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The practice of islam is in violation of all the human rights liberals are supposed to believe in: free speech, equality for all, no state religion,... Making women live in bags is evil. Killing them for trying to get out is evil. Any defence of that is evil.
Hitchens on islamic practice:
"Resist it while you still can. And before the right to complain is taken away from you, which will be the next thing taken. You will be told you can't complain because you are islamaphobic."
Already: "Stories about little pigs can't be taught to children in english schools anymore lest offense be taken by the religion of peace."
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I am going to add something here about forced marriage. Forced marriage is a cultural phenomena that is definitely experienced by young people in Islam. Again this is poorly understood but mostly it is a societal method to provide fast track to residency to Western Countries. It again, like intermarriage, is rarely seen in majority Muslim countries. Arranged marriage yes, but a generation or two ago arranged marriage was still common in EU and is STILL apparent in certain classes of Europeans (think Royals). In fact arranged marriages have a lot of benefits if both parties agree. I think marrying for something as flimsy as love is a bad idea anyway. Forced marriage is illegal in the UK. But of the 4 cases I have personnally been involved with two were young Muslim women, one was a gay jewish woman being forced into marriage with a man and one was a Jo Wit.
Amisja
Level 8
May 23, 2018
0
Ok here goes.
There are NO Islamic countries. There are countries where Islam is the most common religion but none are state dictated.
Much of what you see as 'Islamic extremism' is CULTURAL. Wearing veils in whatever guise is entirely cultural. Some of the Eastern European countries which have a majority muslim population are fairly secular, Kazakhstan for example, wear the veil is no more than a headscarf. In the West women are not general forced to wear the Niqab, it is a choice. This choice stems from the notion of female purity and social status, rather than social control.
Islam and the Q'ran are not inherently violent or oppressesive and although I respect Mr. Hitchen's work in this he is wrong.
Look at India for example. India is going through HUGE social change, think 1960s USA. For the first time gay rights are being discussed, women's rights etc. Right amongst the majority Hindi and Christian populations are a sizeable Muslim population. They are fairly secular, educated and pragmatic.
Here in UK, especially where I live in the North West , we have a muslim population of about 13%. The local mosque is a huge contributor to local charities, regularly feed the poor and open their doors to the local community.
Of course there are extremists and I am willing to debate the reason for this at length. Of course we are seeing a 'snapback' to fundamentalist ideas across all three religions. There is just less taste for the ideas of fundamentalism in Christianity as (and I agree) Western Christians have cherry picked out the good bits. But be aware, it is there. Especially across USA but increasingly in Australia and some parts of EU. In Judaism it is STILL very apparent. There are Jewish communities in Europe that are basically completely closed to the authorities, where lack of education and abuse is rife.
I live and work amongst and with Muslims, I have my entire life. I have very good friends who are Muslim and have positively contributed to my life and world view. I work with Muslim academics, none of who wear anything like a veil.
This is an extremely complex situation and it is not as easy as saying 'Islam bad..rest of us ok'.
A year yesterday a young man set off a bomb at the Manchester Arena killing 22 mostly young people. Muslims ran into help, muslim brothers and sisters worked at everyone of the hospitals supporting that night's events (including the one where I work sometimes), the British Council of Mosques were the first to decry the violence.
The thing is this violence is just that violence perpetrated by mostly very young, disenfranchised men who believe a scewed and twisted version of the message the original teachers gave. Educating young people, allowing people to openly pursue their faith and for us all to keep talking and sharing with each other is what will reduce the hold on all religions. Demonising one will absolutely strengthen its hold and further radicalise its young.
Amisja
Level 8
May 23, 2018
0
We should not stereotype them. I’ve know some wonderful people who practice the Islamic faith. There’s nothing wrong or evil about the basic tenets of Islam.
WilliamFleming
Level 8
May 22, 2018
1
Interesting to assign a religion to a group that mostly doesn’t ascribe to it.
AviatorJim
Level 6
May 22, 2018
1
Look I am not even slightly religious but this post is just WRONG! Islam is no better or worse than the other two Abrahamic religions.
Amisja
Level 8
May 22, 2018
1
I don't think Hitchens was for letting other religions off the hook. 
You need to listen to everyone talking about the problem.
Forcing women to live in bags and threaten to kill them makes the practice of islam worse than any other religion on the planet.
Do you support the suppression of women? Do you think they should be killed just because some men want to kill her?
Watch all of the Hitchens video. and do the same for all you can find.
I have to disagree. At one time in history this was true but I have to go with Sam Harris and say that the way Islam is being interpreted and followed around the world currently it is a much worse religion than Christianity or Judaism. If you look at the Islamic countries that have been polled in the last 10 years there is massive support for terrorist attacks on civilians even in Turkey where it's about as secular as a majority Islamic nation can be.
Look I'm a liberal. I'm a bleeding heart, godless, heathen, anti-fascist, anti-conservative, liberal. But there is this weird idea on the left that if you attack Islam that you are being a racist. I'm sorry but it's horse shit.
The reason that Islam is worse than something like Christianity is that Christianity is a joke and Christians cherry pick the good stuff and ignore the bad. This nation grew up secular and the secular influence bled into religion. Nobody is following the biblical commandment to kill witches. Nobody is stoning their wife on their father's doorstep when they find out she isn't a virgin. Nobody is following Paul's commandment that women can't talk in a church ( maybe Mennonites/Amish? unsure on that one).
The Bible is chock full of just terrible awful shit. CHOCK FULL. But in 2018 the way the majority of Christians practice and follow Christianity does not hold a candle to the horrible shit, like domestic terrorism, that huge numbers of Muslims support.
@Jacar BS. Seriously mate thats nonsense.
@BrightTyger979 No huge numbers DO NOT support domestic terrorism. Thats just inherently untrue. Think about what you are saying.
@Amisja there is recent polling data that shows high percentages of support for civilian terrorism. In some countries the support is over 50%. That is a huge number is Muslims that may not commit terrorism but definitely support it against any country that they believe is against the teachings of Islam.
@BrightTyger979 Get me the evidence
@Amisja 2007 Pew research poll.The question asked, "whether suicide bombing and other forms of violence against civilian targets to defend Islam could be justified"
In Egypt 55% of respondents said it could be justified as least rarely
In Turkey 39% of respondents said it could be justified at least rarely
In Jordan 57% of respondents said it could be justified at least rarely
In Pakistan 39% of respondents said it could be justified at least rarely
It was over 70% in Palestine.
The cited info begins on page 80 of the survey. Note that these numbers have decreased from a 2004 survey but still pretty damn high IMO.
Here is a 2013 survey of the same topic. The part of the survey listed omits "rarely justified", and you'd have to dig into the PDF to find the info on that. I included it in the 2007 survey because I actually dug into that one previously.
@BrightTyger979 Ok. I read this. I need to go back and check the data but it has been widley refuted. This is also 5 years old.
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