Why does the Revolutionary Left dwell on the "appalling atrocities" of the Crusades (to quote Funguy) when justifying any Muslim bad behaviour? The Muslim self-pitying sob story over the Crusades just floors me every time when I think about the Muslim invasions and slaughter of innocent Buddhists in Central Asia at the very same time. Is this somehow the fault of evil Christian Crusaders too? While I really have no sympathy for any religion (except mabye Buddhism), I cannot comprehend the ultra-left's excuse making for Islam.

And no, Bushbred, we owe nothing to Muslims. After the Muslim conquest of Constantinople many Greeks fled the city and found refuge in the Latin West, bringing with them knowledge and documents from the Greco-Roman tradition that further propelled the Renaissance that was already underway due to the influx of Greek scholars into the West that had began much earlier, especially in the Northern Italian city-states. They had started welcoming scholars in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. It was the Italians' hunger for Latin Classics and a command of the Greek Language that fuelled the Renaissance. Remember the Roman Empire lived on in the East until the Muslim Jihad finished it off in 1453.

Moreover so-called "Arabic" numbers and the zero were invented by Hindu Indians (only conveyed to West by Muslims), and paper and printing was invented by the Chinese.

Oh please, as far as I can see no-one has questioned why Benedict XVI has singled out Islam to talk about religion and violence. I know Muslims are easy game right now, but hello...where was BenedictXVI as the so-called Jewish state was commiting war crimes in Lebanon, and the daily terror inflicted on Palestinians by this rogue state. Then there are the Christian nations that have murdered hundreds of thousands in Iraq...and elsewhere...and still counting.
The big question: what are his motives for what he said...and more imporantly, didn't say. Are we to preume that he is unconcerned about present day violations of the Geneva Conventions and more interested in stirring up more hate.

Probably the worst treatment smokers get is from 'reformed smokers'.
Same with Islam. Here is a site which is built by Ex Muslims, and they far exceed the 'Mohamed Cartoons' from the Danish Newspaper.

Warning. If you are muslim and don't cope well with the 'heat'..don't look at this. If you are non Muslim, please don't view this with a 'mocking' intent. Simply view it as information about how ex muslims see their own former faith and in particular the founder of it.

http://www.faithfreedom.org/comics/introduction.htm

It contains some remarkable evidence of Mohammed's view on biology.
Apparently he taught that a child will look like the father if his discharge preceedes the womans, and like the mother if hers does.
I wonder if we have any medical people here who may wish to comment ?

The reference is in Hadith Bukhari Vol 4 -546
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/055.sbt.html (scroll to 546)

The 'Test of Prophethood' also makes interesting reading. (in the same hadith)

I cringe in horror at some of the stuff put out about Christianity by Chick Tracts.. and they are supposed to actually BE Christian.
We regularly receive mocking and satire on many levels. The book by Ali G is a classic.. "Da Gospel According to Ali G"... it combines pornographic and religious images in one work. Very blasphemous to us, yet the ABC happily sells it. No bombs at ABC shops yet... hmmm... maybe we don't do that kind of thing ? :)

Here is another video portraying Mohamed and his child bride.
Its not very complementary, so Muslims be warned... you would not like this one.
It shows one thing... that freedom of speech is not stopped by threats or violence. There is always 'a way' and this is the kind of result which violent oppostion combined with internet freedom gives.

WARNING.. if you are Muslim and easily offended don't see this.
For others.. I repeat.. it is information, and a quite crude in places. If u are easily offended....don't watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZoE9bdAUMg

This is obviously done by a western cynic about Mohammed.. but, just like Chic tracts and various portrayals of Jews as pigs and monkeys..this forms part of 'the heat'

On the same site are testimonies from people who embraced Islam from Christianity, and Muslims who rejected Islam

Great to see the token Islam-haters again making an appearance.

There's one thing I didn'y mention in my article, a point which Brian Toohey made very well in the Weekend Aust Financial Review.

The Pope's real target in his speech was not Muslims. The real target of his speech was the Reformation process that led to the founding of the Protestant movement.

In other words, the Pope was engaging in some good old fashioned Protestant-bashing. Just as my school chaplain at St Andrews used to regularly engage in Catholic-bashing in divinity classes.

As for the Muslim response, can someone please explain why no one in Indonesia is whinging about Catholic perspectives being published in the Jakarta Post? And why isn't the government shutting down Kompas, the biggest selling newspaper in Indonesia, despite it being owned by a conservative Catholic foundation?

Of course, the Indons have it right. They know the Pope's speech was targetting Protestents and secularists. And they are using it to maximum mileage to lambast the American evangelical movements who are trying to convert Indonesian Catholics to Protestantism.

It also explains why Pope Shenudah II, the Coptic Pope, also attacked the Pope's speech.

Protestants of the world - UNITE! (?)

The Pope's German. Surely someone must've told him, "don't mention the war"?