Which do you agree with? If none, how would you define the problem?
* Islam is from the Devil,
That's a theological issue and I wouldn't post that. I can't say. I will say I'm negatively impressed with what Islamic historical sources say about Mohammed. I sure don't think his teachings or actions were of God.
or it is just the evil root of terrorism
I'm not sure. I am impressed with the fact that there is violent conflict between Muslims and other groups in so many countries - Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Australia, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Egypt, Nigeria, Israel, Turkey, Europe, US, Russia.
, denies human rights especially to women,
In some countries yes, in others no.
and restricts the freedoms we support in an open democratic society.
In most Islamic countries, yes.
All this represents a threat to the principles and life styles of American citizens.
* We don't want America to become an Islamic Nation ruled by Sharia law.
It may represent a threat and yes, we don't want America to be an Islamic nation ruled by sharia.
* We don't want Islamic values to infiltrate our system, or restrictions they would try to force on our communities.
Where they differ from our values, yes. We don't want honor killings and we have them now, we don't want kids chanting "death to _____" fill in the blank (this happened here in Houston just before 911, kids from a Muslim school on Hillcroft showed up when Salman Rushdie visited the city and were chanting "Death to Rushdie" - chanting death to anyone isn't part of our culture.
* Jesus said to turn the other cheek, Mohammad did the opposite.
Jesus did. And Muslim's own history of Mohammed show he did NOT.
* Jesus said to love your enemies, Islam is a religion of pillage, violence, and compulsion, which it has justified and glorified.
Thats an accurate description of what Mohammed founded. I realize over the centuries most Muslims don't live lives of pillage and violence, though some do - in the Sudan for instance, in Somalia, .....
As for compulsion, yes, I think in most Islamic countries people convert from Islam at risk of their lives .... and usually do so very quietly. Sounds like compulsion to me.
* If they want Islam why don't they go live in an Islamic country instead of trying to force it on people in America who don't want it.
If they want to live in a society run by sharia, yes, they should go to an Islamic country.
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I know you think I believe a lot of myths, but I don't think so. I think I'm looking at things as dispassionately as I can. Furthermore, as I've said before I know a bunch of Muslims, all born in Africa or SE Asia and they tend to be well educated, westernized, but still (most of them) observant of their religion to some extent or other. I consider the ones I know to be good people, friendly, intelligent, I can't think of anything bad to say about them. I like them as persons.
I definitely don't have a problem with Muslims as people or, maybe it would be people who happen to be Muslim.
Now how to square the positive impression of individual Muslims I know with the negative things I know to be true of the founder of their faith and the negative things I see in Muslim countries?
I think mankind in general is a mixture of good and evil ... and you'll find most people from almost any culture will have a basic level of goodness ..... so I think the Muslims I know are good people who happen to be Muslim.
I also think there's a barrier between the average Muslim and the Muslim scriptures ( I think very few study the Siras/hadiths I've quoted - they don't know much about them and probably don't want to know) .... I'm guessing that for Muslims their faith is a family thing, their observance a matter of learning some prayers, fasting on the appropriate days, feasting on the appropriate nights ....
I think there is an element of only wanting to know good things about their faith (after all its the faith of one's parents and family and people want to maintain good ties with them) and ignoring anything that might clash with the positive view of their faith they want to maintain.
So I think that the good Muslims I know are likely in a position of ignoring/denying the bad and not confronting it.
Now in previous posts, you and others have mentioned things Christians did in the past - the inquisition, etc. The thing is I CAN look at those things and say they were wrong and were a perversion of the Christian faith .... and importantly I don't find ANYTHING in Jesus teachings or actions to justify persecution or violence toward others. |
