"For, after a 1,450-year long encounter between Islam and what is now known as the West, surely it's time that we tried to understand one another."

People who aren't terminally stupid have understood Islam from the very beginning. It's founder and his heirs inflicted it by force wherever they could. Killing and enslaving non-believers is legitimate. It is a violent religion with no respect for personal freedom. It should be stamped out the way other religions which involved human sacrifice were stamped out.
Only a madman would suggest it has any place in Australia at all.

We've heard Muslims here on OLO write about those aspects of Sharia that are great, similar to Australian law, and whatever.

To ignore what a barbaric system Sharia is shows just how many Muslims are fundamentalist, doesn't it?

Why is it that westerners can adapt? I mean, we once believed slavery was alright, although we don't now. True, some of our companies take advantage of the cultures in the third world, but if those people fought against their cruel governments, and people valued life, they could change that.

I found out the other day that China is being built on the backs of 200 million slave labourers, and we know how bad child slavery is in parts of India & Asia. In Africa, children are thrown into the army, or militias, and sadly, a growing problem, many Pakistani 8-9 yr olds are raped (because their virgins) by wealthy gulf Arabs who go there for sex tours.

Sharia is backward. It doesn't matter that Allah told Mohammed that this is God's law. Assuming Mohammed didn't make the whole thing up, it simply means his god is a prick. Fancy stoning someone to death simply because they are homosexual, or killing those who convert to Christianity.

There is a case of this going on right now in the dump that is Afghanistan. I thought western troops gave their lives in that war (if you can call that a war, the Taliban were impotent old men) so that Muslims would be free of barbarity.

It appears they want more. And then there is Saudi Arabia, where being non-Muslim is illegal. How sick. Non-Muslims can't go to Mecca. Yet Islam is tolerant? Only a fool would buy that!

Trad asked for Sharia for divorce disputes about a year ago I think, though the biggest opposers were Muslim womens groups. Apparently, those women don't know their place! In Islam, only the male has a say in the divorce, how civilised.

Canada did try this stupid experiment, but after incessant complaints from, you guessed it, Muslim women, it was scrapped. I believe that to give in to barbarity parading as cultural difference is appalling.

We must always call it as it is. If your 1400 year old rule-book is a pile of gunk, then that is what it is. I can't understand how they all run away from their dumps to come to the best places on earth, the west, yet they are so racist they want their own system.

This is a problem. To see modernisation as a western, white man thing, is simply stupid. Europeans used to be barbaric too, but they have self-criticism.

This is where Muslims are in need of help. They appear to have no critical reasoning component, I mean, if Islam was subjected to the same criticism as we afford ourselves, I believe it would collapse.

Perhaps this is why Muslims get so angry. They know that to consider women half the value of men is illogical, to kill homosexuals is wrong, and so on.

Angry is the man who has no faith in his own identity. You can attack westerners non-stop, we are so secure in what we are, represent, value, that nothing can defeat it.

Muslims however, will continue to react to the q's like: why is it alright to kill those who want to leave Islam and become Christian - with violence, because they are scared and their identity is built on sand, it has no strong base.

Sharia Law in Australia it will never happen untill such time we the people decide , now where was I, do we know what we are letting ourselves in for, maybe we should look at Solomons Laws because those laws are significant today, Solomon was a stallion. needed to be with 700 wives take some satisfying, what about the thousands of none Jewish slaves, I wonder if we continue to support Israel will all "none Jews", become slaves, we need to think of what this world will be like after the Israeli's/Jews demolish the Holy Mosque, many who write posts on these pages support the destruction of the Mosque I question their sanity, even Benny Hinn put his hand up, the Question is where is God? . or better still is the God being worshipped in the Middle East a antichrist disguised as God./ something is wrong because my God says we must love our neighbour.
Sharia Law in Australia , Solomons Law in Australia there are more important things to talk about, we must stop all the madmen before it is too late, Tim Larkin I am sure you know, 128 newspapers around the world published the cartoons of Mohammed, surprise ,surprise, the "newspaper owners" all belong to the same God Club, this will spiral out of control , those who are stiring the pot will fall in the fire, maybe it is time to call on God to come down to earth to put the record straight once and for all, lets make a time and place for this to happen, mangotree

Great post Kenny.

Reading through the many posts it is easy to recognise who the real villains are , I wonder why there are never any posts from Muslims condemning the Jewish reigion , maybe some of those religious bigots who never stop bashing Muslims can tell me why, maybe there are laws to protect Jews from people who might want to put their religion down, any such laws should also protect Muslims from religious bigots. fair is fair, mangotree