Would You Think Twice About Talking Negatively Toward Islam, The Koran or The Prophet? (page 3)

Scully

I find that if I parse my "negative point of view" in the form of a question, there's less chance of offending, and more opportunities for the other person to paint themselves into a corner.

"Can you explain why a Muslim woman is expected to cover herself? I don't understand this."

"I don't understand why Allah permits a man to have many wives, can you explain that?"

"I don't understand why someone like me is considered an infidel, just because I believe differently than you. How does that work, exactly?"

cofty

Is that the pic from norway, that peed off so many muslims?

I think it was a later response to the childish reaction of Muslim's to the cartoons.

prologos

satanus, yes, tea is fine, as long as it is not "tea for two" then your montreal days might be numbered and your exiting skills from sinking vehicles might come in handy.

anybody here familiar with sinking vehicles? leaking latter-day arks?

if you cant get out of her right away, at least roll down the exit windows.

Paix.

Let's say I weigh my words carefully when I speak to someone of Islamic belief. Some of those I know have flown off the handle without the slightest provocation - and that's when the subject has nothing to do with their religion. That doesn't stop me asking them throwing a question or two at them now and then in the hope of getting them to think and maybe wake up.

I just went on a research trip with my colleagues - we were together 24/7 for a week - so I got to see them at their best... . About a third of them were Islamic, and dinner was always interesting. They all had different degrees of dietary restrictions and some were truly uber Islamic and loud about it, others, you'd never know. Soup was turned down if it had any meat in it. The main course was sent back if there was meat on the plate. I suggested to an uber colleague "Why not just leave the chicken and just eat the potatoes?" "Oh no, oh no, I can't do that," she replied in all seriousness, "the meat has touched the plate..."

A few days later at a meeting we were kindly served some huge platters of open sandwiches, some salami, some ham, but others chicken, and also there were cheese ones, each individually wrapped in paper. The same colleague refused to eat a cheese sandwich as, you guessed it, it was sitting on the same platter as the meat ones...

I spoke to my other colleagues about this, as I wanted to chat to these uber colleagues about their "restrictions" and I was told to keep my mouth shut as it wouldn't go down well. So I didn't, but still plan to do so if I can get them on some quiet one-on-one time.

Oh, and last week she turned down a piece of cake I'd made for another colleague that everyone was digging into and raving about. I promised her there was no pig jelly in it, but she wouldn't have any of it. Hmm, do you think the fact it was a belated birthday cake had anything to do with it? Maybe these people have more in common with dubs than meets the eye...

Balaamsass

Years ago I used to have return visits with Saudi college students. Always very hospitable and enjoyed talking about religion.

I had a half dozen Saudi College student neighbors. Invited us over for parties. Some Lebanese students as well. Went out for dinner a few times. Very friendly. Some of the female students were homesick and not loooking forward to returning home to teach. LOTS of beer cans in the recycle can..........

However some of them were well connected and relatives of the royal family so perhaps the upper classes are not that religious???

Glander

Quarterback

It depends on who I'm with. I have work mates that are muslims. They have expressed negative comments towards Islam. They know, and are afraid of the Extremists.

AGuest

Would You Think Twice About Talking Negatively Toward Islam, The Koran or The Prophet?

I would, dear MiniMan (peace to you!). It would have to depend on the context of the conversation. I have several Muslim friends and ALL are MOST respectful of me... and my beliefs. But me, in general. To THEM certain negative talk of ANY kind is an insult. Surely, negative talk about their religion, holy book, or prophet would be considered an insult, and so I would absolutely think twice about.

Unless they're of my son's generation: those kids rib about EVERYTHING... and you had better be able to take it AND come back with something just as good, if not better!

Would you fear that there might be "consequences"???

