Again this argument fails to distinguish between an ignorant assumption because someone equally ignorant declared that what he or she was about to do or did was in the name of God (Allah in Arabic) and ascribed the punishment to the scriptures of the Koran.
Try this for size and for an analogy: God tells the ancient Hebrews as they are about to enter a Canaan already inhabited by other nations. "Of the cities of these peoples, which the Lord they God gives thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save nothing alive that breathes; but thou shalt utterly destroy them" (Deuteronomy 20:16-18).
Today the Israeli's an educated and supposedly highly intelligent people (more like a people with an academic orientaion, professional and trade skills but little humanity or education given to historic biblical fables) carry out with a vengance and with brutal efficiency Hitler would have cried at whilst in the west we accept it with such equanimity?
Did someone here say 'separation of powers?' what a great concept indeed. But how sure are any of you that it is in fact practiced? The US is certainly no great showcase of the separation of powers where religion and the state are concerned.
Their recent history especially during the Regan era consisted of covert operations in conjunction with the Catholic Church and the unelected unrepresentative swill there then including Alexander Haig, Zbigniew Brezinski and other Catholics who for politial expediency encouraged and abbetted in the overthrow of governments east, west north and south.
Apartheid ascribed its divine right to discriminate and to dispose of human beings from the Dutch reform Church. A refromation indeed. Today the House of Orange and the other dysfunctional family of europe led by Beatrice Queen of netherlands upholds the same tradition.
Women in western countries have the same problems. Whether it be the extremities of Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Italy or Russia, they are of the same human make up which looks for scape goats, preferably un assailable ones like the Bible to justify their behaviour.
In Australia as in Western couintries elsewhere a woman is fundamentally valued by the shape of her body, her willingness to copulate with a more powerful suitor or to compromise her sexual integrity which to her is no longer a measure of value. Again for the same reasons. Why would it be of any value when yuo can buy a night with a vast body of western christian women for the price of a drink and a compliment ? why hide the truth and look elsewhere to find lesser beings to simply make you feel better?
The Saudi's, the Barbaric Kuwaiti's, even Saddam Hussein, The Iranian clergy, Nigeria and Pakistan all are creatures of the west and not democratically elected theocracies some of you would have us believe.
Pakistan is perhaps the most blatant of the double standards of England, Australia and the USA. They want Kashmir because the majority there are Muslim. So much for upholding the theory of the cnocept of the separation of powers where chruch and state are separate. Yet, Pakistan gets as much support from the US, Australia (it was Owen Dixon who ordered the plebiscite on these grounds and who created the LOC) and the USA inspite of their training of terrorists who blow up and kill citizens of these countries.
It is not Islam. There are several schools of Islam all with differenig interpretations of the Koran and with various cultural influences which makes such generalisations even more unnecessary.
Has it crossed any of yor minds that the most brutal of wars and uprisings have been in Buddhist countries the last century? Yet this philosophy a branch of Hinduism is upheld as the most peaceful of all religions and practices. trendy is what it is. Cambodia, Thailand, Viet nam, Japan, Korea, Laos, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar and Tibet.
