do you all believe what western media tell you regarding muslims.?
129825
No. Some of it is true, like 9/11. You can't deny that that has happened. But I spent many years in Turkey, which is 98.8% Muslim & the people were lovely.
51935
This link gives more details\nBecause the core of the story is not related to the printing of the orignal and "genuine" 12 cartoons...\n\nAt the end of the link, the dark brown pics are the added cartoons that many say, the Danish Imam added when he wanted to create reactions from the muslim countries (5 months after the incident !).\n\nIf you have, like the Mufti of Marseille would say, maturity in your faith (if you are Muslim) the 12 original Cartoons should not make you react. Like the Mufti of Marseille says, Mr. Benchek, freedom of speech has been an essential aspect of how muslim live in the West. The reactions are proof that Muslims are not strong in their Faith and feel insulted for just a few pics of bad taste (he was reffering to ONLY the original Cartoons and not the Mysteriously 3 added ones...)\n\nMake sure you read throughly to distingish what is said.... Because if you only "look" you will be another one of the manipulated persons, which ever side of the coin you are on.\n\nCiao !
357065
You're preaching to the chorus my man.  If you want the west to accept Islam then you have to convince the dangerous radicals that Islam is a religion of peace.  Don't tell us, tell them.  The only thing we care about is not being blown up.
287527
beside being a big liar ,you are also stupid,and because you are stupid you think that the rest of us will believe you without thinking,and that we are waiting for a dumb like you to give us free lessons on Islam.I've studied Islam,and I've also studied Arabic ,and I read Quran many times in both English and Arabic ,the Sura that you've mentioned doesn't say any thing about this fake story that you want us to believe.stop insulting our intelligence.
210800
I am not going to answer about the 9 year old wife of the prophet Mohamed because I know nothing about it. Instead I would like to direct my opinion to AIRASAE. \n\nAirasae, this is an open public discussion and anything can be expected out of it except lewd and foul contents. Nobody is trashing or crushing anybody. If one man's truth can not be your truth just give them logical answers instead of paranoia. If some disturbing questions would rise up against Islam, every muslim would say that Islam is being crushed. Have you ever noticed the countless time Christianity have been crushed with words, thoughts and bombs. But what comes into our minds would often seek the answers to a belief different from ours. \n\nThey say Islam is a religion of peace, but look around you. Bombs here, bombs there and bombs everywhere not even the third world was spared. If western cable companies report what transpires in the muslim world, you say that they do biased reporting. Do you think respectable, world class cable TV stations stay a long time if the world will know that they are trying to do false reporting? They will be out of business in no time. \n\nIf Islam is really a religion of peace truth will surely come out and no one can ever stop it. So, why so worried, be paranoid and overprotective when you can't do anything about it because people have eyes to see, ears to hear and brains to analyze and finally decide. \n\nIf I were a muslim, the first thing I would do is to really try to understand why innocent people including women and children are being targeted. This is not Jihad, this is a crime against humanity. Just imagine the whole muslim world went crazy over a cartoon made by one dumb christian and yet nobody gets crazy over what suicide bombers are doing. How Ironic can it be?   \n\nIf christians would bomb public places with no exactly logical target but innocent people, I would voice out a loud cry to go against those who perpetrates such crime because it simply is not acceptable. I will protest against my fellow christian suicide bombers until my people will get the message and join the protest because to me they are not freedom fighters but mere criminals. Do you see why we don't have such martyrs? It is because to us they will never be martyrs nor freedom fighters nor jihad fighters because to the Christian world, it will always be a heinous crime if they will kill muslims that way and every christian soul knows that.\n\n\nTO BEYOND EVENT\n\nShould I believe because you said so? Read between the lines. If ever it really happened because you said so, then you have first hand knowledge not me. If you are a muslim, educate me for being so naive. Collateral damage was coined in the 20th century and made popular by Mr. Schwartzenegger and it was a nice movie. I just wonder what they call it during Napoleon's time.
