Hello posters, this is my first visit and I see that a controversial topic is being pooh-poohed and taken seriously by two people.

Firstly, Ginx, it is not the case of 'people WILL decide what THEY want'.
Haven't you seen how schools stop students wearing Christian emblems and no-one complains. Yet the cry is 'racist' if a school should dare to try to limit the wearing of Moslem dress etc. Substitute many institutions for 'school' and the story is the same. With the destruction of the old moralistic systems by the UK Labour party, a vacuum existed for someone to fill. That's where the Moslems are edging in. Believe it. I've seen it happen. Do you really think that it couldn't happen here?

Philo's reply to you is 100% spot-on.

Islam is on the move. Anyone who dares to question this in our own land is immediately vilified as an Islamophobe. Does that make the accusers 'Westernphobes' or 'Christainphobes'?

Really, some people can't see the forest for the trees. Don't sit back saying it won't happen. By the time you are convinced otherwise, it will be too late.

I think that it's appropriate that this topic was aired on this date.

The sky is falling arrrrgghh!

Oh come off it guys, schools not permitting the wearing of Christian symbols? That's a new one! Where's the article on that?

So much falsehood used to justify one's position is not a good start.

And Philo, the frog boiling story is a total myth mate, even though it's only an allegory it's not based in reality, just like your religion and ideas I suspect.

Bugsy, so you actually believed I thought Muslims were boiling frogs?

Here's what this discussion looks like from an atheist's perspective.

(And please note, I am only speaking for myself. That's the way atheism works – we all make up our own minds)

As an atheist, I consider myself extremely tolerant of religious factions. I don't ask people to stop believing in whatever they believe in, but at the same time I will not back down when my lack of belief is denigrated.

I don't begrudge any religion the trappings that it feels it needs to feed itself. I accept that it is tough, all that faith.

Nor, even, do I begrudge the charitable status provided to many organized religions, even though this effectively means that I am financing their activities.

I particularly do not get concerned when the various religions build their places of worship. Some of them are quite attractive pieces of architecture, quite a few have been around a very long time (I was recently in a thirteenth century church in France - quite magnificent) and will presumably be around for a good while longer.

Surely, all that we are seeing here is the religious equivalent of penis-envy? His church is bigger than mine, therefore it should not be allowed to be built. There cannot be a religious reason for objecting to it, surely? Or are we seeing a Christian version of the "my religion or no religion" attitude that they affect to despise?

Are they really that intolerant?

Rest easy folks. If people want to worship their deity in their own special way, they will do it whether you like it or not, so objecting to the building of a new place of worship is pretty pointless. Unless you are working on the basis that if they don't have a mosque to go to, they'll gravitate to the nearest church?

Probably not.

But seriously, if I were the security services, and I was suspicious that these places might be used to foment plans for evil deeds, well...

...I think I'd prefer them to be doing so somewhere where I can easily find them.

Wouldn't you?

Being tolerant is not the same as being submissive. That's how these Moslems see those of us who give an inch so that they can take a mile.

No-one here is suggesting that other religions be denied the right to feed themselves but why is it reported that some food companies are making a big thing out of pushing foods inoffensive to Moslems? There exist, now, foods labelled as 'halal' for the genpop.

If only the subject of this thread was about architecture, no-one would be too concerned. It's the use to which these buildings is put.

Why should we tolerate an intolerant religion? They would never reciprocate but only take tolerance as a sign of weakness.

Pericles, you say "I think I'd prefer them to be doing so somewhere where I can easily find them. Wouldn't you?"

Radical muslims will and are planning terror on democratic countries no doubt. It seems you prefer conflict in our country rather than retain them in countries where they have their laws in controll of the state. It is undoubtly the way to introduce civil conflict into democratic nations. Note on another thread the conflict they have with Australian values and law, which they see as secondary to the shari'ah, that must be obeyed; because shari'ah is to them absolute.
Islamic Values or Australian Values? [