[WikiEN-l] "I want to at least kill the responsible person."

[John Lee]

On Feb 18, 2008 8:15 AM, David Gerard <dgerard at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 18/02/2008, Prasad J <prasad59 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >John Lee wrote:
>
> >> To a Muslim it is offensive to say Jesus is God. It is offensive to
> >> view images of inappropriately clothed people. Muslims in Indonesia
> >> found the images in Playboy sufficiently offensive to riot over.
> >> Muslims in Malaysia frown on the usage of Muslim terminology in a
> >> non-Muslim context; the government has actually banned Malay-language
> >> Christian publications for using Malay words meaning "Allah", "angel",
> >> etc. There are a lot of things people find offensive; there are a lot
> >> of things Muslims find offensive.
>
> > I think you need to remember that not all Muslims are from the
> > Taliban, just as not all Christians are cross-burning Ku Klux
> > Klansmen. I studied in a Catholic school where several of our teachers
>
>
> He's not speaking of some theoretical straw man, but of the actual
> laws in his country.

I think it's ironic that being from a Muslim country and having Muslim
friends from many walks of life and of varying opinions, it is assumed
I need to be lectured about the diversity of viewpoints in the Muslim
community. I am merely pointing out that a significant and vocal
minority of Muslims hold certain beliefs very strongly, and that if we
are to accommodate one fringe group of Muslims, we don't seem to have
a significantly good reason not to accommodate another, and so forth.

I would also doubt that "a majority of Muslims are educated, moderate,
cosmopolitan," considering most Muslims (like most of the world) don't
have access to a great deal of education, and live in mostly
developing countries. I don't doubt that the Fox News stereotype is
anything but false. What I do object to is an oversimplification of
the situation we are faced with, which I think most of us are doing. I
am a bit bemused that you (Prasad) compare the beliefs I have noted to
extremist Talibanism, because I personally know many wonderful people
far removed from the violence of the Taliban who still firmly and
fervently believe these things.

Johnleemk