If you're talking about those who are members of "The Nation of Islam" (Farrakhan's folks)... perhaps. Because some of them take their religious "pride" to a ridiculous level. For those who are NOT followers of Farrakhan... which are most of the Muslims/Islamics I know... no. Because they are actually some of THE... gentlest... and kindest... people I know. Their feelings would be hurt, yes. And they would probably give me a confused look, perhaps even ask me what I meant... but I can't imagine any one of them even asking me if MEANT an insult... because they truly would not GET that I WOULD - given our relationship(s), it wouldn't even come up into their thinking that I DID (it's really only the western world that insults others as jokes... then try to pass it off as a "joke"... or accuse the recipient of being "too sensitive"... rather than APOLOGIZING... when it goes bad. In most of the non-western world... and insult IS an insult. And jokes... even some that are deprecating... are known to be jokes. Because you don't mess around with religion when joking.

A year or two ago our nephew, who was studying Criminal Justice at the time (he now has his B.A.) called me and asked what should he "do about" the Muslims (he wanted to be a police officer and felt like his "calling" in life was to "protect" those he loved. He couldn't figure out who to protect them from FROM - he first thought of the thugs in Oakland... but he doesn't LIVE in Oakland... almost an hour away, actually... until he though of Muslims. He pretty much wanted to know whether he should go after Muslims because "they 'hate[d]' us." Er??

I was... aghast... to say the least. I could not believe this kid was asking me this! I was like, WTFrick??! Go after Muslims??? WHY? For WHAT?? So, I asked and he said, "Well, they want to come after us!" I asked him, "WHO? WHO wants to come after us... and WHAT 'us"?! Is someone bothering you, are some Muslims messing with you?!" I was like, oh, Lord... this could be bad!

Of course, his answer was, "No, no, nothing like that. It's just that they hate us and so I want to protect my family and so wanted to know if I should go after them first?"

Sigh. We had to have a long... long... talk after that. Thankfully, he not only didn't go after any Muslims, but has now come to have a few friends who are Muslims. Because I told him that rather than jumping to conclusions about who and what Muslimg were... and wanted... he should get to know a few and ask them. Well, needless to say... what he had learned THROUGH THE MEDIA... was not what he learned from his new friends.

Good questions, dear MiniMan... and, again, peace to you!

A slave of Christ,

SA

Hortensia

I have often said that the muslim religion is one of three of the most evil religions, and all arose in the middle east. You know which religions I mean. Speaking out is important -- otherwise our freedom of speech is threatened. However, time and place. No point in being really stupid and standing up in a mosque to denounce mohammed, eh?

WTWizard

If I can find something objectively wrong with it, I would be just as likely to bash Islam and the Quran as I am Christi-SCAM- and the LIE-ble. Or Judaism and its Talmud. I will not side with anything that has so many faults with its core doctrine or that causes so much misery on earth as those three programs and peoples have. All three belittle women, regulate sex, bash homosexuality, and discourage the average person from accumulating earned wealth. All three steal wealth from people that are tricked and/or forced into giving it to the peoples and religions. Yet, all three encourage slavery and torture as means to recruit members, right from within their writings.

What I do find wrong is when people do not tolerate others who bash these three religions. Judaism is the worst about this, labeling anyone who disagrees with their principle of slavery as "anti-Semite" as a derogatory term (I don't see anti-anything that has caused as much slavery and trouble for the world as these three religions as being derogatory). They make it a "hate crime" to hate Jews that molest children, enslave people, and worm their way into worldly positions where they can then impose their injustice. And as long as they perpetrate that crap, they are just as culpable as Christians that have clergy that molest children and go into foreign lands to enslave people and destroy cultures, or Muslims that go around imposing Sharia Law on their people and slaughter people for minor "indecency" infringements. All three of these groups ought to be ashamed of themselves and stop using protectionist terms to prevent themselves from being properly exposed.

To their terms of calling my hating their religions "hate speech", all three are guilty of hate speech against women, homosexuals and bisexuals, and people that simply wish to mind their own business. And hate action.