I'm a new user to these forums. I'm not Moslim but I know plenty of Moslims. I live in Berala. It really embarrasses me that some people here are writing really silly stuff about the Moslim religion.

BD, you haven't even provided references to the quotes you've given. How do you expect people to believe you. You must think Moslims are guilty until proven innocent.

It troubles me that there are still people in Australia who treat Moslims the way us Catholics used to get treated up until 30 years ago. It's really sick.

I agree that Irfan should be more constructive in what he says. But I'd have to agree when he calls many of you fruitcakes or whateva word he uses. It really does fit alot of people here. Have you ever thought of getting jobs?

In Australia, Islam XOR Christianty. I agree, Australia's out in the open culture of "pornography, gambling, alcoholism, and drug addiction" does stand in stark contrast to the crippling opium addictions, inequality of women, and atrocious legal defence of female rape.

I'm sorry Nayeefa, we don't have any skyscrapers we'd like to trade for smoking rubble and incinerated corpses; our people are at war! It is called the War on Terror for a reason; we are fighting terror with terror. Why just today our glorious leader was talking about the "alternative set of procedures" used in torture interrogations. He was just being coy, but he showed the world that we have the stones to fight on the same level as you frenzied fundamentalists.

BOAZ_David if we are to judge a religion by the sexual excesses of its founders can I draw John Smith the founder of the Mormons to your attention.

The Mormons believe in the supremacy of the husband over his wives - not limited to 4 either.

I am not sure that its valid to compare the actions of a man in the middle east in 800 AD with current Australian standards of cruelty.

Why are we tarring all muslims with the same brush. Yeah I am unimpressed by uneducated muslim youth bragging about honour killings but muslims from China and the Indian sub-continent are different. Remember that Pakistan has elected a female prime minister twice.

Oh boy all this because some cute people see difference, in this case religious, as a means of garnering support for their cause.
I do not know enough about either religion, or Bhuddism, Hinduism or any other. I do know how easy it is to search for cute sayings that vilify and irritate. How easy it is to be superior, Christian humility!
Our leaders are very fond of so doing., knowing full well that most males will jump at the chance of a stouch given reason, particularly if nothing else offers. (The unemployment M East and youth numbers exceed ours by a large margin. A lot of frustrated virile youths seeking purpose and cause.
I think the clash of religions is the kind of thing one sees in juveniles football followers particularly soccer; the origin being competition, fear of the other, all boys , the herd. Ones own behaviour is masked in that of the mob.
I am however glad that the treatment of women in the West is good, but you must admit they are still a source of possible impurity a temptation to the male hierarchy -universal?
Leaders always have more women !
There is an add currently, I have not read it but its headlines says all men are hypocrites. One might quibble with all and men but…
The other matter hyped by our leaders are suicide bombers. Try the Tamil Tigers or for terrorism try historical Africa. Or read the history of civilisation.
Labelling terrorism is very useful. On the one hand it absolves one from even wondering and on the other provides a useful tool to play wedge politics.
9/11 was a glorious opportunity for America, the century was a goer, Bush was the leader! The perpetrators, Saudi, middle class educated may be zealots, cleverly killed more than any other single act had done, except the Bomb or Tokyo firestorm! The summation of killings still favours state terror (or the roads. I may be wrong road deaths America only 1968-2005 26,347 death by Terrorist 29,678.

Pakistan has only elected a female PM because she inherited the mantle of her powerful father and grandfather - like all influential South Asian female leaders (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India).

This phenomenon is well-documented, and has absolutely nothing to do with the general status of women in these countries, and as such is nothing to crow about. It is all to do with the aura and power of their menfolk - powerful husbands, fathers or grandfathers. It is an extension of the backward belief that a woman's status only stems from the status of her male relatives. So wherever there is a token female politician, especially in a Muslim country, look for a powerful (often violently) deceased male somewhere in the picture.

This is completely different to the situation of female politicians in Scandinavia or New Zealand for example, where they rise to power on their own merits. These are true reflections of female empowerment.

Good post Kvasir, I'm sure you don't discount the majority of other women in the sane world, who've made it on merit in all aspects of life.

The problem we face, is a past its use by date violent belief system (Yahweh), which can't support its rhetoric by fact. So it resorts to psychopathic suppression, ending in violence.

Supporters of Yahweh can only babble incomprehensibility about illusion, then reject factual reality, accuse, condemn and finally enact death for any opposition.

Anyone thinking a women or man needs to conform to a belittling and restrictive ideology to have a life, is not very advanced on the evolutionary path. In fact if you look at the reality of our world, those suppressing women, rate lower than any animal or insect on this planet. No other living being suppresses or destroys everything in its path to be right, other than the followers of Yahweh, god of war.

Personally, I think anyone displaying their belief via dress, regalia, preaching, subversive actions or take over, lacks credibility and truth. They don't have a clue about peace, tolerance, love, caring or rational logic. I doubt there's a word for those who advocate the destruction of everything for superiority.