AfterDawn: Tech news

Facebook blocked in Bangladesh

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 31 May 2010 12:23 User comments (43)

Facebook blocked in Bangladesh The extremely popular social networking site Facebook has been blocked in Bangladesh this weekend after pages were found to include satirical images of the prophet Muhammad.
Additionally, satirical images were found of Bengali leaders and one man was even arrested and charged with "spreading malice and insulting the country's leaders."

The block is temporary, and Bengali officials say access will be fully restored once all the images are removed.

Adds the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) (via BBC): Facebook "hurt the religious sentiments of the country's majority Muslim population" by allowing the images of Muhammad.

"Some links in the site also contained obnoxious images of our leaders including the father of the nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the leader of the opposition," notes the group.



Pakistan blocked access to Facebook, YouTube, Wikipedia and Flickr last week after the images first appeared.

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43 user comments

131.5.2010 03:07

Durka durka mohammaad jihad!

231.5.2010 05:17

How do people live in these countries? People don't have the right not to be offended.

331.5.2010 05:56

Same happened in Torontostan.

431.5.2010 11:13

maybe they should of consulted the people but if a country feels facebook is insulting/offending their religion or anything else they have the right to ban.i disagree with the ban but i dont live there so my opinion doesnt matter(to them anyway).

531.5.2010 11:16

Quote:
maybe they should of consulted the people
That hasn't caught on in the West - I doubt that it's likely in an intolerant theocracy.

631.5.2010 14:53

It all comes down to respect IMO. Think of it this way: what if somebody insulted a family member that you were very close to and a person says derogatory comments about him/her, how would you feel. This is how that country feels. If you don't give respect to somebody, you're likely not to get it back, hence the blocking of Facebook in Bangladesh. We need to use common sense, and not our heads in our asses. I don't expect the Facebook CEO to think this way, since he's very young and naive anyways.

731.5.2010 15:35

This is total rubbish. Do we know, for sure, what this Muhammad fella actually looked like? It's the same with other so-called religious characters. It's only an artist's imagination that makes them appear to be the same as random markings in a pizza, cucumber, clouds, tin of baked beans or whatever!

831.5.2010 17:39

Originally posted by davolente:
This is total rubbish. Do we know, for sure, what this Muhammad fella actually looked like? It's the same with other so-called religious characters. It's only an artist's imagination that makes them appear to be the same as random markings in a pizza, cucumber, clouds, tin of baked beans or whatever!
Maybe, but Bangladesh is like no their country, and still needs to be respected for their beliefs, end of story, IMO.

931.5.2010 17:59

Originally posted by blueboy09:
Originally posted by davolente:
This is total rubbish. Do we know, for sure, what this Muhammad fella actually looked like? It's the same with other so-called religious characters. It's only an artist's imagination that makes them appear to be the same as random markings in a pizza, cucumber, clouds, tin of baked beans or whatever!
Maybe, but Bangladesh is like no their country, and still needs to be respected for their beliefs, end of story, IMO.
i personally respect them for their beliefs but i think the usage of Facebook should be decided by the person example my friend hates it so she doesn't use it
now like me i use it and i would be pissed if the government as a whole said no you can't use it just because we don't like it

1031.5.2010 18:15

If the DEB goies through in the UK we can expect this sort of censorship to become the norm. I don't remember any websites being banned because they featured blasphemous Christian images or texts though...

1131.5.2010 23:10
jahanzyb
Unverified new user

Originally posted by APropheto:
How do people live in these countries? People don't have the right not to be offended.
do have i got right to abuse your mother or your family? definitely not, then how come anyone abusing or disrespecting anyone's religion which is more serious than disrespecting or abusing one's family. That is stupidity. Christians never faced any muslim saying anything against jesus we even even can not think. Then why we been not given by such respect from our christian brothers.

1231.5.2010 23:17
jahanzyb
Unverified new user

Originally posted by blueboy09:
It all comes down to respect IMO. Think of it this way: what if somebody insulted a family member that you were very close to and a person says derogatory comments about him/her, how would you feel. This is how that country feels. If you don't give respect to somebody, you're likely not to get it back, hence the blocking of Facebook in Bangladesh. We need to use common sense, and not our heads in our asses. I don't expect the Facebook CEO to think this way, since he's very young and naive anyways.
That is the common sense that people need to develop. we always used to say that we need to live in harmony then how can it possible by disrespecting each others believes we should respect Muslims like the way they never said anything against Christianity. Thanks blue boy for your noble comment.

