I see that stereotyping is alive and well and in common use on this forum.
Here's how its done:
Step 1: Invent a label based on some perceived characteristic held in common by a number of people, but for which a real organised group of people does not actually exist. eg. "Moderate Muslim"
Step 2: Classify people with this characteristic under the new label. eg. any Muslim that isn't currently plotting to overthrow the "West".
Step 3: Dream up some more, either observed or imagined, characteristics, behaviours and connections that these people may or may not share. eg. afraid of extremists, or not real followers of the Koran, or secretly believe in the triumph of Islam over the West but dare not say it or act on it.
Step 4: Proceed to attack (and in some cases defend) this imagined group of people based on the qualities identified in step 3. eg. they should speak up and defend themselves? etc. etc.

The author has done well to outline a fact that there are many many REAL varying and independent groups that come under the umbrella label of "Arab-Muslim", and that there are many Muslims from these different groups that ARE speaking out, and i thank him for shedding some light on these complexities.

Understanding leads to peace, segregation does not.

Boaz,

The point is we need to accept and respect each other's faith.
I can ask you to fully reject most of the OT as it is full of racial and violent references but it is how you interpret it that matters.

Peace,
T

If they have any ability at all, the Islamic academics would do well to start by writing a logical and concise rebuttal,in clear English, of the following:

http://debate.org.uk/topics/history/quran.htm

The absence of any such rebuttal would then support the contentions of a number posters above who source the problems back to the Koran itself. The presence of such a rebuttal would also be revealing,and informative.

But dont hold your breath.

Fellow_Human: A big ask from you! Have you read the nonsensical koran at all? you ask sane, thinking people to believe/respect that?
Have you noticed at all the death-loving adherents of islam and how they respect other beliefs at all? And we are to respect that?
Perhaps their misogynistic attitude towards women including cowardly insane, brutal honour killings/murders? Another cruel islamic belief and we are to respect that?
Lastly have you heard the so-called sermons from your imams where death is called down upon pigs and monkeys as well as destruction of democracy (do not have to tell you who pigs and monkeys are eh?) I have read transcripts and there's no way I could repect that type of dribbling diatribe.
Having said that in this free country you, as you well know, you are able to believe and practice whatever nonsense moves you. You are able to insult call down curses on this country, democracy other religions. You can lie to us as to your aims for islam in Oz. But please have the decency not to ask us more sane and sensible to respect your stupid pagan beliefs - please! Regards, nubat

Boaz, it is clear that you will try absolutely anything in your mission to increase tension between religious fanatics.

>>The current polling suggests 50% of UK muslim youth want to live under Sharia Law. That probably represents over a million people.... and THAT.. is cause for serious concern.<<

I don't know what in this is in your terminology, Boaz - exaggeration? But given your access to sources on the Internet, I would have to classify it as a blatant lie. Here is the most recent poll as reported on 30th January 2007 in the Gulf Daily News:

"According to the Internet and phone poll of 1,003 Muslims, 37 per cent of 16-to-24-year-olds said they would prefer to live under Sharia law compared to just 17pc of the over-55s. The same number of young Muslims said they would prefer to send their children to Islamic state schools while 74pc said they preferred Muslim women to wear the hijab headscarf in public. Among the over-55s, the figures were 19pc and 28pc on the same questions. A small overall minority (seven pc) said they "admire organisations like Al Qaeda that are prepared to fight the West". The figure was highest among younger people (13pc) but just three pc among older people. In general, more over-55s felt they had as much, if not more, in common with non-Muslims in Britain than with Muslims abroad (71pc), but that fell to 62pc among 16-to-24-year-olds."

Now you can play with the numbers any way you like. But one thing it immediately suggests to me is that "kids get smarter as they get older".

And think also of the method... "Internet and phone poll"

Skew, anybody?

My other immediate observation is that there are only a million or so Mulims in total in the UK, so your assertion "that probably represents over a million people" is a total nonsense.

I know it is a vain hope, but please, just for once, think before you write such obviously inflammatory garbage.

bigmal, you are falling into the Boaz trap.

Jay Smith says at the beginning of his polemic:

"Obviously this is a task that no-one should take lightly, and I don't intend to do so here. For that reason, I have decided not to attempt a simplistic analysis concerning the authority of the Qur'an and the Bible in one single paper. Instead I will begin by dealing with the authority of the Qur'an in this paper and then turn my attention to the authority for our own scriptures, the Bible, in a follow-up paper."

That was twelve years ago. So far, nothing.

Does that indicate to you that i) Smith was simply dissembling about the "follow-up", and in fact had no intention of creating any balance, or ii) that after twelve years of exhaustive study, he could find nothing to doubt the authority of the Bible?

Actually, you don't need to answer that, it is already patently obvious where your bigotry lies.