: "If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad?”

Nayeefa, What! Mohammad is the greatest man in modern history??..Yes in murder, in violence, in taking wives as young as 6 yr old.

You may think that mohammad is the greatest man for you, but he isn't for me nor for the rest of the non-muslim world. The greatest man at the moment is Charles Babbage or Bill Gates. Without their efforts, you may not be writing your mo-praising articles here on Online opinion forum. got it?

The Qur'anic description of man and woman in marriage: "They are your garments/ and you are their garments" (Surah 2: Al-Baqarah: 187) implies closeness, mutuality, and equality. However, Muslim culture has reduced many, if not most, women to the position of puppets on a string, to slave-like creatures whose only purpose in life is to cater to the needs and pleasures of men.

Despite everything that has gone wrong with the lives of countless Muslim women down the ages due to patriarchal Muslim culture, there is hope for the future. There are indications from across the world of Islam that a growing number of Muslims are beginning to reflect seriously upon the teachings of the Qur'an as they become disenchanted with capitalism, communism and western democracy. One can only reflect on the obvious flaws in all three areas if any even handed criticism is to be applied.

A prerequisite for authentic peace can only occur with elimination of the inequities, inequalities, and injustices that pervade the personal and collective lives of human beings, it is otherwise not possible to talk about peace in Qur'anic terms. Here, it is of importance to note that there is more Qur'anic legislation pertaining to the establishment of justice in the context of family relationships than on any other subject. This points to the assumption implicit in much Qur'anic learning, namely, that if human beings can learn to order their homes justly so that the human rights of all within its jurisdiction - children, women, and men - are safeguarded, then they can also order their society and the world at large, justly. In other words, the Qur'an regards the home as a microcosm of the "ummah" and the world community, and emphasizes the importance of making it "the abode of peace" through just living. The disintegration of “family” held values within Western culture leaves a vacuum that true Qur’anic thinking can aptly fill.

Mickijo,

I’d question your quote from Winston Churchill:

"Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it, no stronger retrograde force exists in the world."

In reply I’d quote London School of Economics Professor Fred Halliday:

“… it confuses cause and effect: Arab society and much of the Muslim world are not dictatorial, authoritarian or intellectually paralysed because of religion, but the other way around – it is the existence, for other reasons, of such states and societies that produces a paralysed religion.”

- “100 Myths about the Middle East”, 2005, p 165.

It is very tempting, in my view, to see the current crisis with Islamist terrorism as being purely the product of a paralysed ideology rather than looking more broadly at the history, which includes Western imperialism and colonialism in the Middle East, along with other factors which have produced the societies which have given rise to these ideologies.

Islam is not as inherently rigid and monolithic as some of its critics suggest. There are traditions of “ijtihad” – the open and critical interpretation of sacred texts, and the principles in Islamic theology of classifying Koranic texts as “nasikh” – those which prevail - and “mansukh” – those which are prevailed over.

I don’t for a moment want to minimize the enormous challenge that Islam faces in maintaining its relevance in the modern world, or in a society like Australia’s. Perhaps it can't. But nor should we be took quick to dismiss it as outdated or inherently intellectually defunct. (And I write this as a proud secular humanist!)

Actually, Tony Abbott made some interesting remarks on Friday night. He said he could understand why Muslim males become resentful when the people who tell them to respect women come from the same culture which objectifies women in its popular culture. He said that proponents of western culture often display hypocrisy.

Tony Abbott speaks about these issues with far more respect than the monocultural troll-minority that hog these forums. I think that is because Mr Abbott knows what it's like to be maligned for holding unfashionable views on religion and morality.

Irfan, I've respected what you have to say mostly, but

“Tony Abbott speaks about these issues with far more respect than the monocultural troll-minority that hog these forums. I think that is because Mr Abbott knows what it's like to be maligned for holding unfashionable views on religion and morality.”

Abbot's a useless monotheist, just like you, referring to everyone posting here, as “monocultural troll-minority” shows the depth ignorance and arrogance of your infantile understanding of reality. The only unfashionable views on religion and morality, comes from you and Abbots ilk. The majority are sick to death of your moronic suppressive way of life.

Your belief in the despotic Yahweh and ignoring the reality of what following that belief is doing to the planet, is true monoculture. I understand your emptiness, other than being an enslaved clone of a barbaric god, Yahweh.

You rave about how your Australian, yet you forcible try to impose your primitive ways upon others. Your about as Australian as Boaz and co, traitors to the peace and harmony of the world. Your Koran's as plagiarised as the bibles and just as lacking in veracity. I couldn't care if your prophet had 500 wife's, just shows how inadequate a man he was. Nor whether Jesus was resurrected, if any of you had half a brain you'd be more interested in saving this planet from the assured mutual destruction all your despotic factions are driving us to.

Sadly like all clones, you see only illusion, you couldn't care less for Australia nor could Nayeefa, Boaz,.coach, or any following the same path as you. All you care about is being right and finding ways to enforce it. If religious war came to this country, all of you would support your factional belief before Australia. To say or do otherwise, is to show yourself as being hypocrites and cowards. The quicker your god gets you all of the earth the quicker we can have peace.

Nayeefa,

I thought that these forums were exactly the place to discuss points of view - especially when the one making the points is following and endorsing a dangerous false religion that is threatening us as a society.

The points I really would like to discuss here are:

1. is mohammad a real prophet?
2. is the qur'an really divine revelation?
3. is Allah the same as the God of the Bible?
4. based on the above is Islam a true religion?

You don't need a Combat Kit or a Super Guru to examine and see the flagrant evidencial differences comparing the two books - complete distortions of biblical facts.

You can mention Mary, Jesus, Abraham and Moses - but so could anyone else.

Until you are able to take the heat of critical analysis of your beliefs - there will be no improvement in the way the rest of the free world look upon you.

If your religion is so pure and beyond compare - well prove it.

Words are not enough - you need to take some honesty tests and compare both your texts and revelations to the Bilblical texts and its revelations.

Saying that the Qur'an superceeds the bible ain't enough.