1331.5.2010 23:20
jahanzyb
Unverified new user

Originally posted by blueboy09:
Originally posted by davolente:
This is total rubbish. Do we know, for sure, what this Muhammad fella actually looked like? It's the same with other so-called religious characters. It's only an artist's imagination that makes them appear to be the same as random markings in a pizza, cucumber, clouds, tin of baked beans or whatever!
Maybe, but Bangladesh is like no their country, and still needs to be respected for their beliefs, end of story, IMO.
do have i got right to abuse your mother or your family? definitely not, then how come anyone abusing or disrespecting anyone's religion which is more serious than disrespecting or abusing one's family. That is stupidity. Christians never faced any muslim saying anything against jesus we even even can not think. Then why we been not given by such respect from our christian brothers.

1431.5.2010 23:26

Quote:
do have i got right to abuse your mother or your family? definitely not, then how come anyone abusing or disrespecting anyone's religion which is more serious than disrespecting or abusing one's family. That is stupidity. Christians never faced any muslim saying anything against jesus we even even can not think. Then why we been not given by such respect from our christian brothers.

You think abusing a real, living human being isn't as bad as "disrespecting" a religious figure? That is stupidity.


Muslims have said plenty of negative shit about Christians/Jesus, and vice versa, where do you get your facts from?
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 31 May 2010 @ 11:27

151.6.2010 00:52

There is unfortunately a difference in value here. I don't believe in any religion, so I could care less if something offensive is said about any religion. I think the best solution would be for people to just stop being offended by things.

Words and insults only hurt as much as you let them, just relax and try not to take things so seriously. Just be happy with your own beliefs, no need to defend it to the death. No need to force others to change their opinions, or silence/censor anything, this is how society goes backwards in terms of advancement.

161.6.2010 01:00

All religion is bullcrap. Anyone suggesting I should respect these beliefs is full of it.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 01 Jun 2010 @ 3:11

171.6.2010 02:01

i remember the teenage years stuffing around with friends (yo mamma jokes) no one got hit or offended it was just a bit of fun and no one truely hated another ones mum.There have been arguments and wars and fights and stuff over different of religions&difference of beliefs.real people like and respect you for who you are regardless or your religious beliefs.

181.6.2010 06:58

Despite the many anti Christian tirades and propaganda over the years from other religious groups none have been censured (or censored) for their publication. It seems that every other religion can and does condemn Christianity to the depths of hell (while living in the Christian country they profess to hate) and nothing gets said.
YET as soon as anything even squeaks a hint of satire, humour or dissent against Islam, the faithful are up in arms and death threats, Fatwas and death to the infidel are trumpeted from the rooftops. Overreacting? Moi?
I think religion has been the excuse for more bloodshed and war than any other cause over the past 1000 years or so, and the current climate of fear is doing nothing to address this. We should all become Jedi.

191.6.2010 10:49

I am not Muslim, but I have Muslim friends and they tell me they respect Jesus as a prophet of God. Their beef with Christianity sounds more to do with evangelical Christians who support Israel both financially (in their support of the $6B the US gives to Israel every year) and spiritually (Christian evangelicals like Clyde Lott who is trying to breed a perfect red heifer to facilitate the end of the world through prophecy...google "red heifer prophecy" if you're interested).

Many of us confuse regular Muslims(who may say what we consider is crazy sh!t because we don't see through the same lense as we do on reality...but it's mostly low level stuff) with the crazies who I consider are just evil m'fers. There are levels of belief here, tho. You have your regular Muslims who are riled up because of world events...then you have your radicals who are either mislead or just flat out members of more extreme versions of Islam such as Wahhabism. We can't tell by looking at their skin and that scares the sh!t out of us.

IMO, this stuff should wake people up to what a Theocracy (and think of Middle Eastern countries) is capable of when you hear people here in America trying to take down the concept of the separation of Church and State. Thomas Jefferson just got removed from the Texas history books for the school history curriculum because he was widely credited for the concept of the "Separation of Church and State."

