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Joined: 15 Jun 2007 / Male ♂
Last Post: 13 Nov 2007
Threads: Total: 2 / In This Archive: 2
Posts: Total: 63 / In This Archive: 60
From: England
Speaks Polish?: No
Interests: Science, maths, puzzles, skepticism, history, politics, music, literature

Displayed posts: 62 / page 1 of 3
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cubic   
5 Jan 2008
Genealogy / Bulas Family Search [7]

lots of bulas that came to America.

Wow, that's one of the longest URLs I've ever seen! :)

tinyurl is useful if you want to be able to post a shorter URL.
cubic   
4 Jan 2008
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

Strictly speaking, I'm an agnostic, because I don't believe we can prove the nonexistence of God any more than we can prove his existence. But I don't regard the Christian God as any more likely or meaningful than Zeus, Thor, or Ra, so for all practical purposes, yes, I'm an atheist.
cubic   
22 Dec 2007
News / Will Poland become green? [122]

It's not that kind of blog at all. (Though the authors do accept global warming, and the human contribution towards it.) It's written by climate scientists, not politicians or PR people. I think it offers the best that science has to offer on this topic. You'll find analyses of Timothy Bell's misconceptions if you look....
cubic   
18 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

Only after he dies he get what he really deserves.

Ah, what a lovely sight: the deferred sadism at the heart of many religions. As someone once said, "The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists -- that is why they invented Hell."
cubic   
17 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

A man is also stoned to death.

Even-handed savagery, is it? What are the numbers of men versus women stoned to death for sex "crimes"?

Dont try to show every1 here that islam makes man superior on women , because u know nothing about islam and this is not true.

It's true that under Sharia law a woman's testimony in court is worth half that of a man's testimony. (You yourself tried to justify that on the grounds that, "women rely on feelings in their thoughts and decision and thats a fact," thereby revealing your contempt for women.) And I know that in most interpretations of Sharia, apostasy and blasphemy can be punishable by death.

The real problem with Sharia, in my opinion, is its philosophical basis. Because it is based on the supposed word of Allah (in the Koran), and on the hadith, it is difficult for moderate Muslims to argue for reform.
cubic   
17 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

Not really.... In all islamic countries, if a woman is raped.. She must gather at least 4 witness to open a judgment....

I don't think this is the case in all Islamic countries, but it is for some, that implement a particularly extreme interpretation of Sharia. For instance, in a number of states in northern Nigeria, a woman can be stoned to death for having sex out of wedlock, even if she was raped. Under this law, pregnancy is sufficient evidence to convict an unmarried woman of the crime. However, the oath of a man who denies having had sex with a woman out of wedlock is often considered sufficient proof of "innocence" unless four independent and reputable witnesses testify to seeing him take part in the act.

An example was the case of Amina Lawal, in 2003. See Nigerian spared death by stoning.
guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1049766,00.html

Her conviction was overturned on appeal, in part for the truly bizarre reason that, "under some interpretations of Sharia, babies can remain in gestation in a mother's womb for five years, raising the possibility that her ex-husband could have fathered the child."
cubic   
16 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

Unfvckingbelievable!

I prefer to think of it as Unbefvckinglievable! See Expletive infixing. ;)
brokenhut.livejournal.com/284238.html
cubic   
14 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

If you had something that is so precious as a diamond , or something that is so expensive and so dear to you.

This is a poor analogy because women are not inanimate objects. They are not possessions of men. They have a mind of their own.

Well we think women are much more precious than diamonds and thats why they wear thier hijab to be modest, chaste and above all, not for everyone to have a peice of.

If women are so precious, why don't they have complete freedom, while men (as potential violators) are restricted in their movements? That seems to make about as much sense as your argument. (That is: not much.)
cubic   
14 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

this is turning too much into philosophy .b straight forward plz

It's quite straightforward, surely? I respect you, as a human being. If you tell me you believe that the Koran was dictated to Muhammed by the angel Gabriel, I don't respect that opinion. And what's wrong with philosophy?

Who said we have to stick to this?

You don't; I'm just explaining my approach. But don't expect automatic respect for your opinions, religious or otherwise.
cubic   
14 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

Sheik Hilali said: "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat?

I recall that incident. Ophelia Benson nailed it, as usual: Meat.
butterfliesandwheels.com/notesarchive.php?id=1634

It's worth emphasising that Sheik Hilali is no obscure figure, he was Australia's most senior Muslim cleric, and had just been reconfirmed as Mufti of Australia after the governing body of Sydney's largest mosque rallied around him. He was reputedly so popular that he was never allowed to pay for a meal when eating in Muslim restaurants.

