Islam Often Gets An Unjustified Bad Press, But Here's An Account Of How The Greatest Englishman Of The Last Century...

[sandyRoe]

..., in my opinion, saw great merit in it. He almost took it up.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/sir-winston-churchills-family-begged-him-not-to-convert-to-islam-letter-reveals-30867246.html

[naomi24]

Nonsense! His family’s paranoia rather than Churchill’s intentions. His sister in law may have begged him not to convert to Islam, but it doesn't follow that he intended to. He had more sense. This is what the man himself said about Islam.

"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries!
Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia
in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries, improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement, the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.

Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step, and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it (Islam) has vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome.”

[beso]

It would not appear that Churchill considered converting. His analysis is accurate.

“The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men,” he wrote in his 1899 account of Sudan, The River War.

“Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralizes the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith.”

[BlackadderV]

Churchill was clearly far more prescient than he has been given credit for.

[beso]

methyl //There is nothing wrong with the vast majority of Religions in the world and they share many common goods. //

Nothing wrong? You should try reading their books some time.

//Unfortunately each religion has its extremists, some of whom are just yobs who tag onto a legitimate religions while just intent on causing trouble and getting away with it. //

No. The "yobs" are the ones actually following what it says in the books. The "moderates" are the ones who have strayed from the original message.

[beso]

Unjustified bad press?

Any religion that treats women as possessions of men deserves to be derided.

They can say all they like about having "respect" for women but the bottom line is that a man can marry four women.

Islam is a primitive stone age religion that enshrines misogyny at its core.

[DTCwordfan]

//Islam is a primitive stone age religion that enshrines misogyny at its core.//

Given that it is younger than Christianity, (Mohammed, 570CE to 632) that makes for an interesting perspective on the Catholick faiths......

Individual Muslims still show amazing thought, depth and deed, the issues being that they are still 300 years behind us in some of the ways they manifest their faith and the increasing monotheism of the faith. Okay, it has always been that, but the Wahibis (in the last 30 years) have had really damaging effects on the long history and culture of Muslimdom and driving it away from the pluralistic strands that it was developing.

What we should be doing is encouraging their learned scholars to 'think out of the box' and change their practices from within.

[DTCwordfan]

//being that they are still 300 years behind us// should have been written as 'being that they are, collectively, still 300 years behind us...'

[FrogNog]

No DTC, what we should be doing is encouraging all religions to drop the act and stop masquerading behind the holy and preying on the gullible in the pursuit of power, That would do far more good.
Islam is no worse or better than any other religion. Beso was right. The most acceptable to their gods, according to the book(s) are the ones who follow the teachings to the letter.
Whatever religion Churchill chose was of no import. The fact that he had to choose one at all would concern me when it came to important and evolutionary decisions for society.

[DTCwordfan]

Though I agree with you, Frog, there's a question of practicalities here....change from within and perhaps they they realise that they are barking up the wrong tree.......

[FrogNog]

I hope so DTC, though I doubt it will happen in my lifetime.
Attributing your luck to a god still seems to be a vote winner.
I will never understand that.

[keyplus90]

Yes, Birdie, you are right about reading Quran. Perhaps you should do that too instead of depending on few websites alone.

[beso]

Birdie forgot to mention the misogyny in Islam.

The deep seated hatred of women is expressed in many ways but few so monstrously as in the muslim cultures where female genital mutilation is practiced.

You can point out that it is not condoned in the Quran but it is still indicative of the attitudes nurtured by this hideous book. You don't see FMG done in other cultures, always muslims, so there is something in that wouldn't you think?

[vetuste_ennemi]

FGM is a "cultural" fact of life in the whole of the Horn of Africa and much of sub-Saharan Africa, Beso, and is practised by Christians, Kikuyu and (much further south) Xhosa and other traditionbal African tribes.

[keyplus90]

My couple of words are enough to de-rail Birdie's brain. Poor guy.

[vulcan42]

Keyplus suffers from a superiority complex. Poor guy.