201.6.2010 16:20

Originally posted by jahanzyb:
Originally posted by blueboy09:
Originally posted by davolente:
This is total rubbish. Do we know, for sure, what this Muhammad fella actually looked like? It's the same with other so-called religious characters. It's only an artist's imagination that makes them appear to be the same as random markings in a pizza, cucumber, clouds, tin of baked beans or whatever!
Maybe, but Bangladesh is like no their country, and still needs to be respected for their beliefs, end of story, IMO.
do have i got right to abuse your mother or your family? definitely not, then how come anyone abusing or disrespecting anyone's religion which is more serious than disrespecting or abusing one's family. That is stupidity. Christians never faced any muslim saying anything against jesus we even even can not think. Then why we been not given by such respect from our christian brothers.
Everyone is entitled to their opinions and beliefs, provided they do not try and push them on to other people. It is just this fanaticism that proves to me that religion and the people that spout this sort of rhetoric create dangerous situations that can often escalate into murder. Brainwashing also comes to mind.

211.6.2010 17:13

Originally posted by IguanaC64:
Many of us confuse regular Muslims(who may say what we consider is crazy sh!t because we don't see through the same lense as we do on reality...but it's mostly low level stuff) with the crazies who I consider are just evil m'fers. There are levels of belief here, tho. You have your regular Muslims who are riled up because of world events...then you have your radicals who are either mislead or just flat out members of more extreme versions of Islam such as Wahhabism. We can't tell by looking at their skin and that scares the sh!t out of us.
So we are always told, and there is truth to that. However, two things:

1) Moderates are a breeding ground for extremists (I'm not just talking about Islam).

2) No moderate leaders of any great note or in any great number has had the balls to speak out against it.

"It's a hell of a lot easier to be righteous than right."
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 01 Jun 2010 @ 5:14

222.6.2010 01:11

I have no issue with any country banning some webpage. That is certainly their right even if I think it's stupid.

The REAL problem is when these portals... (Facebook, Google, Youtube or others) feel that they have to bend to this countries own sense of morality at the expense of free speech.

As I understand it, most Christians abhor the thought of the killing of an unborn baby. (pro-life). They don't just not like it, they feel it is an abomination. Every bit as "sacrilegious" and any muslim might think of a depiction of Mohammad. And yet there are hundreds of thousands of pro abortion websites and Face Book pages. Should the Pro-Lifers threaten "banning" unless they are all removed? I think not.

Like it or not this is an open society on an open world. If your society chooses to live in the dark ages then that is certainly your right, but you have no business dragging me down with you.

Facebook has no business censoring those pages to placate this backassed country.

232.6.2010 04:44

...It does seem to me that religious intolerance gets things done. And if your religion is so fervent as to propogate violence against those who oppose it, you can create a climate where anything you say will get attention...
I also believe that one of the reasons for the fastest growing religion in the world is that you have no choice but to be in it...
People and organisations should not react to threats with fear and compliance. I used to live in a free country. These days I feel George Orwell would be tutting and saying 'I told you so...'

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 02 Jun 2010 @ 4:45

242.6.2010 09:00

Originally posted by Howie696:
These days I feel George Orwell would be tutting and saying 'I told you so...'
Yeah, 1984 was a joke title because he wrote it in 1948. He meant it for all time. The technology in it was incidental to the efficiency of the processes involved with totalitarianism... which by the way, was the norm for a long long time. I sometimes take umbrage at the relativistic approach to history usually taken.

252.6.2010 09:40

@Jemborg - Any sufficiently oppressed, disaffected, destitute, or angry population can be a breeding ground regardless of religion. The Muslim extremists are the people instigating this, but they couldn't recruit successfully without leveraging those four things. You're not going to win a ground war against tactics. Sun Tzu said something similar about using a hammer to hit water.

"No moderate leaders of any great note or in any great number has had the balls to speak out against it."

"Great note" is a matter of opinion...most opponents of "great note" wouldn't be recognized here or have been assassinated. Opponents of "great note" that would be known here would have a hard time living in America and having any overseas credibility. Many of the tribal elders who significantly helped turn the war around in Iraq have been assassinated. I'd consider them "opponents of great note," but I doubt a single American remembers their names. Who, with credibility, do you think should be standing up?