He holds other opinions that are close to mainstream in the Muslim world. He has called the Holocaust a "Zionist lie". He compared another leading Australian Muslim, Dr Ameer Ali, to Salman Rushdie? Ali's crime? He suggested that Mohammed had flaws, and criticised Muslims who blindly follow the faith and failed to question the veracity of the Koran. Was Hilaly subtly suggesting that Ali deserves to be murdered? Sadly, the "religion of peace" is so widely misunderstood that Hilaly remains popular to this day. (Though the outcry surrounding his "meat" remarks did eventually lead to him being sacked as Mufti of Australia.)
cubic   
14 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

The most important guideline is that u should b seeking the truth.

I absolutely agree. You should seek the truth wherever it takes you, even if you conclude that maybe the Koran isn't the literal word of Allah.

Arrogance leads to no man's land.

There are many kinds of arrogance in the world.

the2nd rule is not to post anything that u don' have a clue to...

Is that why bellzii didn't cite any "scientific facts that have been proved" ?

third rule is respect by the way

I'm with Sir Salman Rushdie on this one: you should have respect for people, but you need have no respect for people's opinions. See his excellent essay, Defend the right to be offended.

opendemocracy.net/faith-europe_islam/article_2331.jsp
cubic   
14 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

Of course he would not say so because one of his attributes is the all-just.

Hang on a minute -- doesn't Allah decide what is just, not you? Suppose Allah were to declare (as the All-Just One) that murder is good. Would you accept that? Would you then believe that murder is good?
cubic   
13 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

read the quran and you can judge if its the lords words or not

What are the guidelines for deciding whether a text was written by a god, as opposed to by humans who are aware of the supposed attributes of the god?

i wont mention the scientific facts that have been proved and still to be proven

If the "scientific facts" are anything like this -- Watch out for the mudghah on the sidewalk -- better not mention them.
scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/03/watch_out_for_the_mudghah_on.php
cubic   
13 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

this is due to the fact that women rely on feelings in their thoughts and decision and thats a fact.

Is that indeed a fact?

Secondly if god said so , how dare we question why he said so.

Yeah, that's a pretty big "if". Did god say so? (And if god said murder was good, would you just accept that?) Some scholars, such as Christoph Luxenberg, argue that the Koran is, "based on earlier texts, namely lectionaries used in the Christian churches of Syria, and that it was the work of several generations who adapted these texts into the Qur'an we know today." Of course, that would call into question its supposed transmission to Mohammed from Allah via the angel Gabriel.

It says a lot about the state of scholarship in this field that the author was advised by Muslim friends to publish under a pseudonym, and to remain anonymous for his own safety. See Scholars Scrutinize the Koran's Origin.

corkscrew-balloon.com/02/03/1bkk/04b.html

A quote from this article:

The touchiness about questioning the Koran predates the latest rise of Islamic militancy. As long ago as 1977, John Wansbrough of the School of Oriental and African Studies in London wrote that subjecting the Koran to "analysis by the instruments and techniques of biblical criticism is virtually unknown."

Mr. Wansbrough insisted that the text of the Koran appeared to be a composite of different voices or texts compiled over dozens if not hundreds of years. After all, scholars agree that there is no evidence of the Koran until 691 - 59 years after Muhammad's death - when the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem was built, carrying several Koranic inscriptions.

cubic   
13 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

why do you doubt that islam is apeaceful religion?

More misinterpretation of Islam from a nice programme on Kuwaiti TV:

Kuwaiti tv sounds like fun - like Oprah but more intense.

Kuwait TV Host Sheikh Tareq Al-Sweidan: "We have a question for the viewers at home, not in the studio, and they can respond with a text message. What is the best way to deal with apostates who converted from Islam? You have three possible responses. The first is through dialogue only. The second option is killing them, and the third option is to leave it up to the legal system.

Don't you wish you could watch tv shows like that? We have a question for the viewers: What is the best way to deal with apostates who converted from Southern Baptism? You have three options. You can chat, you can kill them, or you can call the cops.

That would be even more fun when most of the audience went for door number two. Kill them, Bob, definitely.

See Apostasy for some of the audience responses.
butterfliesandwheels.com/notesarchive.php?id=2134

And it's amazing how many "Muslim leaders" misunderstand Islam:

"In 2004, Prince Charles called a meeting of leading Muslims to discuss the issue," adds Dr Sookhdeo. "I was there. All the Muslim leaders at that meeting agreed that the penalty in sharia is death. The hope was that they would issue a public declaration repudiating that doctrine, but not one of them did."

cubic   
12 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

didn't mohammed say that men and women are equal?

Did he say that? I know that in sharia law, a woman's testimony in court is worth half that of a man's testimony. See e.g. Article 7: Right to equal protection by the law

bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/ihavearightto/four_b/casestudy_art07.shtml.

Some Muslim countries with strict sharia interpretations, such as Saudi Arabia, actually implement this. And they're still in the UN, despite being in clear violation of article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights!
cubic   
10 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

A great number of younger muslims agree and almost all interviewed agreed to a certain extent that if not killed they should be punished (recent documentary on).

