Generalisations always cause problems. In UAE, a clearly Islamic area, you can find all shades of tolerance and intolerance. For instance, there is no problem finding pork in Dubai, but don't even ask for it in neighbouring Sharjah, where there is also no booze. Yet immediately across the (practically invisible) border with Ajman, the first structure is a pub....
However, in my view, the question all Muslims who migrate to the West and demand all sorts of tolerance must answer is: how many churches are there in Saudi Arabia, which has a sizeable Christian population. You cannot demand total tolerance and have the "guardians" of your own religion exercise intolerance at its extreme.
Generalisation is the beginning of racism.................
I realise you said 'beginning of'. However you cannot choose your race, so it would be totally unreasonable to discriminate against people who are of a certain race and who you have never met.
You can choose your belief system, so it might well be reasonable to discriminate against all people who have a certain way of thinking, even though you haven't met them all. That would be a legitimate generalisation.
One would give examples but that would only incur the wrath of those people of that persuasion who have blinkered minds, which just happens to be the case for all the examples I can think of. I don't think that is a coincidence.
That would depend on where you live. I could name a recent Afghan Christian convert who only escaped the death penalty because of heavy political pressure which gave him the option of permanent exile instead.
The penalty for apostasy in Islam is death, and in several countries is regularily imposed.
I would be interested to see how you come to that conclusion since, based on the statements in your previous post, the logical outcome of my statement is the total opposite.
I drew no conclusion. That squiggly thing at the end of my sentence is called a question mark. As your post appeared to be irrelevent to the subject of the thread I was seeking clarification.
As your post appeared to be irrelevent to the subject of the thread I was seeking clarification.
On the contrary, quoting from the link in the original post, it appears totally apposite.
"The open contempt some Muslims have for non-Muslims is a common thread throughout the world where Muslims communities rub against the kafirs, or non-believers."
I was pointing out that the contempt, in some countries, is not limited simply to intimidation, and that, therefore, your assertion that one is able to choose one's religion is incorrect.
....therefore, your assertion that one is able to choose one's religion is incorrect.
Well, If I had said that you may have a point, but I didn't and you don't. A 'belief system' (what I said) may include religion (what you said), but it doesn't have to. They are not the same thing, if I had mean't to say religion I would have done so.
In fact, the example you chose demonstrates clearly that you cannot force people to believe in things they don't want to. You say people are executed because they don't believe in one thing (a religion called islam), therefore they must believe in another thing (in your example a religion called christianity). Even under the threat of death they choose their own belief system, and not what other's might want them to.
I only post twice and I am misrepresented both times. You must do better if you want this to be a sensible chat.
You can choose your belief system, so it might well be reasonable to discriminate against all people who have a certain way of thinking,.
Not only reasonable but a certainty - otherwise what is politics all about? The only thing I would question is discriminate AGAINST, rather than just discriminate.
Discrimination is one of these words that has been highjacked by the politicallty correct thought police to mean some sort of prejudice, whereas in reality it means "To set apart as being different; to mark as different; to separate from another by discerning differences; to distinguish" it does NOT of itself imply regarding as inferiror or superior.
Hence the term racial discrimination has been adopted to mean "regarding another race is inferior" when all it actually means is that you can recognise different groups of humanity based on physical differences that are inherited genetically.
One of the main problems in the argument about Islam is the (deliberate) confusion between race and religion, not agreeing with any religion is NOT racist. Disagreeing with Judaism is not anti-semitism, hating Jews (as a group of genetically related people) is.
Hi slim. I disagree with your assertion that one can choose one's belief system. Most people in the world don't have the benefit of an open-minded western style education, as you have obviously benefitted from. I personally witnessed an arab man beating the crap out of his black sheet covered wife in a public street in dubai. Do you think she can choose her 'belief system' ? No way. This is how most people in the world live, their 'beliefs' imposed and coerced on them .
Hi slim. I disagree with your assertion that one can choose one's belief system. Most people in the world don't have the benefit of an open-minded western style education, as you have obviously benefitted from. I personally witnessed an arab man beating the crap out of his black sheet covered wife in a public street in dubai. Do you think she can choose her 'belief system' ? No way. This is how most people in the world live, their 'beliefs' imposed and coerced on them .
Patronising bulldust - a "western style education" is not a requirement to be able to think. Where do you think most of modern mathematics came from (including our numbering system)? Islam.
I agree you cannot choose what others impose on you because of the culture you live in but everybody can choose whether they believe it or not. Not necessarily easy and not necessarily without personal cost but the choice is inside your head, whether you act on your personal beliefs or not depends on the personal cost of doing so.
In the words of Bertrand Russell - "I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong"
I agree with chox and slim, its not perticularly easy to be told to believe something, in fact a lot of people if forced to believe something through violence it strengthens what other beliefs they have. For example, If you were stuck in a room with a bloke built like a brick s**thouse, he's beating you senseless with a stick saying that you WILL believe in scientology , you may start to say yea you do to stop the beating, but your still thinking that you believe in god, allah buddha or whatever.
On a lighter note:
Quote:
Where do you think most of modern mathematics came from (including our numbering system)? Islam.
Really? I thought it was a load of old guys in toga's from ancient greece... well, most mathematics anyways.
, you may start to say yea you do to stop the beating, but your still thinking that you believe in god, allah buddha or whatever.
