Islam

Your thoughts on the world's second largest religion (if you lump all the christians together)?
Does islam pose a threat to the world like some right-wing politicians say?

My view is that people go to religion when they feel they are not in control of their lives and their lives are perceived to be going badly. We have all read about the statistics where the least religious countries have the fewest social problems. I think what explains this is that these countries have good social policies that produced a contented population. These people then have no need for religion. Islam very well might be a problem, because it is growing rapidly in discontented parts of the world and it tends to have more excuses for violence and oppression in its doctrines then other religions might. I don't pretend to be an expert, but these are my impressions.

I think that Islam religion is - just like christian religion - out to convert people and to spread Islamic law. This would imply certain changes in society and therefor it would mean a thread to the current status quo.

If Islam - and this means all Islamic countries - would pull together to reach that aim with force, I doubt very much so. To diverse are the interests and groups to make that happen. But still, there are many religious leaders that preach hate against other countries.

Stayes the treat of Islamic terror groups that attack western countries. This groups I think are dangerous. Not for whole societies, but for the lives they kill with every suicide attack. The reason behind that attacks I see mainly in cultural and economical differences. Less in deep religious structures of Islamic religion.

I wouldn't say that their is anything specific to Islam versus other religions.  It's just that a large segment of this religion hasn't been drug into the 21st century yet (or the 18th for that matter), which allows a small number within that group to operate a terrorist group trying to bring back the 12th century. To be blunt, I had a few drinks last night with a couple of muslims that I would trust with my life far sooner than say any of the Christians in the tea party movement.

I will say that I am very discouraged to see the United Kingdom setting up separate Sharia Law courts for their Muslim citizens that don't like equality under the law.

I don't really care what religions other people have, as long as they don't discriminate or attack people who have a different religion (or none at all).

Why the hell would I worship a god that commands me to blow myself up to get to heaven

Yes, Islam represents a threat to occidental rich countries, just as these countries repesent a threat to Islam. 

There have been centuries of fighting between these two cultures and right now no one knows who started the attacks. 

The religious differences are there just to make things more  radical. (Who is more threatening an islamic jihaddistic ayatolah or a redneck christian president?)

We need to stop this agressive economic system before we can stop the agression between these two cultures (or any other pair yearning for mutual anihilation).

Allah doesn't tell anyone to blow themselves up, It's a fringe element of extremists, the majority of Muslims are peaceful, don't you think if they all wanted all others dead we would be dead by now?

To be honest I do think islam is a barbaric religion, most likely because islam, unlike christianity, hasn't been the boxing ball of the age of Enlightenment.
Case in point is the 'magician' from Libanon who got sentenced to death in Saudi-Arabia because of witchcraft. Who the hell still believes in witchcraft? Apparently the guy, among other things, predicted the future. Well, if he really could do that, he wouldn't have gone to Saudi-Arabia.

It's false! Just like any other religion.

I think that Islam is a dangerous religion and should not be followed.

Sura’ 18:86 :

“Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: Near it he found a People: We said: “O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness.”

Islam is not especially dangerous compared to other religions. It just happens that the Quran is a powerful recruiting tool for terrorists, and the orthodoxy of many Islamic countries. The wave of secularism that followed the advent of democracies in most of the world has not yet altered the socio-political situation in countries like Saudi Arabia.

@OmerAyverdi gotta love the Ataturk guys!

http://richarddawkins.net/videos/490279-the-enemy-within

Someone commenting sayes: No mosque on Ground Zero. I am sometimes not sure if this is the right way to live with each other. The video is ertainly one atheistic point of view, don't know if it is mine.

May be,our members here,who were christians,and now turned athesit,are just easier on thier old religon...criticising Islam more.....