Steven, from where I sit Islamophobia is every bit as much a threat to peace as is Islamism (as opposed to Islam per se). The only possible outcome of your exaggerated fears of Islam is escalation of conflict.

You can be critical of an outmoded and silly religion without having to participate in a campaign of hatemongering and vilification that includes its moderate adherents as objects of scorn and hatred. I manage to do so frequently, and I don't restrict myself to just one silly religion.

Boaz, I see you're up to your old tricks and making ridiculous and mendacious statements and then running away when challenged.

Yusuf Islam may well have been a religious nutter 20 years ago when he made the stupid statements about Rushdie, but how does that make him "treacherous"? Why do you want to ban a Muslim moderate like Waleed Aly from the ABC?

Dear Steven,

To answer your questions:

No. it is not the same USSR whose loyal
servants tortured my father's brother and
deported the rest of his family to Siberia.
That was done under Stalin as you well know.,
whose draconian system raised torture,
suppression, and murder to a science.

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev did not become
the leader of the Soviet Union until 1985.
He tried to make changes in his country and
its relations with other countries. He tried to
make the Soviet political system more open and
democratic. He called for the reduction in the
power of the Communist Party (that's why a
coup was staged against him in 1991). His
programme of economic and political reform -
"perestroika" and his call for more openness
"glasnost" ended up opening the door for
Lithuania succeeding in re-gaining her Independence.

People in other Eastern European Soviet occupied
countries increased their demands for more freedom
as a result.
Once the ball started to roll it could not be
stopped.

Gorbachev worked also, to improve relations with Western
countries and to reduce tension and conflicts worldwide.
In 1987 Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan signed
a treaty that called for the elimination of all the
intermediate-range nuclear missiles of the two
countries. In 1991, Gorbachev and US President George
Bush sent to their national legislatures a START
treaty. The treaty reduced the number of nuclear missiles
by about 30%. In 1988 and 1989 Gorbachev withdrew all
Soviet military forces from Afghanistan. In 1990 he won
the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to world peace.

I cannot understand your
insistance at blaming someone now for something that the
media twenty years ago made a big fuss over. Yusuf Islam
(Cat Stevens),
released a statement the following day denying that
he supported vigilantism and he claimed at the time
that he had merely recounted the legal Islamic
punishment for blasphemy.

His record since then has been
blemish free. He has received numerous awards from
various institutions world wide for his work with people
and various charities. Do your research!

CJ Morgan

The trouble is that what you seem to regard as "Islamism" mosque-attending Muslims appear to regard as a mainstream part of their religion.

Take for example the question of punishment for insulting Muhammad. ALL mosque-attending Muslims I have questioned agree that Islam mandates punishment for insulting Muhammad. Most agree that the mandated punishment is death.

The two Australian Imams I interviewed were unequivocal. The mandated punishment for disrespecting Muhammad is death. (The names of the two Imams were supplied by the Islamic Council of Victoria. They are not fringe Imams)

Where Muslims differ is the circumstances under which the death sentence may be "executed" – pardon the pun. In the 1980 - 90s many young Muslims thought it was the duty of Muslims to take the law into their own hands. Today, a few hotheads aside, Western Muslims adopt a more cautious tone. At least in public they emphasise the need to obey the laws of the land. This was the position of the two Australian Imams I interviewed.

However ALL mosque-attending Muslims I have spoken with are adamant about the need for laws that outlaw what they call "defamation of religion". The two Australian Imams were especially emphatic on this score.

In other words, they want blasphemy laws.

I would guess that most atheists would protest vigorously if, say, Cardinal Pell called for the introduction and enforcement of blasphemy laws? But somehow this bit of MAINSTREAM Islamic ideology gets ignored by atheists who keep professing a belief in democracy and free speech.

Foxy,

Stalinism did not die with Stalin. Gorbachev inherited a Stalinist system and did his best to perpetuate it.

As for Cat Stevens, I am old enough to remember him saying he was disappointed that Rushdie was only being burned in effigy, that he wished it was "the real thing".

The ENORMITY of wishing to see an author burned for writing a book seems to escape you. Subsequent denials, explanations, clarifications and other efforts at spin are really besides the point.

Spot the difference:

"Islamic states are justified under Sharia law in applying the death sentence to blasphemers"...Yusuf Islam
"Islamic states are justified under Sharia law in applying the death sentence to homosexuals"...Proxy

Answer:

Yusuf Islam is a man of peace.
Proxy is a hateful homophobe.

No offence, stevenlmeyer, but I don't attach much credibility to your amateur field research, given your blatant bias when it comes to Islam. Most Muslims I meet keep their religious ideas to themselves, as do most Christians. Rest assured that if blasphemy laws are mooted by any religious organisation in Australia, I'll be vociferously opposing them.

Proxy, the only difference in those statements is their objects. They're both idiotic twaddle.

CJ Morgan,
Given that Yusuf Islam does not appear to have repudiated his view that blasphemers should be executed in countries where it is lawful to do so, how does his view differ from those calling upon the UN to push for such laws globally?
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/grant-death-for-blasphemy-islamists-to-un/623435/
After all, if it's done lawfully, why would he object?
More importantly, how do his views differ from Muslim university students in Britain, where:
-40 per cent support introduction of sharia into British law for Muslims,
-One-third back the idea of a worldwide Islamic caliphate based on sharia law,
-40 per believe it is unacceptable for Muslim men and women to associate freely,
-24 per cent do not think men and women are equal in the eyes of Allah,
-25 percent have little or no respect for homosexuals,
-53 per cent believe killing in the name of religion is never justified (compared with 94 per cent of non-Muslims), while 32 per cent say it is,
-57 percent believe Muslim soldiers serving in the UK military should be able to refuse duty in Muslim countries,
-One-third don't think or don't know if Islam is compatible with Western views of democracy,
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=70673
Admittedly, neither the above or stevenlmeyer's interviews are as rigorous as your personal, anecdotal, in-depth research which concludes:
<<Most Muslims I meet keep their religious ideas to themselves, as do most Christians.>>
I'm in awe of, and defer to, your expertise.