Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sun Tzu who wrote (119385)	11/13/2003 8:57:28 AM
From: Chas.	Respond to of 281500

so true and these radical Islamic fundamentalists terrorists must be stamped out like the vile vermin they are, the sooner the better. regards

To: Sun Tzu who wrote (119385)	11/13/2003 10:10:42 AM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Islam has other problems, not just wanting to force non-Muslims to submit to Islam. Stoning adulterers and cutting the hands off of thieves is not acceptable. Forcing women to cover their heads and bodies and not work is not acceptable. Forcing non-Muslims to wear distinctive clothing is not acceptable. But other religions have problems, too. Hasidic Jews have sects which are just as oppressive to women. Some Christians want to force everybody to acknowledge Jesus is Lord, e.g., former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore. I could develop a very nice synthetic religion, taking the best bits from a lot of religions, and leaving out the nasty bits, and my guess is that the world would be a better place if people voluntarily adopted it. But I think that history shows us that it is important that people be allowed to not believe, or believe, freely, as they will. Scientists, in particular, need to be allowed to not believe, because scientific inquiry is the opposite of faith. Muslims wonder why they had such a glorious past but such a dismal present. And I think the truth is that they did not actually have such a glorious past. For example, Muslims believe that they invented distillation, but this was actually invented by the Chinese. They believe that they invented the concept of zero, but this was actually invented in Southeast Asia. We have talked before about hawala/hundi - this was known to the Sumerians. I could go on but think I've made the point. The glory that was medieval Islam was that they preserved and spread inventions and developments from the Far East and ancient Greece and Egypt that would otherwise have been lost.