262.6.2010 13:05

Originally posted by IguanaC64:
@Jemborg - Any sufficiently oppressed, disaffected, destitute, or angry population can be a breeding ground regardless of religion. The Muslim extremists are the people instigating this, but they couldn't recruit successfully without leveraging those four things. You're not going to win a ground war against tactics. Sun Tzu said something similar about using a hammer to hit water.
Absolutely, however, you'll notice that I wrote that I was not just talking about Islam. I also considering the rise of Christian fundamentalism in well-off America. Check out the huge increase in membership of "survivalist" para-military organisations in the USA since Obama became POTUS.

Quote:
"No moderate leaders of any great note or in any great number has had the balls to speak out against it."

"Great note" is a matter of opinion...most opponents of "great note" wouldn't be recognized here or have been assassinated. Opponents of "great note" that would be known here would have a hard time living in America and having any overseas credibility. Many of the tribal elders who significantly helped turn the war around in Iraq have been assassinated. I'd consider them "opponents of great note," but I doubt a single American remembers their names. Who, with credibility, do you think should be standing up?
Again, absolutely. Where are they, the cowards? Mecca used to have many schools of thought concerning Islam in the main square, now there is only one or two. No, the only ones of great note are smug patronising zealots. Even the previous Mufti of Australia was obliged to quit over statements he made... the last that women were 90% responsible for any sexual assault that happened to them. The British Imams are mysteriously quite when it comes to condemning extremism.

I can't answer your last question. I am not familiar enough with the details... only that we are constantly told these moderate leaders exist and that it is only a matter of interpretation. I suppose you're right; maybe they have all been exterminated or bullied out of existence. Perhaps there has been a tacit realisation that religion is ultimately indefensible so why bother trying? Just go with the flow, it's so much simpler.

I am not religious, thank Zeus, and I am not naive enough to think that these pernicious teleologys will ever disappear, this arrogant perversion of ours and it's insult to humanity, I just wish they would... so we could get on with democracy, imperfect as it is.

PS: Please consider that I did not disagree overall with your previous post. I said there was truth to it.

PPS: We all know what would happen if they achieved their dream of an Islamic world... they would all be at each others throats. Starting with the two major schisms then further breakaways. It's all politics in the long run, "Man made god in his own image".

Regards.

272.6.2010 18:46

Regarding militia groups, the same thing happened during Clinton's presidency and only died down when the Oklahoma city bombing happened. I was, until recently, a member in a local self sufficiency group (the kinder/gentler term for a survivalist group) in my area because I wanted to learn more about self suffiency and emergency preparedness. The level of rhertorical overexaggeration was ridiculous...I had trouble not saying anything and ultimately left because of it. These guys are being lied to, manipulated, whipped into a frenzy, and used for political gain. It looks like it's going to happen every time a Democrat is elected President no matter how moderate their actions are (this was well before Health Care Reform was even seriously discussed).

I live in Texas, so I completely see your point about Theocracies. We just had Thomas Jefferson removed from our school textbooks because he is considered the first major believer in the "Separation of Church and State" (proof of Libtard bias in our schoolbooks!). He was replaced in our textbooks with John Calvin and Thomas Aquinas who are both religious philosphers (...and not American). Seems Theocracies are making a comeback here in the US.

The only reason I speak up when folks want to blame Islam is that it's easy for people to objectify and target specific people who have nothing to do with what's going on in the same way Osama Bin Laden killed a bunch of civilians on 9/11 that had nothing to do with Middle Eastern policy or actions. Right now I see a mob mentality growing in American society fueled by pundits.

I am by no means saying that I disagree with you that the Middle East is ripe for recruiting terrorists and that leaders in the Middle East need to stand up and denounce terrorism, but if that all people hear is that Muslims want to kill you then they start to believe it's the only truth. I don't have faith that there won't be a rising of people acting on fear instead of rationality over this kind of issue.

