Pericles, may I suggest you read this response, which goes into more detail, from Mark Durie.

http://islammonitor.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1199&Itemid=88

This "letter" from the muslim group is definitely not what it seems to the unlearned.

Pericles,

I have to agree with sonofeire. Calling for a ban on proselytising is infantile. It also defeats one of the most important rights we should be defending, the right to free speech. Free speech includes inter alia the right to proselytise.

It also includes the right to "insult" Islam or any other belief system. Free speech includes the right to say things that others may consider hurtful.

It is precisely because I had read A common word – and understood the Muslim context in which it was written - that I thought David Palmer's essay so insightful. For the lay reader he explains what it is that Muslims mean when they talk about eg "unity of God."

Palmer, if you like, deciphers the code words.

You castigate the Pope for wanting to talk religion. Have you actually read "a common word?" It is full of religion. If that is not a religious essay with its multiple quotes from holy books I don’t know what is?

You say the issue is preventing bloodshed. If that is your only issue there is an easy solution. You can always avoid bloodshed by converting to Islam.

But if you want to retain your freedom to be secular, to live in a society in which freedom of speech and religion is permitted, then a more robust approach is indicated.

Consider this:

BERLIN EXHIBITION CLOSES AFTER MUSLIM THREATS

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,538666,00.html

"The gallery is now in negotiations with the Berlin authorities in a bid to get 24-hour police protection, so that the exhibition can be re-opened, hopefully by Tuesday of next week."

For how long will the gallery and its owners require protection? Could it be for the rest of their – perhaps short – lives? The murder of Theo van Gogh shows that the threat is real.

Can the state protect those of its citizens who are deemed to have "insulted" Islam or the so-called "prophet?"

How would you deal with this sort of thing Pericles?

Pericles, you are mistaken in your belief that Pope Benedict only wants to talk religion.

The Vatican was explicit when they announced the invitation that there would be discussion on the situation of non-muslims in muslim lands. As has been pointed out here earlier, one in ten christians are living in persecution, overwhelmingly in Islamic governed countries, ie where shar'iah law is recognised. Now that's just the christians, there are other non-muslims also being persecuted.

The Vatican also mentioned reciprocity, which as Islam is allowed to be practised in the West, means opening up in Islamic controlled countries.

In my opinion, based on the Vatican's first response which was about the need for recognition of differences before meaningful talks could proceed, I don't think the Vatican had any intention of responding in writing at all. It was only after the Yale "scholars" put forward their pathetic crawling response that the Vatican saw the need to step in before they further humiliated themselves as supplicating voluntary dhimmis, and in no way helping those Christians who are suffering under the hands of these muslim hypocrits.

Further, the Vatican has for many years now a regular inter-faith group, amongst whom there are already muslim representatives.

This "common word" was nothing but a sham. Well, that's Islam :)

Pericles..! are you just plain stubborn or ignorant? It has to be one or the other.

RELDA
Western civilization’s (specially Pericles-my emphasis) delinquent knowledge of the Islamic faith leaves us naïve to many of its tenets.

VK
Muslims only have one agenda, and that is to convert all other religions to theirs. (not quite true, their goal is to establish the Rule of Allah/Islam)

CJ

<<while we're subjected to biblical babble here on a daily basis - from several raving religionists of the Christian variety.>>

Now.. Relda raises many areas to consider..each one requiring considerable reading, which I hope we do.
Vk shoots from the hip, but doesn't back it up with anything substantive, and hence produces the casual reply from CJ.

HISTORY AND FACT.

Pericles. I've indicated above how the early Muslims approached interaction with Christians. (King Negus)It's not 'selective', nor is it speculative, it is, as my sub heading claims 'History'...and.. 'fact'.

You can do what you like with those facts, even deny them, but that would be foolish when the sources are in fact Islamic.

So, evidence has been provided on umpteen zillion occasions, but Pericles just writes it off as 'selection to prove a point'. Rarely if ever, have I seen Pericles actually examine the issue (on Islam) before the ad-hominems come gushing forth.

Yes..we 'babbling' Christians DO.. without the slightest hesitation, want to see all 'as we are' we want to convert.. persuade, change, save, re-direct, (call it what you will)the essential core of every life we come in contact with. "That"..is the command of Christ. "Make disciples of all nations" but the Biblical method is 'proclaim and persuade' not 'beseige and bash' as it historically and doctrinally is with Islam. (9:29) Yes, we have unbiblical historic excursions into Crusading darkness, but they are unbiblical.

We have no call to establish an 'earthly' Kingdom of God in the organizational physical sense , such is not the case in Islam. 9:29 is unambiguously clear, stipulating that offensive Jihad to establish the 'Rule (on earth) of Allah' is not only permissable, but obligatory.

Despite the proactive effort by senior Muslims to enter into dialogue with their Christian counterparts in order to seek "common ground", it's doomed to failure by the hypocritical intransigence of Christian zealots and their Islamophobic cheer squads. Quite simply, they don't want any kind of rapprochement with those who represent the Islamic variant of the God delusion.

Since the non-Muslim Islamic 'scholars' here have taken it upon themselves to cherry-pick the more unpleasant bits of the Islamic book of myths, how about a few from their own book of fairy tales:

"You must kill those who worship another god. Exodus 22:20

Kill any friends or family that worship a god that is different than your own. Deuteronomy 13:6-10

Kill all the inhabitants of any city where you find people that worship differently than you. Deuteronomy 13:12-16

Kill everyone who has religious views that are different than your own. Deuteronomy 17:2-7

Kill anyone who refuses to listen to a priest. Deuteronomy 17:12-13

Kill any false prophets. Deuteronomy 18:20

Any city that doesn’t receive the followers of Jesus will be destroyed in a manner even more savage than that of Sodom and Gomorrah. Mark 6:11

Jude reminds us that God destroys those who don’t believe in him. Jude 5

Don’t associate with non-Christians. Don’t receive them into your house or even exchange greeting with them. 2 John 1:10

Shun those who disagree with your religious views. Romans 16:17

Paul, knowing that their faith would crumble if subjected to free and critical inquiry, tells his followers to avoid philosophy. Colossians 2:8

Whoever denies “that Jesus is the Christ” is a liar and an anti-Christ. 1 John 2:22

Christians are “of God;” everyone else is wicked. 1 John 5:19

The non-Christian is “a deceiver and an anti-Christ” 2 John 1:7

Anyone who doesn’t share Paul’s beliefs has “an evil heart.” Hebrews 3:12

False Jews are members of “the synagogue of Satan.” Revelations 2:9, 3:9"

Stacks more at http://www.evilbible.com/ .

BOAZ on Sunday: “…you do love the adhominem don't you ‘You are dishonest/Hypocrite’. My response? I'll just stick to the issue.”

BOAZ on Tuesday: “Pericles..! are you just plain stubborn or ignorant? It has to be one or the other.”

BOAZ on Thursday (anticipated): Whatever he thinks God would like him to say, or as he puts it – “the command of Christ”.

I suppose if God commands you to be a hypocrite and dishonest, BOAZ, we can better understand why you behave as you do. But maybe you should understand that some Christian actually believe God would prefer truth and honesty, and resent you using the Lord's name as cover for your dishonesty and hypocrisy.