Dear Csteele,

Your responses are not worthy of your intelligence. You are clutching at straws. Also, you tend to drift from the issue … these can only be seen as diversionary tactics.

“...Americans living out life sentences in horrendously overcrowded prisons, … prepared to lose a hand to be free and with their families”

This statement automatically brings a cool comparison to conditions with Islamic prisons. Do you really want to go there? A report by the eminent Dr Reza Ghaffari on women in Iranian prisons.
http://www.iran-bulletin.org/witness/ghaffar2.html

Bilkay Öney, a member of the Green-Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Germany, is a Muslim, of Turkish origin.

“The Gladstone Institute's report quotes Abu Assad al-Almani … I can not find any other references to him. We have some virtually anonymous jerk doing a rant in the German language and it is referenced by the Gladstone Institute? Why?”

I would not disregard reports by Soeren Kern, a person of impressive background and experience.
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/biography/Soeren+Kern
Kern's own site
http://soerenkern.com/web/

There are many references online to Abu Assad al-Almani
http://maalamfiltariq.wordpress.com/tag/abu-assad-al-almani/

Jihadology
http://jihadology.net/2012/09/21/the-global-islamic-media-front-presents-a-new-article-from-abu-asad-al-almani-a-reckoning-with-germany/

Jihad: News of Terrorism, Jihadism, and International Politics. (in different languages)
http://ojihad.wordpress.com/tag/anschlag/

An unfortunate aside of looking for this individual online, is that it leads to other jihadists.

“Christians ... "some take to the streets and demand their governments hang homosexuals.'”

Dear Csteele … In Islamic states they do so.

It is not the majority of Muslims, perhaps a minute minority who trumpet violence and calls for death. However, it is these people who are changing the face of the West in different ways.

Divisiveness within communities worldwide, where no evidence of this occurred before.

Often laws changed to accommodate Muslims. Such niceties have never been extended to other sections of society.

The constant need for worldwide security and vigilance, even at sporting events ... including the invasive security needed at airports (body scans, etc); understandably this is also causing problems with ordinary Muslims.

The self-censorship of British media.

As a supporter of Islam, I would have thought that you would be the first to condemn not only the draconian and inhumane practices enacted at state level by Islam of the Middle East, but also those Islamic groups who riot destructively, and the terrorists. Bearing in mind, that this form of Islam in not practiced everywhere.

I suspect many Muslims of the Middle East would like to see separation of religion and state … Until this occurs, atrocities at state level will be perpetuated. Muslim intellectuals apportion blame, stating and iterating ad nauseum, “the high priests of political correctness in the West ...”

Is this yourself, Csteele?

It would be useful if you could cite with references, Muslims who condemn the above. (You so readily cite other lone, wayward individuals, ie Jews, who have no real influence in their society … and are not relevant to this discussion)

You have stated that you are a proponent of political correctness (certainly in regard to Islam) and also freedom speech. You have not clarified how this works.

G'day Belly, know what you mean. Like I said way back, it's been very ugly ... still is. But hey, that's the price for freedom of expression, right?

What really is the value of so many divisive OLO opinions, and to what end?

So we can sleep well at night?
So we can thump our chests?
So they can thump their chests?
So we/they can ... (fill in the dots).

Thing is Belly, it all depends on ... from who's perspective.

I think you would agree: problems and tensions in a society can be sorted if we respect each other.
We don't.

We don't even respect ourselves.

The race to the bottom means it will be hard climbing our way back.
Given what's gone before, I'm not optimistic.

bonmot gday, well blowing my own trumpet here.
But I was not too bad at dispute resolution.
Over my shoulder in a frame, is a state government award.
For leadership, yes Bruce too many hats!
Most important one? I am proud to say I am mates still with both sides, unionists and very top levels of management from every dispute I took place in.
So what do we expect/want/ need here.
First thing leave the very blind out of negotiations, they imped answers.
Find common ground, and openly talk of the seeming imposable to resolve ones.
We want? mutual respect for all faiths, agree that every time a cartoon or single act some other place takes place we meet, not riot.
Hard isn't it?
Continue talking, we need to, any day war may come to Iran, and to our streets.
bonmot, this can go no further.
Unless all sides agree,to sit and find away every school and every church, can teach every human, we are one single race.
With equal rights.
And equal duty to remember that.
I can build a ten story house of fine words but it will not work, not yet, both sides must fall into the others arms post ww3 then?

@Bonmot,

<<think you would agree: problems and tensions in a society can be sorted if we respect each other…>>

LOL

Says he whose repertoire of retorts include –but are by no means limited to:

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=14089#243703 : “ puke”
http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=14019#242523: “And unlike another here, I don't have ADHD either”
http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=5280#143614: “So our flim-flam man, Mr Wiggle-Waggles”
http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=5291#143489: “[Deleted for abuse.]”
http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=13951#241663: “Hey r'shole”

Come now Bonmot, your reluctance to criticize Islamic extremism has little to do with not wanting to engage in a race to the bottom!

>> @Bonmot,

"think you would agree: problems and tensions in a society can be sorted if we respect each other…"

LOL <<

.

See what I mean Belly, SPQR laughs yet failed to quote my very next sentence: "We Don't" (respect each other)

Ok, he thinks it's a laughing matter - we know where he stands.

For the benefit of SPQR and others, I deplore extremism on all sides - have said it before and given SPQR is a follower (if not stalker) of me, he would know that.

Nope, SPQR looks for quotable quotes that confirm his biases and motivates his reasoning and taken out of context he thinks it's a fair game.

Well, it's not.

.

Hey Joe (good title for a song) Loudmouth -

Did you really take offense for me calling you an r'sole after you rebuked me for not replying to you quickly enough after a very dear and close friend of mine suffered a major heart attack?

Seems SPQR did.