For and Against
According to Koranic wisdom,
the ink of the scholar is worth more than the blood
of the martyr.
Exploring faith and reason, faith requires trust
and stimulates emotional response; while reason is
embedded in logic, depends on information and is
subject to change.
Has the Prophet’s comments however interpreted
(or unintentional) influenced modern terrorists?
Yes.
We in UK are obviously failing to hold the line
against the extremes in Islam. We no longer carry
high the standard of Free Speech for fear of
offending.
Many Muslims fail to celebrate the precious gift
of British freedom.
Getting Muslims to condemn the terrorist actions
of their brethren is like pulling teeth.
Perhaps it is time non-Muslims protested in
London, Paris, Berlin and Rome, burned a few
effigies and flags, every time a Muslim leader or
fanatic says something anti-Christian?
 I feel sorry for the Pope – this immediate,
manufactured outrage that takes place is getting to
be excessive.
Former ‘moderate’ Iranian president Khatami
criticised the Pope saying it is strange to observe
how ignorant Benedict is about Islam, a faith of
tolerance and humanity.
Why did the Pope seek in the history of Islam
examples of contradiction between faith and reason
as if it did not exist in the long history of
Christianity?
The post-1945 period was a major difficulty for
the Arab world and by extension for Islam, for it
saw the creation of the state of Israel.
Islamic movements see the continuing role of the
US in the region and the powerful presence of
Israel, which is regarded as primarily and outpost
of the West.
The modern Arab world, and Islam with it, now has
a large part of the world’s oil supply. The U.S.
understandably watches, acts, on the region’s
politics.
Western commercial, financial and industrial
methods did bring great wealth but it accrued to
only a few among mainstream Muslim populations.
On the question of Reason, the Catholic Church
dealt harshly with Giordano Bruno and Galileo when
they dared to reason.
The UK establishment’s response to Islam is a
strange pre-emptive appeasement, adapting our
society and laws to Muslim demands that have yet to
be made.
The Muslim Council of Britain is negligent for
not even acknowledging religion played a role (with
suicide bombers) due to alienation and
Muslims-as-victims.
As a parent I am more concerned about the risks
of drugs, alcohol, school bullying, higher
education, student debt, unplanned pregnancy and
diseases.
The politician chided the Pope to keep quiet
about Islamic violence because of the (Christian)
Crusades – it was a jaw-dropping observation.
Today many Baptists demand the same submission to
the Bible as Muslims do to the Koran.
Darwin delayed publication for 20 years of the
ideas in Origin of Species because he feared
denunciation by clerics.
Islam might consider the reintroduction of the
caliphate or its modern-day equivalent so as to
provide a united front to the world?
Pre-emptively cringing to Muslim intolerance of
free speech and criticism – the scale of Europe’s
moral crisis in larger than ever.
Is it not astonishing this self-righteous rage over
an obscure quotation in a dull academic lecture?
The religion of Islam does not approve of militancy
or terrorism.
Islam does seem to feel very fragile, to react with
such violence every time it is tackled by outside –
Rushdie, Cartoons, the Pope; does Islam know any
other way to react every time it feels insulted?
In Islam it is still 1427, they have had no
Reformation.
If we in the West bow to this manufactured,
hypocritical fury, then we will have lost ….. to the
growing power of Islam in our midst.
Decent Muslims are sickened by such atrocities.
The loudest voices seem more interested in
condemning the West, encouraging a self-pitying
victim-hood.
A religion feeling secure in itself would brush
such comments aside.
In many Muslim Middle East countries, Catholicism
operates, if at all, under the strictest
limitations.
Instead of reaching out to Muslims helping them
win the battles for ideas against extremists, the
Pope has created division and fuelled fanaticism. |