282.6.2010 21:23

Originally posted by jahanzyb:
Originally posted by blueboy09:
It all comes down to respect IMO. Think of it this way: what if somebody insulted a family member that you were very close to and a person says derogatory comments about him/her, how would you feel. This is how that country feels. If you don't give respect to somebody, you're likely not to get it back, hence the blocking of Facebook in Bangladesh. We need to use common sense, and not our heads in our asses. I don't expect the Facebook CEO to think this way, since he's very young and naive anyways.
That is the common sense that people need to develop. we always used to say that we need to live in harmony then how can it possible by disrespecting each others believes we should respect Muslims like the way they never said anything against Christianity. Thanks blue boy for your noble comment.

292.6.2010 21:26

Just using some common sense. We are NOT to judge a country based on what they may believe. We all really need to get along, and quit squabling over our differences, and then will see how quickly things can change. Remember, it only takes one person to make things happen, whether good or bad, and history has shown that. Respect yourself and then you will learn how to respect other people in turn.

303.6.2010 06:18

An excellent point there blueboy.
I'm always suspicious when I see the news here in Britainistan. If all we see are people in turbans plotting to blow us up and overthrow the west then of course we are eventually going to believe this is what is going to happen.
However, I still have no idea what the UK armed forces are doing in Afghanistan (apart from being shot/blown up/killed in nasty ways). I'm not convinced they are there to protect us from terrorism, as I believe the 'terrorists' they are protecting us from have simply moved elsewhere.
If there is any truth at all (and I'm not saying there is) in the media stories that Muslims want to turn the UK into an Islamic country I am severely disturbed by the idea. I lived in Islamic countries while I was working abroad and I don't want to live in one again. If thats how they want to live then fine for them. Don't impose your system on me!
As I have stated before, it seems that the extremists of Islam have created a climate of fear where their demands are listened to in case their reaction is extreme and violent. Up til now any suggestion of pride in Christianity or being 'English' has been met with cries of 'racist' and 'bigot'.
Why is it ok to condemn the country you have adopted, take to the streets and violently threaten those who oppose your religious beliefs?
And yes, I am aware of the Crusades (just one of the dark passages in English history).

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 03 Jun 2010 @ 6:20

314.6.2010 11:04

Originally posted by IguanaC64:
Regarding militia groups, the same thing happened during Clinton's presidency and only died down when the Oklahoma city bombing happened. I was, until recently, a member in a local self sufficiency group (the kinder/gentler term for a survivalist group) in my area because I wanted to learn more about self suffiency and emergency preparedness. The level of rhertorical overexaggeration was ridiculous...I had trouble not saying anything and ultimately left because of it. These guys are being lied to, manipulated, whipped into a frenzy, and used for political gain. It looks like it's going to happen every time a Democrat is elected President no matter how moderate their actions are (this was well before Health Care Reform was even seriously discussed).

I live in Texas, so I completely see your point about Theocracies. We just had Thomas Jefferson removed from our school textbooks because he is considered the first major believer in the "Separation of Church and State" (proof of Libtard bias in our schoolbooks!). He was replaced in our textbooks with John Calvin and Thomas Aquinas who are both religious philosphers (...and not American). Seems Theocracies are making a comeback here in the US.

The only reason I speak up when folks want to blame Islam is that it's easy for people to objectify and target specific people who have nothing to do with what's going on in the same way Osama Bin Laden killed a bunch of civilians on 9/11 that had nothing to do with Middle Eastern policy or actions. Right now I see a mob mentality growing in American society fueled by pundits.

I am by no means saying that I disagree with you that the Middle East is ripe for recruiting terrorists and that leaders in the Middle East need to stand up and denounce terrorism, but if that all people hear is that Muslims want to kill you then they start to believe it's the only truth. I don't have faith that there won't be a rising of people acting on fear instead of rationality over this kind of issue.
Yes, to all that. I live in Australia where Public Health Care is a given... after a while you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

I'm reminded of when Iran was a modern go-getting proudly democratic Nation with it's great history, you can see it in the old footage. Then their elected President wanted to nationalise some of the foreign owned industries and the over-reacting Poms inculcated the Shar into power, then the only place for dissent was in the Mosques... Fast-forward to today and the people are now sick of the idealist regime that they traded for the other ...they want their democracy back.

