www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Islam poll

I'm trying to add a poll about member's views of Islam . . .

-- John

I can't figure this out....

Well, my question was this:

How do members of this Forum regard Islam and Muslims?

-- John

John,

Get a series of options and offer them on the poll. When you start a new topic look at the bottom of the text opening. The words "poll option" is what you need, I believe.

CDL

Just a generic note - from someone of Greek background: "The Gospel tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves".

But my grandparents noted: "Just don't turn your back on them." (There's a long history, and name and residence changes involved, from seaside to mountaintop in the 14th century. Don't ask.) :-)

Dr John

Well, I have no problem with individuals who adhere to the Muslim faith or any other faith. We are all brothers and sisters in the human race, created by God...however, I have a problem with the cultlike collective mindset of the religion of Islam.

I guess one could say that my feelings are similar to how one might despise the foreign policy of a country (for me that would be Turkey's foreign policy, for instance--and for others around the world, that might be the U.S. foreign policy) but that does not necessarily mean that they have a problem with the individuals of that country.

Hope this makes sense...

Alice

I remember the words of Ronald Reagan about the (then ) Soviet Union: "Trust but verfiy." I think people can co-exist: even if they have very different beliefs and even if they once were enemies. However, that depends upon a willingness to get along with each other and to respect each other. And that requires trust, but it also requires verification.

I also remember another saying of Mr. Reagan, "peace through strength . . . "

-- John

P.S., I'm thinking of the West's relations with the Islamic world as a whole.

-- John

Where's the poll?

CDL

Dan, I'm not going to try to figure it out. I've tried; I've failed; and I have other things to do with my time.

But, if people feel prompted to post their thoughts on Islam (which is why I wanted to have a poll in the first place), they should do so.

-- John

John
You did a very good job on the last poll. When and if you have time for another I think it will be greatly appreciated. The great thing about polls, is that obviously it allows people to anonymously make choices they otherwise might not feel comfortable making.

My thoughts on Islam? It's a sick religion. They treat their women like crap. They treat their minorities (who were a majority before they conqured them)like crap. One girl who I was friends with is a Melkite and in Jordan she was arrested several times for not wearing a hijab. They preach to love your wife(ives) and modesty of women but the men have no problem going to whore houses and having concubines. The Quran is a extremely violent book, I have no idea why/how people can defend it. They won't change becuase radicalism is in thhe Quran, the Quran teaches goverment, laws, how to treat your women, and how to wage Jihad against nonbelievers, and most interestingly how to behave in foriegn lands in a manner so that Islam may be spread. My church is in Dearbornistan and they (the Muslims) made a point of building a GIANT mosque that COMPLETELY dwarfs the Orthodox church which is literally 20 feet from it.

Not that I'm suggesting anything, but in Alabama a plot of land was purchased for Islamic religious/educational purposes. A farmer on the adjacent property, concerned about traffic, etc., started holding weekend pig races. The plot of land continues to be used for agricultural purposes. Oink. :-)

LOL!

Just a side note. As I'm sure you all know that Ramadan starts today. I was asking my Saudi students how they were coping with school when not eating. Long story short, but in Saudi Arabia, they fast (and sleep) during the day, and eat all night. But here, they can't sleep during the day, so they get pretty groggy during classes.

Anyway, the topic in class was folk art, specifically old Christian (Protestant) headstones. An Asian talked about cremation. Saudis said it wasn't allowed in Islam. A Turkish student (male) then said that an Asian company should come into Turkey to cremate. I said, "Well, I guess you can't have any businesses who do it because of Islam".

He said, "We're not an Islamic country."

I said, goadingly, "Oh really?"

He said, "All religions are equal in Turkey."

Does he believe it? It's really sweet if he does.

I'm in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Just had the delightful spectacle this morning at the breakfast buffet - religious police came and took away some Arab tourists for eating during daylight hours. THe Arabs were kicking and screaming and protesting that Arab custom permits travellers to eat. The Malay religious police answered that since they were doing it in full headscarves, they were insulting the religion, and that Malaysian law makes no provision for travellers - all Mahometans must fast in this land.

They'd had a little scene with the manager of the hotel, who said that they had to remove their headscarves before eating in public, 'please don't make it so obvious'. They refused. The manager offered to bring breakfast up to them so they could eat in their rooms. They wanted to buffet. He warned them that if they ate in full headscarves in public, he was obliged to call the police. They did, and so did he. Whee.

The fine for first-time violators of the fast (both those eating/drinking/smoking and those non-Mahometans who supply them) is 1000 Malaysian Ringgit (roughly 280 USD) and up to 6 months jail. Second-time violators get a fine of 2000 Ringgit and up to a year's jail.

What fun.

The Portuguese colonialists intermarried the local Malays here nearly 500 years ago. Obviously, when they sacked Malacca (which was a booming centre of trade and Islamic missionary activity), they brought Christianity with them and that is the short story of how Malaysia's Portuguese and Catholic community came about.

With that being said, I am a creole Portuguese and I look very Malay. Since my mother is Chinese, I look even more Malay. 6 years ago, I had breakfast in a coffeeshop during the holy month of Ramadhan and I was caught by the police - NOT EVEN RELIGIOUS POLICE. As a 15 year old, I panicked, but couldn't.

They detained me and brought me to the station where I was told to wait. When the senior police officer at the station(a family friend and a Muslim btw) saw me there, he was shocked. When I told him that I was caught for eating in the open, he just went "Oh my God, I'm so sorry... those idiots" and gave his two junior patrollers a nice tongue lashing. I could have left, but I just stayed on for a good laugh.

Minutes later, they came out from the senior officer's room and apologised profusely for wrongfully detaining me. And they asked me, "why didnt you show your IC?" All I could answer them was "why didnt you ask?". They really wanted to make up for what they did so I told them to send me home... in a radio car.

Malaysia is famous for this kind of hypocrisy anyways. There is something wrong with the system of this country. Islam is being prostituted in this country to suit the Government's aims. To know what I actually mean, read this article by Malaysia's new hero at:

http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/holds.php?itemid=7989

You'd be surprised at what is actually happening. Now you know why I'll be heading to Australia for further studies.

oink, indeed . . .

Wow, I didn't know Malaysia had religous police! Come to think of it don't all Muslim countries have them? Even ones the claim to be "secular" like Turkey?

I'm reading a book right now called "Prayers for the Assassin", the book takes place in 2045 and the U.S. is now called the Islamic States of America and Shia law rules the land. Has anyone else read this?

They do. Heck, they even offer rewards for those who convert to Islam here (money, land, titles, high positions etc) or 4-figure rewards for those who proselytize to "kafir". All these sanctioned by the Government. However, this is not condoned by the 9 Malay Rulers (who are heads of Islam in their respective states) nor the Paramount Ruler himself (elected from among the 9 Malay Rulers for a 5-year term.), who is the head of Islam in the states who don't have a Malay Ruler.

Nevertheless, the so called "Civilisational Islam" Government talks about Islamic values but disregard (and even insult) their Islamic authority. Even my Muslim friends are fed up with the Government here. Now you know why it took 30 years for a community to get their church. The Sultan of that state once said that there needs to be more non-Muslim places of worship. However, a Catholic Church came up only 30 years after he said that. So much for regarding authority.