So far this week we have seen.
1.Algeria creating laws that bans muslims from learning about christianity.
2.Malaysia saying it will use its Sedition Act to fine/jail any non muslim who criticises Islam.
3.A Palestinian Imam praising Allah for inflicting bird flue on the Jews. etc
4.Iraq's Sistani saying that homosexuals should be killed in the worst way possible.
5.An Afghani facing death for adopting Christianity and rejecting Islam.

Mean while back in good old Oz we have a debate about the relevance of a system of law, deriving from the same religion involved in all the above, and whether it has any place in the wider domain of Australian society.

There are mushy brained dimwits who dont bother to look, read and observe, who have posted very ill-informed and accommodating responses, without having a clue as to where it will all lead, and certainly must be totally unaware of the performance of Islamic societies with, or without Sharia.

As a minimum they must be unaware that of the 10 least free societies in the world, 7 are Islamic.

Then again there are a majority of us,who in our individual ways have bothered to find out, like, numbat, mickijo,Bull, Meredith, Philo, redneck, BAC baraka, and Narcissist. We have no doubt.

There is no place for sharia in Australia and why the subject keeps getting aired is beginning to be its own evidence as to the real agendas involved.

sneekeepete: 1. islam does not recognise Christ Jesus as the Son of God - so it's completely and utterly pagan.
2. Does not recognise Christ Jesus as the Savior of mankind - so it's utterly pagan.
3.islam promotes misogyny, suicide bombers etc - including using children - that makes islam thoroughly pagan.
4. islam follows a false pedophilic, lying, robbing, murderous prophet - that also makes it totally pagan.
4. islam follows the brutal writings of the koran and not the Bible - that makes it completely pagan.
Need I continue? numbat

Sneeky

you are quite right about the 3 major religions and their various historical manifestations often involving the hacking, burning and trashing.

Problem:

Lets look at those 3 faiths and notice distinguishing characteristics.

1/ Judaism.

Strict followers of Judaism believe that if you keep the 10 commandments AND the 613 or so other specific rules/sub laws, you will be acceptable to God.
Judaism STILL looks and hopes for a POLITICAL Messiah who will inaugurate a Millenial reign with Israel at its centre.

2/ Islam:

Islam has as its goal the establishment of a POLITICAL/spiritual world Caliphate.

3/ Christianity:

When Jesus had spent almost 3 years healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, strength to the cripple, freedom to the demon possessed, raising the dead, he asked the disciples "And who do you say that I am" ?

Peter replied "You are the Christ, the Messiah"

The very next verse in Marks gospel is where Christianity diverges from the other 2 faiths where it states:

"From that time, he BEGAN to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer, die and after 3 days rise"

Peter responds.....

NO LORD..this shall NEVER happen to you !(unspoken he is saying "we want a HEROIC,POLITICAL,MILITARY messiah)...... to which Jesus replied "Get behind me Satan you are not on the side of God, but of men" !

They continued to Jerusalem.....the rest is Hisory.

If you understand this, you will understand the central core of the Christian faith and what God intends for mankind.

The Jews could not conceive of a Messiah in terms of
Isaiah 53

"He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities".

"All we like sheep have gone astray, but the Lord has laid on HIM.....the iniquity of us all"

If the scales are removed from carnal eyes, such that they can see this, -if the fog of 'human' expectation is cleared from the mind, if the heart is humble and contrite, .. such a person is not far from the Kingdom of God

Sneeky i wouldn’t worry about numbat's continued use of the word pagan.

It obviously gives him a sense of satisfaction that no qualification of either the origins of the word or its modern usage will dispel. I suspect that for numbat to concede in the slightest would crack his desperate shell of self (or others) imposed ignorance.

BAC. Well put. my objection to any implementation of sharia law is based, not on dogmatic rivalry but on a commitment to the intellectual process which has (and continues to) removed superstition, ignorance and the self styled moral 'authority' of kings and churches from our legal principals.

bigmal is deluded. "... there are a majority of us,who in our individual ways have bothered to find out, like, numbat, mickijo,Bull, Meredith, Philo, redneck, BAC baraka, and Narcissist. We have no doubt." No doubt? Their minds are made up? Don't inconvenience them with facts?

No room for Sharia law in Australia? Then should we forcefeed Muslims with pork, torch Muslim-owned restaurants that do not serve alcohol or permit customers to bring their own, close down halal slaughterhouses, confiscate banking licenses from banks offering Sharia-compliant products, tear headscarves from heads of Muslim women who choose to wear them and deny divorce to Muslim couples whose marriage has broken down and who have been separated for a year?

Substantial elements of Sharia law are viable in Australia and coexist with secular law.

First prize for stupidity probably belongs jointly to the several contributors who assume that any introduction of Sharia law will be imposed on all Australians. (Good heavens! who by?). That isn't the proposal that was discussed in Canada (if anyone actually checked to find out what it was), and is not a proposal that most Australian Muslims would favour here.

Second prize goes to Philo, who didn't bother to follow the link to find out anything about how Sharia lending works, thought that it is unworkable and wrote that, "Jesus taught that he expected growth from investments".

According to Matthew though,

"12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

"13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

The bigots infesting this thread seem unwilling to read anything that conflicts with their prejudices, but I will try yet again. Morocco is making progress in developing a modern interpretation of Sharia family law, http://www.learningpartnership.org/advocacy/alerts/morocco0204

"Can Islam Change?" by Ziauddin Sardar is a thoughtful discussion at http://www.newstatesman.com/200409130016

His conclusion? Cautiously, yes.

as a Muslim, Islam orders me to respect the law of land that i live in. because there is a contract between me and the Australian government (visa, citizenship, etc....). so if I don’t respect the law of the land, I break the faith that I believe in before I break the law of the land.
But there is a big difference between laws and culture, for example Australian law doesn't order me to drink alcohol, or have out of marriage relationship, but it orders me not to take the law in my hand and trying to stop these things according to my own belief. so if i don't drink alcohol yes i don't practice aspect of Australian culture, but i don't break the law.
What really upsets me is when the politicians use words that send hidden messages without really saying them clear (i mean it depends on the receiver background).
im a supporter of the sharia law as a system, but i don't want to see it in Australia, because the sharia law is one package (all or non) so if hypothetically we applied part of the sharia not all we will end up with a big failure (as what is happening in most of the states with Islamic heritage they just apply part of it).
Democracy means the people's rule, so if in one day Australians choose to accept the shariah no one can prevent it from being applied, and if Australians did not choose it, it won't be applied (i guess this what democracy is).
I believe what Mr. Costello said is irresponsible because simply what he did he raised the paranoia and Islam phobia in this country without really appointing the problem or the solution (as QLD. Premier said it is just a cheap shot for leadership) the same cheap shot that Mr. Howard used in 2001 election (asylum seekers one