But who really appreciates that? It appears democracy is not something that can be foisted on a nation. They seem to have to really want it first, otherwise it's just not appreciated or even understood... it's tolerance of minorities. But how else can we keep any kind of check on these psychopaths we are always beguiled into making our leaders?

325.6.2010 01:29

Originally posted by APropheto:
Quote:
do have i got right to abuse your mother or your family? definitely not, then how come anyone abusing or disrespecting anyone's religion which is more serious than disrespecting or abusing one's family. That is stupidity. Christians never faced any muslim saying anything against jesus we even even can not think. Then why we been not given by such respect from our christian brothers.

You think abusing a real, living human being isn't as bad as "disrespecting" a religious figure? That is stupidity.


Muslims have said plenty of negative shit about Christians/Jesus, and vice versa, where do you get your facts from?
Originally posted by APropheto:
Quote:
do have i got right to abuse your mother or your family? definitely not, then how come anyone abusing or disrespecting anyone's religion which is more serious than disrespecting or abusing one's family. That is stupidity. Christians never faced any muslim saying anything against jesus we even even can not think. Then why we been not given by such respect from our christian brothers.

You think abusing a real, living human being isn't as bad as "disrespecting" a religious figure? That is stupidity.


Muslims have said plenty of negative shit about Christians/Jesus, and vice versa, where do you get your facts from?
excuse me, a true muslim(in english meaning, a person who submits hid/her wills to God Almighty The Creator of all things in heavens and earth) will never abuse Jesus(peace be upon him) because we love and we respect him. Ask yourself where did u get ur facts? Facts of Islam is Quran and Facts of Christianity is Bible. True Muslims believe that Jesus(pbuh) is a prophet/messenger of our true God and Bible also says so. Read ur Bible and u will never find a single verse where he said "worship me" or where he says 'I'm God". We respect and love him because we believe that he is one of the prophet of our true God. True Muslims never want someone to abuse their mothers, so If people abuse our Creator/True God and His prophets, that is worst than abusing our parents. So that's how true Muslims love and respect our Creator and His prophets. We never want people say lies about them so if u say that Jesus(pbuh) is God or He said that he is God so whom do u think is abusing him? coz its clearly mentioned in ur Bible that he was sent to fulfill the law of God and not to destroy it and he was a prophet not God.
And another thing is, if that's Bangladeshi government's decision, who r u to have problem with it? u have ur own government and other European Christian countries r banning hijab(decent dress of muslimah women)and they don't even think of their rights. so what's that? double standard? In this world, u can only find plenty of oil in muslim arab counties so if their government also ban Christian country to take oil from them what do u think will happen? everything in west will stop coz they can't live without oil. so think twice before abusing Muslims and try to search for truth because u dont even know what real Christianity is according to Bible(fact of Christianity).

335.6.2010 08:29

countries decision to banned the hijab is not to control or defy the muslim woman.its a safety issue.anything that covers your face should be banned as it can be used to conceal your identity and can be used for crime whether its a balaklava,ninja mask or hijab or anything else.I don't understand what you mean by christian countrys???(please explain).the last i checked the government in most european countries is ruled by politicians and elected by people not christian religious figures???

345.6.2010 16:34

'Decent dress of Muslim women'? Fine if your religion is run by a group of misogynistic patriarchs! Just out of interest, what rights do women have under Sharia Law? (Apart from being allowed to be their husband's property of course...)
'Think twice before abusing Muslims' - feeding perceptions of violence against those who oppose Islam? I can't remember the last time someone said 'think twice before abusing Christians'.
The joke is I oppose all religions, of whatever colour. I purely dislike rabid extremism of any sort, because of the violence it fosters and the hatred and intolerance that is preached in the name of 'religion'. It all stinks like month dead pork.

355.6.2010 17:30

Quote:
excuse me, a true muslim(in english meaning, a person who submits hid/her wills to God Almighty The Creator of all things in heavens and earth) will never abuse Jesus(peace be upon him) because we love and we respect him.

You do not define who calls himself muslim. You can "say" that to be a true muslim you submit your will to the almighty ... but thats your belief and not necessicarily the belief of Osama bin terrorist who also calls himself muslim. Maybe he's not your "type" of muslim, but he calls himself that, therefore he is.
There are any numbers of groups of so called "Christians" who do not fit the true mold of "Christianity". And yet, as a rule they are included in the internationally defined group of "Christian".
Maybe you should do a bit of reforming in your church.

