Looks like this guy has got past the denial and anger phases of dealing with the issue - wish he could get everyone else up to speed.

Great article!

Bashir,
Congratulations and very well thought out.

Coach,
Typically ignorant…

BEEEEEEP...."Muslim 'basher' alert" :)

Ok.. a few points should be made on this mostly good article.

*To Muslims, Islam is the religion of peace and reason. *

agreed. Key words "To Muslims".

Others may disagree.

*Islam dazzled the world with its free and powerful theological and philosophical discourse from the Middle Ages onwards*

On what historical foundation did this 'dazzling' rest ? (history of the expansion of Islam is compulsory reading to 'get' this point.

*it was Prophet Mohammed who fought for freedom of speech *

REALLY ?
He wasn't too thrilled with Kaab bin Ashraf who was the first 'cartoonist' in words (poet) whom he had murdered.
So, my jubilation at his battle for free speech is somewhat muted here. Not to forget also the woman he himself murdered with the sword while she slept with her children. (she was another 'mocker')

All that list of things done by the colonial west, while true, were also done by the invading Muslim armies. To have mentioned this would have given the needed completeness in the article.

No response or critiqe would be 'complete' unless one freely admitted that the "organized Church" (i.e. the beaurocratic, heirachichal one)
has committed horrendous acts of cruelty and barbarity, with the inquisition and on south American Indians and many others.

Fortunately none of that can be linked to Christs life or teaching.

CHRIST RENEWS.

What CAN be related to Him is the impact of those such as Lord Radstock,(an Englishman in the 1800s) who was used of God, to transform many of the Russian nobility into caring, generous, people. Colonel Paschkov, found Christ throught Radstocks evengelism, and reached out to Tolstoy.

Dostoievsky commented about Radstock "I found nothing startling about him, his talks neither clever nor dull, but he performs miracles over human hearts and people are flocking to him, looking for the poor, to bestow benefits on them". Count Brobrinsky (Minister of the Interior) and others opened their palaces for the poor.

You won't hear much about this kind of thing but I assure you, its the REAL 'Church', sssshhhhh..its a secret :)

Yes there are things one could debate but why? One of the better letters from an open minded, clear thinking moslem. Numbat

Thanks Bashir, a truly enlightened missive.

coach, 'Any 5 year old who can read will tell you how evil islam is.'
Especially when they have parents who push this line of bigotry

Bashir has certainly given us all plenty to contemplate. I cannot comment on the historical matters but I found the comments regarding the need for self critisism to be very relevant to today, and our situation here. Hope Muslims,and others, take note.

The Iran/Iraq war, the killing of the Kurds and the present insurgency in Iraq must put an end to any lingering myths about the "brotherhood of Ismam" I wonder if those that destroyed the historical mosque in Iraq think Allah will be pleased. Many deaths occured over a few silly cartoons, how the mind boggles.