always varies.

To use a ‘one size fits all Muslims’ is at best misleading.

Peace,

Generalising about any group of people as large and as inherently diverse as Muslims is pretty poor.

If I judged all Christians by the abusive posts I have received on OLO I would be very wrong indeed.

I have many good friends who are Christian, Muslim, atheist and all permutations between.

I dispair at the prejudice revealed here at OLO and I rejoice at the calm and reason displayed by posters such as R0bert and Fellow Human.

However,

Peace

And

In all things, balance.