Oh, I agree that Muslim attitudes to apostasy and freedom of expression are a big problem. I just wanted to make it clear that not all Muslims believe apostates should be killed. There are a lot of silent moderates. And I believe some of those are silent because of intimidation by the radicals. That's another good reason to vigorously support free speech: to make it easier for moderate Muslims to take the fight to the radical Islamists.

Here is a summary of an NOP poll of British Muslims from last year: NOP Poll of British Muslims. One quote:

Asked about attitudes towards free speech, there was little support for freedom of speech if it would offend religious sensibilities. 78% of Muslims thought that the publishers of the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed should be prosecuted, 68% thought those who insulted Islam should be prosecuted and 62% of people disagree that freedom of speech should be allowed even if it insults and offends religious groups.

And here is coverage of an ICM poll: 40% of British Muslims want Sharia Law - ICM. A quote:

Regarding reactions to the [Danish Muhammed] cartoons, 14% of British Muslims thought it was right for protesters in Muslim countries to attack Danish embassies and 12% thought it was right for "demonstrators to carry placards calling for the killing of those who insult Islam". 13% said it was right "to exercise violence against those who are deemed by religious leaders to have insulted them".

cubic   
9 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

it is that you just assume every muslim in the world is a terroist

Who here has said that? I doubt that anybody outside of a lunatic asylum believes that all Muslims are terrorists.

i can tell you this that 90 % of crimes here iin the free usa are comitted by non muslim poelpe

So 10% of crimes in the USA are committed by Muslims, who make up only about 2% of the population? Are you seriously saying that Muslims in the USA commit five times as many crimes per person as non-Muslims? Are you some kind of Islamophobe?

the bombing in oklahoma city was comitted by 2 christian extremist who hated our and theyre own government and killed hundreds of men women and children in theyre own country

They weren't able to cite Christian theology, or point to Biblical verses to support their actions.
cubic   
9 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

If you're looking for rules and regulations, a good place to start is, I think, Leviticus.

Aha. And from the compassionate, loving, caring, forgiving New Testament, take a look at Acts 5:1-11
biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=51&chapter=5

-- a grisly warning to fraudsters everywhere!
cubic   
9 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

thats my interpretation of it

I agree. I suspect that one of the chief attractions of Islam for young men is that it can be used to sanction the subjugation of women. A ready-made excuse, as you say.
cubic   
9 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

But Islam is the religion of peace !

Indeed. There may also be a "family honour" dimension to this case, in that she refused to accept an arranged marriage. That alone could be enough for her to receive death threats from her male relatives, even if she didn't renounce Islam. And this practice also occurs among Hindus. But clearly it doesn't help that one influential interpretation of Islam sanctions the killing of apostates, if they do not return to Islam.

Added: "A study this year found that 36 per cent of British Muslims between 16 and 24 believe those who convert to another religion should be punished by death."

Scary, if accurate.
cubic   
9 Dec 2007
Love / Polish-Islam Relationship Union [450]

If you converted from Islam to Christianity they would probably kill you.

Certainly one interpretation of the relevant verses is that apostates should be killed. Not all Muslims accept that interpretation, of course, but enough do to create a serious problem for many ex-Muslims, even those living in Western countries. At the very least, they would need to live a lie, and pretend that they are still believers. To come out openly can be very dangerous.

Here is a story of a woman who renounced the Muslim faith to escape being forced into an arranged marriage when she was 16. She's been in hiding for more than a decade, and is now living under police protection.

Imam's daughter in hiding after her conversion to Christianity sparked death threats/
cubic   
12 Nov 2007
Feedback / Honest moderation? [14]

A quote from an article was attributed to my post.

FWIW, when I saw your post, complete with quote, I assumed (because of the indentation) that you had quoted from the article you cited.
cubic   
7 Nov 2007
News / Weak US dollar in Poland and other countries... [180]

That was the main mistake Saddam did (of course everybody knew he had no nukes)

And yet China's state-run Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, the biggest buyer of Iranian crude worldwide, began paying for its oil in euros in March 2007. In September 2007, Japan's Nippon Oil has agreed to buy Iranian oil using yen. And Iran is in the process of opening a euro-denominated oil bourse. (All according to Iranian Oil Bourse) But Iran has not (yet) been attacked...
cubic   
5 Nov 2007
Life / Homosexuals in Poland / Hands off (PETITION) [797]

You may touch yourself thinking about It but It simply won't happen. Depends who will govern then It will be declared illegal and riot police will be send against few perverts, who come anyway or some excuse (like risk of terrorist attacks) will be found to cancel this disgusting pieace of shi*t.

It's good to see that there are people in Poland who will stand up for free expression and peaceful assembly.