On Mon, Feb 18, 2008 at 09:14:37AM -0500, John Lee wrote:
On Feb 18, 2008 8:15 AM, David Gerard
<dgerard(a)gmail.com> wrote:
On 18/02/2008, Prasad J
<prasad59(a)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 don't consider the group that rejects Muhammad images belonging
to a Muslim fringe. It rather seems to be a very mainstream custom
(at least among Sunni Muslims).
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.
I wonder how you can keep a good relationship, if those people
feel offended whenever you mention, that you firmly believe
Jesus to be the son of God.
What about
"You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion." [109:6]?
And btw, we don't claim on WP that Jesus is God.
br
--
Raphael