Posted: 09 May 2006, 06:00
Terence - (and I also will go back to boxing after this) - I know much of the Israeli equipment was US provided; I was just questioning your statement that US troops were involved, when directly they weren't of course. Training - I am not sure, the US army might have provided it.
Anyway my point is that the theology of Islam is more easily pliable to violence than the other world religions - though personally I am against all organized religion (it is a mechanism of social order and a pseudo science.)
Your example of the Hijab and western women is not tenable - the women have hypothetically free choice to wear what they want....there are plenty of frumpy Western women too; the point is they CAN wear what they want, even a Hijab if they want. This choice is not available in many Islamic societies.
And I also question why you feel it is so reasonable to either convert to Islam or pay a fee?????? This seems completely unreasonable to me - the student analogy you use is tenuous; given that such a person (an 'infidel') is likely to be native to the land that Islam is taking over.
Anyway lets get away from Theology and look at reality and Islamic states and look at the extent of human rights abuses. Homosexuality is punishable by death in some states, an Afhghan Christian convert was almost put to death simply for converting, so-called honour killimgs etc etc. We do not see this kind of primitive oppressive violence in Buddhist, Hindu, Christian etc states. Look at the borders of Islamic states - they are on fire, how can we ignore that most of the world's conflicts involve Muslims?
I don't buy that you should respect people's religion talk - to me, ALL organized religion is a social control, backed up by unscientific scaremongering myths - basically nonsense, and dangerous primitive nonsense at that. It retards progress with superstition and encourages irrational action.
Back to boxing.
Anyway my point is that the theology of Islam is more easily pliable to violence than the other world religions - though personally I am against all organized religion (it is a mechanism of social order and a pseudo science.)
Your example of the Hijab and western women is not tenable - the women have hypothetically free choice to wear what they want....there are plenty of frumpy Western women too; the point is they CAN wear what they want, even a Hijab if they want. This choice is not available in many Islamic societies.
And I also question why you feel it is so reasonable to either convert to Islam or pay a fee?????? This seems completely unreasonable to me - the student analogy you use is tenuous; given that such a person (an 'infidel') is likely to be native to the land that Islam is taking over.
Anyway lets get away from Theology and look at reality and Islamic states and look at the extent of human rights abuses. Homosexuality is punishable by death in some states, an Afhghan Christian convert was almost put to death simply for converting, so-called honour killimgs etc etc. We do not see this kind of primitive oppressive violence in Buddhist, Hindu, Christian etc states. Look at the borders of Islamic states - they are on fire, how can we ignore that most of the world's conflicts involve Muslims?
I don't buy that you should respect people's religion talk - to me, ALL organized religion is a social control, backed up by unscientific scaremongering myths - basically nonsense, and dangerous primitive nonsense at that. It retards progress with superstition and encourages irrational action.
Back to boxing.