277238
I would suggest that average Americans don't consider the 'average' Arab as an enemy but rather that there are a proportion of Arabs that seem hell bent (no theology intended) on destroying any civil link between the societies.  I also think that there is an ignorance amongst many Americans re the difference between an Arab and a Muslim.\n\nIt is difficult to criticise this as a large amount of the Arab/Muslim media do seem to be very keen to show large and very aggressive protests against something as benal as a cartoon.  Also crowds dancing and cheering around the mulilated remains of murdered western contractors hardly gives a good impression and will have a disproportionate effect from the numbers actually involved.\n\nI really feel for the moderate Arabs/Islamists who genuinely believe that Islam/the nature of the Arab world has been corrupted; I also don't agree with many of the Western countries dealings with the Middle East at the moment.\n\nBridging the gap will be difficult as there will always be groups (probably on both 'sides') intent on fueling any resentment.  I do think that the Islamic hierarchy (as well as the Arab media) could do a lot to take a more moderate view of world events and be quicker to condem terrorism.  \n\nThe example of the reaction to the Dutch cartoons noted above shocked so many people that I know - not because of the offence but the amazing over-reaction and double standards being shown (bearing in mind the lack of sensitivity to the Jews shown in the Arab media).  Why would people kill because of this sort of trivia? - if your religion and faith is strong then accept that sometimes others will criticise or even lampoon it ... I don't see book stores on fire due to the Da Vinci Code or any newspaper staff being killed due to the regular cartoons mocking religeous personalities in the UK.\n\nThe central theme is that folks can't understand what drives the fundamentaists to the sort of extremes we see every day ... even anger doesn't seem to explain it.\n\nPeace (hopefuly) out.
552935
when one of the burning questions in the news nationwide is "should muslim women wear a veil or not?" then i think the national identity of the UK has already disappeared, there are much more important issues to be discussed than this, and to deflect the awareness of the country away from the important things that face them in their everyday life, ie crime,unemployment,poverty etc. I feel we are having our media manipulated in order to garner sympathy for a cause that does not need it, that cause being the advancement of Islam, which is one of the largest religions in the world, and you know what really pees me off? the muslims say they're being trampled by this government, when if it wasn't for the english people taking them in from their troubled countries, they would probably be dead now.
193836
Yes, I have gotten a straight answer from Muslims, when I ask a serious question and want a serious response.\n\nYou see, you are looking for a specific answer.  You are not really looking for a "straight answer," you are looking to have your personal opinion justified.   The answers you are looking for is: "Islam sucks," and "Muhammed was an evil, no-good, stupid doody head."   No Muslim is going to give you that kind of answer.  And no reasonable non-Muslim is going to give you that kind of an answer either.  Why?  Because Muslims believe in their religion.  And because Islam, when practiced by reasonable people, is a peaceful and loving religion.\n\nPeople point out that "X and Y does it too" because Muslims do not have the market cornered on radical, fundamental, irrational, violent religious craziness.  There is violent passages in the Torah and Bible.  The Judaeo-Christian god instructs believers to kill non-believers.  Slavery, pederasty, incest, rape - all these are in the Torah and the Bible, and is not condemned.  The point of it is, there are faithful Jews and Christians who do not go around doing these things because they understand that this was written a long time ago, that times have changed, and that these are metaphorical and symbolic guides to living your life.  Muslims today understand that the Quran was written a long time ago, and that times have changed, and that it is a metaphorical and symbolic guide to living life.  Most Muslims choose to interpret the Quran in a peaceful, loving and reasonable way.\n\nMuch of what the West understands about Muslims comes from what we see on television, what is going on in the Middle East.  The Middle East is a politically, socially and economically unstable region right now.  Fundamentalist religious wackos flourish in this kind of chaotic environment.  However, it is not due so much to the religion, as to poverty, political destabilization, etc.  In other words, if there was the same kind of circumstances in, say, Europe, you would be seeing Christian or Jewish wackos on the television right now as opposed to Muslim wackos.
182007
Peeps associate Islam with terrorism..it's a common stereotype. Since all the terrorism that has happened in the last 3 decades has had a link to Islamic extremists. but not all terrorists are Islamic, nor are all of them Arab...look at peeps in our own country, the murderers, rapists, and Mr. Mc Veigh..he wasn't Muslim, or of Arab descent, he was just plain nuts. Islam is a religion built around peace and family...not terrorism and murder. To answer your question about other religious extremists...yes, they do exist, and are very dangerous, but Western media sees fit to point the finger of blame at Muslims.
574273
Finally someone who gets my point of view. \n\nWhen Muslim terrorist attack, the rest of the Muslim world can't just say quietly "Islam means peace." \n\nKillers and Murders are dragging the meaning of their faith through the mud and they do nothing about it, to me that makes them just as guilty.\n\nMuslims blame the media for making it seem like all Muslims are terrorist, it's not the media's fault since Muslims aren't doing anything to show that is not true. Since Muslims don't do enough to stop these actions.