And oh, as for the whole "Christian countries"...
I know of many "Islamic" countries. Countries which are ruled by the rule of the Quran and enforce religious law and form their governments from their religious leaders, but try as I might, I simply cannot find one SINGLE "Christian" country that does the same. Not since the King of England kicked the church out of his country has there been a so-called "Christian" country in the way there are Muslim countries.

And finally, if you want to try to threaten the west with withholding the oil, Try it and see just how far that gets you. I'll pit my modern day abilities against your sixteenth century technology any day of the week.

366.6.2010 03:40

@Truth21...

It's good of you to inform people that Jesus as the second-to-last prophet of Islam is a well respected figure to Muslims. But it's not Christ they have the problem with it's Christians... or anyone they perceive as threatening Islam... which could be anyone, even the other major Islamic faction.

To me that begs the question... if M was the last prophet then why the hell is the later Sharia Law or Wahabieism even taken seriously at all?

For all the supposed enlightenment the Koran is meant to have, Islam seems to be in a bad way at this time.

Maybe it's on the defensive, like the Catholics were in the Enlightenment.

But come on, if the whole world turned Muslim, there wouldn't be peace... there would be a bloody sh!t fight between the Shiites and the Sunnis.

PS: And btw, you can't write (pbuh) after the names, that's disrespectful. You have to write it out in full every time... and no cheating with cut&paste.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 06 Jun 2010 @ 3:47

376.6.2010 12:11

I was contemplating this yesterday and I was trying to come up with the "difference" between Christianity and Islam and this is what I came up with.

In Christianity they teach you that the world is a terrible place and that you, as a Christian have to work hard each and every day to "stay on the path".

In Islam they teach you that the world is a terrible place and that you, as a Muslim have to work hard each and every day to destroy that which is not "on the path".

386.6.2010 13:38

Wow! I was expecting a fatwa at the very least for daring to suggest that modern Islam is just a teensy bit biased towards the male members of the religion... Perhaps tolerance is dawning at last...
Unless you're a female Muslim and you want to drive your kids to the swimming pool or the beach in Saudi...Or vote, or do anything to affect the status quo in any way, come to think of it...
Do Jedi preach hatred against non-Jedi?

397.6.2010 10:32

@ThePastor - You're associating all Muslims with terrorism which is not that different than associating all priests with pedophilism. It's a too easy answer to a complex situation. They don't all want to blow you up or force you to join Islam, but the ones you see in the media do. It's not exciting to show moderate Muslims on the news. I agree with you that your description accurately depicts the actions/beliefs of Wahabbist Islam. I also agree with you that radical Islam must be fought because they really do want to kill us. However, if you think we are going to win a war against ~1/4 of the world's population (by lumping all Muslims together), I think you're crazy.

407.6.2010 11:36

I understand your point but no, I don't think so. I'm aware that all muslims are not radical just as all christians are not. But there's a fair amount of "Islamic" countries which actively prohibit behavior which is not part of "The Path". A non-muslim has a very hard time in these countries and in some cases are even jailed or even killed. Not by the "radical" Muslims, but by the Government, or the mainstream.

No, I understand your point. I get that. But honestly, I meant what I said.

417.6.2010 13:45

Meh, Christianity has been worse than Islam in intolerance and misogyny back in the day... it all about interpretation.

In the twenty first century it's a shame that the insidious god delusion is so prevalent... might as well believe in a flat earth.

428.6.2010 10:18

I believe in things. Small bluish ones that have hairy feet and speak three languages (none of them english).

4315.6.2010 03:17
DaveLond
Unverified new user

I won't be restricted by someone's religion. If that means disrespecting their religion, I expect them to live with it.

Islam is a ridiculous religion. Mohamed was a terrible man. He stole, he raped, he sexually abused little girls. The history of the religion is the history of power grabs by different groups. It is a religion for adolescent boys. Not adults. Islam is only taken seriously in these countries because people are so ignorant. Of course, you can make money out of ignorant people.

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