Letters to the Editor
domini
Published Letters: 1053 Editor's Choice: 76
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The whole speech was about the legitimacy of using violence to force conversion
[Read the article: Why we can't win the "war on terror"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The quote was showing the contradiction. Sura 2, roughly translated, means "No faith by force". Mohammed and a later Sura allows using the sword to force conversion. The point was that God (by any name) abhors this bloodshed, whether done by Christians or Moslem.
If Moslems can not handle the contradictions of the Koran being spelled out in public, something is very wrong with them. Period. Christian contradictions (in the Bible) and Jewish contradictions (of the Torah) are publicly discussed daily (even here!). Christians and Jews are harshly insulted (especially on Salon). If Islam can not take any criticism (because Mulsims sure to dish out vicious criticism) then they deserve very little respect. If a religion is worth anything, it can withstand a bit of scrutiny.
I compare the reaction to this with the reaction to the mega church article. Where is the outrage at an equally misogynist, equally illogical, equally irrational thesis to Driscoll's? Yet Driscoll is not telling his follwers to burn down Salon's server, or offices. Moderate Islamic voices need to condem this behavior as loudly as moderate Christians condem Driscoll and Robertson, et al.
The Pope is NOT the one who owes an apology. The rioters and the nun's murders do.
I notice Arabs don't provoke communist China. That's because the communist Chinese government is even more vicious and hard than the Russian one.
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Clearly leftists are getting complacent
[Read the article: The blogosphere's breast debate]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's not November yet. You have not won the House yet. This is a stupid argument distracting people from more important issues. I really find the "litmus testing" to be a sign of insecurity, whether it is politics, motherhood, masculinity, feminism, or whatever. Keep your eyes on the ball here. No one is going to die because of a seriously goofy photo.
Yeesh!
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KStone, how is this fear mongering?
[Read the article: Why we can't win the "war on terror"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Either all religions can be criticized, or none. The only people who need to apologize are those who commit violence. The people who murdered the nun committed violence. The mobs committed violence. Period.
There is no pass for being offended. Period. If people can dish out criticism, they need to be able to take it. Islam is as open to criticism from rationalists as Christianity and Judiasm.
As for my comparison, it stands. I didn't see a similiar defense of Driscoll in that section to the defense I see here. In terms of irrationality, how is extreme Islam more rational in tactics or theory than extreme Christianity?
If they can't take any criticism or analysis, they have a problem. If I want to criticise any religon, I will do it. If they riot, I'll call them assholish idiots. The fact that a whole lot of people agree with me (people who will be voting in November) should make some of the leftists on this board pause and think about November. Ya'll haven't won yet. Apologizing for the rioters is no way to gain independent votes. The Republicans are being very quiet, because they are hoping leftists will defend the rioting and give them something to create wedges with. That rioting is very angering to a lot of people in Europe and North America. There is no rational defense for it.
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KStone, You call it Anti-Arab bigotry
[Read the article: Why we can't win the "war on terror"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]But let's be honest. Christianity and Judiasm get attacked and insulted in the Arab media constantly. I've read and seen attacks on both religions from the Arab world that make this quote look silly. We are talking about a media in Egypt and Saudi Arabia alone that regularly and approvingly quotes the Protocols of the Elders and claims Hitler was right. After the cartoon debacle it's rather hard to defend your position. After the threat to execute that convert in Afghanistan, it's hard to defend your position. After the botched attempt to reform rape law in Pakistan, it's impossible to defend your position. My sympathy is long gone.
No, I'm NOT seeing high profile moderates doing a smack down on the extremists. I'm seeing wishy washy stuff in German, and a whole lot of calls for the Pope to apologize. In German and French and Spanish. You can call me ill-informed all you want. You can't change what is in Le Monde, Der Speigal, the BBC, etc. You can't change the Pakistani government and Turkish government proclamations. That stuff is out there. As for the police, they evidently are not talking to some of their own countrymen, who are making this claim in numerous places.
I maintain that if people want to riot over this, they have a problem. There are contradictions in all religions. But I don't see French Catholics rioting over the constant insults that have come from Iran, for instance (remember a letter to the Pope demanding conversion last year- I do). Nor are British rioting over insults to Anglicanism (which are fast and furious today- there were protests at Westminister, etc). The attempt to make insulting religions illegal in Britian (the one Mr. Bean famously attacked) was an attempt by the Labour Party to pander to Muslim extremists. It failed, just as this attempt at bullying should fail.
I'm tired of being told bad behavior should be tolerated. I disagree with you, and that doesn't make me ill-informed. Others have a right to their own analysis.
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Here is an American Muslim telling off an extremist calling for killing Americans over the GERMAN Pope's remarks
[Read the article: Why we can't win the "war on terror"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The comments underneath it are very interesting.
http://www.altmuslim.com/perm.php?id=1783_0_25_0_C
American Muslims are also targets of the extremists. And yes, THIS is not wishy washy. We need more of it.
This is all about how power corrupts religion. People questing for power abuse and pervert religion to distract from their own corruption. Every religion suffers from those who try to force governments to enforce religious doctrine. It is not bigotry to say that this quote is being exploited by people who want to distract people from the misery and corruption of their elites. The same can be said for any of the three Abrahamic faiths.