492437
even though i am not arab, i am a muslim tho.. so i tend to hang around other muslims (who usually are arab born in the middle east) .. and they had normal schooling... nothing about guns and violence. dont believe everything u see on tv, peaceful, west loving, arabs dont make the news....not good for ratings.
222889
I like how the islamic people who answered the question keep saying, "don't listen to people who say bad things about us."\n\nI don't believe islam is, in and of itself, a bad religion. I just think the fringe in this religion is more tenacious than the fringes of other religions. There are christian psychos but they're not blowing themselves up in Saudi Arabia or the UAE. There are jewish fanatics but they're not blowing up christian churches.\n\nI think the stigma towards islam is, and muslims cannot deny this, if you look at almost every major violent conflict in the world, islam is somehow involved: india v. pakistan, israel v. palestine, russia v. chechnya, bosnia v. serbia, east timor, philipines, etc. etc.\n\nSometimes the muslims are the victims but often they are the aggressors. From an outsiders perspective, though muslims are peaceful, they do not seem too tolerant of others views.
617654
wow thanks for the question.\n\nI'm Muslim(alhamdilillah- all praises/thanks to Allah). And I was born and raised in America.\n\nand Yes, your absolutely right. the media portrays nothing but hate against Islam. it's very bias.\n\nIslam is such a beautiful religion. subhanallah. No other religion makes sense like Islam, and it's the only religion that doesnt reject any of the prophets.\n\nHonestly, I love being a Muslim in America. because I get to show people what being Muslim is all about. I Wear the Hijab(head scarf), so people come up to me all the time and ask my questions, which I love. because I can finally clear up misconceptions.\n\nWhen people talk to Practicing Muslims, it seems people are SHOCKED as to how normal we are, and just how extra nice we are to people. Islam teaches tolerance, not intolerance.\n\nIt's charity to smile at people. what other religion teaches that?\n\nBasically Islam lays upon this foundation:\n\nwe as Muslims must believe:\n1. that there is no object worthy of worship but Allah (God)\n2. you believe in the angles\n3. Heaven and hell\n4. The Books that came before (the Old testament, Gospels, Quran)\n5. you believe in the all the Prophets of God starting from Adam, including Moses, Jesus, Abraham, Noah, and Muhammad peace be upon all of them)\nand finally\n6. Divine decree.\n\nfeel free to email me! i'd love to talk to you more about Islam!\n\nalmaghrib.louisiana(at)gmail.com\n\ntake care, and I ask Allah to guide you and us all to the strait path and the truth. ameen!
323093
Well, there is a lot to be blamed on the stupid terroists and the media. The terroists have potrayed the Islam in such a bad  light and with the less intelligence of the Westerners, it has always picked up the wrong ideas. So, they think that whatever is done by these terroists was advised by the Prophet Himself. Which is actually far from the truth! The prophet was a divine soul, not his followers. Similarly, Jesus was a divine soul not necessarily His followers are. They are ignorant and refuse to accept the power of faith and belief. The least you can do is forgive them for their arrogance and ignorance. Remember Prophet won wars without spilling a single drop of blood. Thats the ideal you have to follow. The hate would go as it has come. Dun worry about it. You cannot do anything about it. But take care to refrain from any comments demeaning others and other religions ! Slowly people would understand you and your faith.
52127
The entire world has been coddling these people that do this stuff. Look at the outrage when there was the incident about someone flushing the Koran down the toilet (which was later discovered to be untrue). The world news loves to glorify these crazy people. \n\nWhen 9/11 happened there was news footage in Afghanistan of thousands of middle-easterns parading and praising the destruction of our buildings and killing Americans. But you say anything bad about Muhammud or the Koran and it is free reign to kill anyone. They are just a bunch of nuts. And you know what, I have yet to hear any of the Muslim religious leaders come out against this behavior. It is ridiculous.
463255
Why must the West provide an external solution to what is an internal problem?\n\nRadicalized Muslims can only dissuaded by fellow Muslims.\n\nThe West has had enough, and a peaceable context may  very well be impossible if they are attacked again--  force is what Islamic extremists will find from the Western countries.\n\nThe person below me is correct.\n\nIt's not that your suggestion is a bad one.\nExtremists have ventured beyond the bounds of reasoning-- it's what makes them dangerous.\n\nI don't wish conflict with anyone, but if it's  demanded of me, then I have no choice.
676415
Yes they do. Those muslims (and christians for that matter) are quite sick in the head.