It's important to smash stereotypes.

Australia is so far from the Middle East - people can be given the wrong perception of that part of the world - by certain posters on this Forum.

Ever since the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001 - the Middle East has been deprived of their humanity. They're looked upon by certain people as different creatures. Islam is now perceived by them as the religion of terrorists and suicide bombers. They think that every Arab has become a terrorist, every Muslim a fundamentalist.

There is fundamentalism alll over the world, not only in the Middle East. There was terrorism in Ireland, they lived with it for generations. The same in South America - it was never labelled Catholic terrorism or South American terrorism.

It's sad also that certain media lumps together all Islamic countries - sad because they are so diverse. They cover in area from China and Indonesia to North Africa.

The veils that we have to fear are not the veils that cover their faces. They're the veils that cover certain people's minds; veils of ignorance, bigotry and xenophobia.
Minds that will never learn or grow, as another poster pointed out.
And its unfortunate that this kind of thinking is allowed to lower the standard of this Forum - it drains the decency of a debate and is an impediment to genuine discussion

Well said Foxy!

I am not at all given to obsequiousness; quite the contrary, but I wish I could post in your style.

You try to explain to closed minds. My style is to grab them and swing them around by their bats and

FUZZY.....

the terrorism in South America was MARXIST..or.. 'DRUG' related.....of course it was not 'Catholic' terrorism.. good grief.

<<(since 9/11)Islam is now perceived by them as the religion of terrorists and suicide bombers.>>

Dear foxy.. you honestly have a lottt of learnin to do.
You speak from the peace and security of 'comfortable' Australia, and are projecting the niceness of our society onto Islam in an invalid way.

The problem with Islam.. is that.. ISLAM'.... the Muslims are by and large separated from the true and pure expression of Islam by culture and nominalism, coupled with dictatorial regimes.

So...only a person who has no clue about true Islam would immediately extrapolate the terrorism to 'every muslim'....

But the person who DOES have a few clues about Islam.. in the historic and doctrinal areas, will recognize clearly that it is a threat.

The context of Williams speech is irrelevant.. (sorry but in this case it is) he...a supposed Christian, is opening the door for Islamic Sharia law in his country. He knows his bible... and if he did not think of Galatians 1:6-9 when he said that..he surely should have.
(those verses are unambiguous)

SHARIA law.. is not about 'tolerance' its about spiritual imperialism.
and there is no more reason to open British law to Sharia than to Hindu law about killing animals.

I have a simple answer to the 'lets be tolerant' crowd when it comes to Sharia inroads to our legal system -"zero tolerance". Perhaps if Saudi Arabia had a 'sorry' day, and proclaimed that Christian Churches can be built there.... I might mellow ....slightly.

BACK TO THE TOPIC... "should... Muslim taxi drivers 'rights' to religious practice over-ride state law on discrimination of the disabled and drinking public.. PUH-LEASE....do any of you have a firm answer on this?

Boazy: "BACK TO THE TOPIC... "should... Muslim taxi drivers 'rights' to religious practice over-ride state law on discrimination of the disabled and drinking public.. PUH-LEASE....do any of you have a firm answer on this?"

The answer of course is No, and that is the case in every Western jurisdiction of which I'm aware. But you've been told that repeatedly. Please pay attention in future.

BOAZ

Have you no modesty? You speak for all Anglicans, now?

According to you, Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior person in the Anglican Church (leave aside the monarch), is now just "a supposed Christian" because he doesn't know the Bible as well as you do.

Today you chastise the Anglican Archbishop. Tomorrow the Pope? The day after that, God herself?

Frank posed the question "BD, have you no modesty?" I have just recieved an answer to that question which has absolutely knocked the breath out of me:

In his post re banks and interest rates BD was doing his usual patronising number on Foxy. Reading posts in big chunks (been off-line for a while)this unchallenged and condescending b.s. got right up my nose and I pointed out that Foxy was twice the person he would ever be.

I've just read his response. He has convinced himself I am jealous of Foxy and am vying with her for his favours! He really did not understand that there was any criticism of his behaviour levelled, and is sure that I - mean little she-cat that I am - admire his manly strength. Or something.

I have read and re-read both my post and his reply because it gives a weird and somewhat creepy insight into the workings of his mind. If he can convulute what I said to come up with the response that he did then yeah. We are really wasting our time. God only knows what he actually reads into what everyone posts: maybe we are all charter members of the BD fan-club?