Who is asking for more?

Submitted by Claire (United States), Apr 15, 2008 at 08:03

Houssam,

I think Muslims are the ones asking for more. They wish for me to change my constitution so I will be punished for exercising free speech, for example. In Western countries, Muslims may build mosques and worship in them whether people of other religions like it or not.

In countries with a majority of Muslims, there are many restrictions that apply to everyone *but* Muslims on building locations, codes, etc. That's not true in the West. The building codes and codes on signage, etc. apply to everyone. We don't set aside areas for people of specific religions.

Many Western women are afraid to travel to countries which are predominantly Muslim because they think they will be subjected to harsh laws that only apply to women; that women are not treated like human beings. We also bend over backwards in the West to try not to upset people of different religions, while it is generally believed that if we travel to certain countries we will be forced to wear certain clothing or face fines, imprisonment or worse.

Personally, I am skeptical of all religious doctrine. I see it mostly as a way for someone like Muhammend, Paul, Mao, Moses, etc. (or the priesthood generally) to control people and they use supernatural deity stories as evidence that they have the right to be dictators of how others should lead their lives. So whether it's Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, I strongly suspect it's mostly about who has the power, prestige, and wealth. I don't think humans are very different, whether they follow a local folk religion or a major world religion.

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