Silly little girls really need to spend a bit of time learning the facts of life, before putting their naivety into print.

Nice little apologist arguement Ruby. Many women in Islamic countries would love the opportunity to express their views. Unfortunately they don't get to.

I did not say that your article justifies murder, Ruby.

The West does not have to look “beyond the obvious” as you claim. Muslims are the ones who need to take a good look at themselves. They could and still do think whatever they want in predominately Muslim countries; but now that they are trying to live the same sort of lives in the West, it is they, not the Westerners who have to do the adjusting and start understanding the Western way of life if they wish to be accepted.

Whether or not the “issue of Iraq and Israel is important to Arab Muslims”, it is a matter of complete indifference to me, Ruby. I believe, and will continue to believe, that Islam is the greatest threat to the West and all non-Islamic people; particularly Arabic Islam.

Sadly, in your rejoinder to me, you again justify terrorism because of “…the effects of Western interference in the Middle East.”

You seem to have a typically Islamist attitude: always blame non-Muslims for the obvious backwardness of Islam.

You might fool yourself, Ruby, but you don’t fool anyone but the most gullible of Australians who think that they are being ‘nice’ by agreeing with you, or sympathising with you.

"But why did the Danes or the Dutch choose this time? Probably it is just miscalculation on their part."

Maybe they're sick to death of murder, rape, indigestible immigrants, ballooning welfare payments and disrespect and contempt for the host cultures?

"They may have thought that this is the best time to defeat Islam morally as it has so far resisted all attacks militarily."

Any time is a good time to defeat Islam morally. As for "militarily" are we talking recent (Afghanistan, Israel in 1948 and 1967) a little while back (Ottoman Empire) or a long way back (Gates of Vienna, the Reconquista on Iberian Peninsula, Battle of Tours, Lepanto)?

"This systematic attack on Islam has so far been directed towards the most sacred person in Islam; the prophet Mohamed and to the most sacred book the Quran."

The whole idea of free speech is that no one is above reproach, not even an alleged "sacred person" whose career was long on murder and mayhem and short on good deeds and good works.

'We should expect the next attack to be directed towards Makkah (Mecca ) the most sacred place for Muslims'

Hardly likely, despite the continuing attack on the Holy Land by Muslims. Muslims claim victimhood, yet who are the real victims in "Palestine"? Perhaps those in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, now 90% Muslim, once almost entirely Christian. No one makes any claims on Mecca (nor Medina, despite the fact the population was once largely Jewish) but the whole world is supposed to bow to Muslim claims to Jerusalem- when the place was never once mentioned in the Muslim holy book.

Apparently, according to some posters, Islam itself is inherently evil, bloodthirsty, murderous... fill in the adjective.

Christian fundamentalist George W Bush invades Iraq and kills, according to an article in the lancet using recognised methods, 655,000 innocent Iraqis int eh first 3 years. So it is possible the figure is now 1 million. Add to that the 500,00 Western imperialism killed in the blockade of Iraq.

Palestine was the creation of the UN, the expression of the twin imperialisms of Russia and the US. Driving hundreds of thousands off their lands and into bantustans, slaughtering thousands, and then imprisoning people in the Gaza strip and West bank is an act of barbarity.

Now, who is the bloodthirsty one? When war criminal and mass murderer George W Bush is tried alongside Osama Bin Laden I will know there is justice in the world.

I think to see this in terms of religion is to miss the point. All religions contain an essential ambiguity - they appeal to the elite and the poor simultaneously. Their role is to offer hope to the oppressed and reassurance to the elite that they can channel that hope in non revolutionary directions.

While each major religion is born out of particular social conditions, they adapt to each particular class society they find themselves in. Thus the Christianity of 100 AD is very different to that of feudal Europe and that of capitalist society. Similarly with Islam in terms of its development. I think an article on these points might be worthwhile.

Passy,

Don't forget your secular humanist mate Stalin who makes all the rest pale into insignificant except for the murdered unborn babies.