Hi Robb, welcome to this site.
After seeing what islamites have done to non-muslims in the middle-east and elsewhere (9/11, anyone?), I'm convinced that islam is indeed a violent religion.
Hi, Islamite? sounds like marmite..... First, make sure you know who you are addressing and what it is you are talking about.
Im quite suprised at your first statement...... especially when the US has killed 200,000 people in Iraq.. and has recently supplied weapons to Israel and allowed them to massacre thousands in Lebanon.
People are dying in the Middle East because of US imperialism. Lets not forget the overthrow of the democratically elected leader of Iran, the empowerment, support and supply of chemical weapons to Saddam Hussein (a great friend of Rumsfeld), the support and creation of Alqaeda in Afghanistan (yes, a lot of CIA money went into that!).....
Oh, and there is Israel, a racist apartheid state, which is handed billions of dollars so they can freely use missiles, helicopters, tanks and cluster bombs against some of the most poverty stricken, stateless people in the world.
You are talking to someone who in the past year lived in a Christian/Muslim village in Lebanon. I can show you some photos if you really want of Churches and Mosques near each other.... and Muslims and Christian neighbours chatting about the world cup.....
It was the Crusaders, who sent out by the Pope to kill and plunder ... massacred the Arab Christians and the Muslims. For their brains were soooo up their nether regions, they had no idea that there were Christians living in that region.
Muslims, Christians and Jews have lived side by side in the Middle East for centuries. Evidence is in the history books. ----- Archaeological evidence is in the magnificent and luxurious Jewish quarters which are still visible today in Toledo, Morocco and Iraq. The Churches that were built by Muslims still stand.......
This website is a testimony to Islam and its openess to all of mankind. We have Americans, European, Arab, African, Asian... Muslim and non-Muslim....
No amount of saying its peaceful is gonna wash when we have videos of suicide bombers talking about killing people in the name of Islam/Allah.
AlQaeda is evil, there is no doubt about that. What they do is wrong and it is not from Islam. They use politics and the theory of "Revenge" to justify their actions........... its the foreign policy that does it..
Suicide bombing and terrorism is not something that Islam sanctions.
Its not my fault that people believe everything they see in the NEWS everything FOXNEWS tell them.
Hizbullah, does suicide bombing. ??Did you know the majority of their suicide bombers were Christian and secular/atheist?? Infact, they even had a Christian female school teacher who decided to be a Suicide bomber. ---- the question needs to be asked why people would do such things..... for them, it was for their nationalism, to expel the invaders......
In Pape's book "Dying to win" he conducted research and found that Hezbolla suicide bombers in the period 1982-1986 were 71% Christian, 21% Communist/Socialist, 8% Islamist (204-07).
So, Extremism and terrorism hasnt anything to do with Islam. It has everything to do with desperation and oppression.
Tony Blair, George Bush.. and the worst puppy Howard go around telling people that the Iraq war has not angered anyone, nor has it created any increase in global terrorism. Totally untrue, as long as they continue to do this:
People will continue going towards extremism..... its as simple as that.
This is not to say that it is justified... no attack against civillians can be justified.... But, it is very simplistic to imagine that Muslims and Islam is evil due to the actions of a very small group of people who are statistically insignificant but whose actions are shown on the media.
Infact, it can also be said that these groups deliberately do these extremist actions simply to get their voice heard and seen on the media..... and to create a reaction such as yours..... The extremists want to create seperation and conflict.
Anyway, at the moment the fundementalists are the true face of islam. They are the only representatives of that religion that are visible.
Whats wrong with going down to your local Mosque? You have come to this website, you have contact with Muslims, so how can you even say such a thing?
In that case, wouldnt someone living out in Iraq seeing American soldiers kick doors down and shoot children will think they are the true face of Westerners? (not christians as there are Christians living in Iraq, but, you wouldnt know it because the media dont show it..... some of the oldest churches are in Iraq)
Oh, and we shall not forget Australian history..... and its treatment of aborigines and other immigrants. When was it that forced seperation of families was finally outlawed???
"The Stolen Generation" ? 1969..