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"Hassancachal" why don't you stay in your deep!!!!

Why don't you stay in your deep well of ignorance!!!!! where it is dark and there are only vermins to accompeny you !!!!the best condition for vampires like you!!!!

The good professor is also

The good professor is also a disciple of Fardid who was a disciple of Heideggar, a Nazi.

//iranian.com/MahmoudSadri/2004/June/Fard...

Blood stained on the hands

As an ex-devotee of the IRI and a bearded follower of Soroush, show your hands if are not stained of Iranian blood? Your expectation shows you are a potential Islamist with a potential accessory to IRI's propaganda organs.

Peole like you should have already got lost from this site. You should know, the IRI outsources people with less dirty hands to campagne for the coming elections, but we know all Islamists have blood on the hands.

Nadia again

Hi Nadia,

By the way the Ten Commandments, Psalms, Proverbs, and the foretelling
of the coming of Jesus is in the Old Testament, so you cannot just
disregard the Old Testament. It is why, I say that you need to take the
Holy Bible as a whole.

Yes, but the Old Testament is Judaism. Christianity is based on Judaism, which is why so much of the Torah was included in the Christian Bible - so that Christians would understand the origins of their religion. But no reputable Christian looks to the Old Testament for spiritual guidance. It's more of a history.

The Old Testament is the foundation of the New Testament. Even Jesus mentioned things that occurred in the Old Testament.

Of course he did. Jesus was Jewish :)

The New Testament wasn't even written until after Jesus was dead. Jesus taught from the Torah.

Well, at least you do agree that Christianity was reformed by Christ in the New Testament. :o)

No... Judaism was reformed by Christ, and his disciples wrote those reforms down in the New Testament. Christianity didn't exist until later - when the majority of Jews rejected the "reforms" that Jesus laid down, and stuck with their old beliefs instead. That is the point at which Christianity diverged from Judaism. Jesus and all of his early followers were practicing Jews and never considered themselves to be anything but that.

I also agree with you that every individual is different which is why I say we must not over generalize about people.

I try not to. But I've become quite sensitive about Muslims over-playing similarities between Christianity and Islam. That seems like a type of religious bigotry in and of itself, to me. Especially when somebody liek Ahmadinejad says on television that he knows Jesus better than Christians do. How much more repugnant could he be?

From your last statement I can see that you are unwilling to look at
the similarities between Christianity and Islam. You prefer to focus on
the differences instead.

I wouldn't really put it that way. I refuse to look at similarities because as far as I'm concerned, there are none. There isn't a core principal of Christianity that Muslim belive in. Not a single one. So what matter if there are similaritieson minor details?

I have studied Islam a little, with a Muslim frind of mine. I've read a substantial part of the Quran. That pretty much stopped when I found that my friend and I weer getting in some pretty heated exchanges. It's really not worth it. I think if any Christian and any Muslim can engage in "interfaith dialogue" and talk about teh nuts and bolts of their belifs and NOT get into serious trouble with each-other, they must not be believers. There are things in the Quran taht would have made Jesus' skin crawl, and I have trouble believing think they revere Jesus and his teachings, unless Muslims have their own version of Jesus who taught something quite different from what Christ taught.

Well, this is a free country and it is your right to believe as you will. I wish you the best on your journey

Same to you :)

Islam and Christianity .........

can trace its roots back to Judaism. Now, I did not say it was exactly like it. It is obvious that there are differences.

 By the way the Ten Commandments, Psalms, Proverbs, and the foretelling of the coming of Jesus is in the Old Testament, so you cannot just disregard the Old Testament. It is why, I say that you need to take the Holy Bible as a whole.

The Old Testament is the foundation of the New Testament. Even Jesus mentioned things that occurred in the Old Testament.

 Well, at least you do agree that Christianity was reformed by Christ in the New Testament. :o)

I also agree with you that every individual is different which is why I say we must not over generalize about people.

From your last statement I can see that you are unwilling to look at the similarities between Christianity and Islam. You prefer to focus on the differences instead.

Well, this is a free country and it is your right to believe as you will. I wish you the best on your journey.

Solh va Doosti (paz a vosotros)

Nadia

To: Nadia

When taking into account the Holy Bible you must take all of it into
account.You will notice that in the Old Testament there was a great
deal of killing in the name of God.

The Old Testament is the religion of Judaism. It is not Christianity. Christianity is in the New Testament, and the New Testament alone.

It was later reformed or modernized
in the New Testament.

By Christ. Which is what makes the New Testament, the only part of the Bible that can be said to be "Christian".

You cannot over generalize about ethnic groups or religions. It is important to maintain a level of objectvity.

Well, I wasn't talking about ethnicity. My ancestors were still pagans 700 years after Christ was crucified. My ancesttors were still Pagans when Mohammed walked the earth, for that matter.

I have friends from many different ethnic groups and religions. I respect their religious/nonreligious and political views.

I don't automatically "respect" anyone's religious or political points of view. To me, it depends how well thought out their ideas are and how rational. Every individual is different. I know many Christians whose ideas about God and about Religion are entirely unworthy of respect. Christians who quote verse from the Old Testament are in that category for me, because they invariably end up quoting the most intolerant and most narrow minded passages in order to condemn people they disapprove of. Is that a Christian I should respect? As a Christian, I think not. That isn't what Jesus taught.

As for my comments about this post, I stand by them. I resent the author comparing Islam to Christianity and suggesting Islam can be reformed along teh same lines. Islam isn't like Christianity. Not even a little bit.

Are you sure you are not larijani?

The photo looks as you are.

Re: Sadri

Ostad Sadri asks: "... what makes you believe that the traditional Islam cannot follow the path of its two other historical and doctrinal neighbors -- Judaism and Christianity - into modernity, tolerance and respect for human and civic rights?..."

"Tratitional" Islam, as you used in your sentence, cannot follow the path of modernity. Neither could "traditional" christianity. Sticking to 1400 years old, or 2000 years old commands does not take anyone to "modernity".

"Traditional" Islam needs to be reformed. However, unlike in christianity and judaism, Islam itself had shut closed its door to reform, permanently. The verses in Koran are clear that the rules and laws that Allah commands to moslems through Koran must be obeyed for all times: 1. without question, 2. without modification, 3. without interpretation. Additionally, Koran does not allow ANYONE, but Allah himself to modify these laws. This is not so in christianity nor judism, nor in most other religions.

Mohamad was probably not thinking that one day, this would become the nail in Islam's coffin.

One more note: the prophets of christianity and judaism, jesus and moses, did not have sex with a nine years old child, did not kill others with their own bare hands, did not command the amputations of score of people, did not enslave married women from defeated tribes as "war-prize" (kaniz) and have sex with them too, did not raid commercial caravanes, the list goes on.

Mohamad did all of the above. Again either Mohamad was not thinking, or else his lust for sex and also for killing in the name of Allah could not be contained.

Islam cannot be reformed nor modernized unless you disobey the direct commands of Allah in Koran. But if you do disobey, then according to Koran, you are not a moslem anymore, you are a "morted". What's worst is that then those who are still sticking to "traditional" Islam are obligated to "terminate" you, again accorrding to commands of Allah in Koran.

Islam has problems.

In Iran, the majority of the next few generations will be in a state of denial. But this will gradually change and people will eventually find a better religion. The proof is right in Iran today, as many in Iran are currently turning away from Islam at an unprecedented rate.

emperor has no cloths

you are funny man, you made me laugh this time...

religion is a relative truth, God is the absolute

religious truth is relative, those who try to make
the relative truth absolute, specially when it has run its course end up forcing and enforcing their ideas down peoples throat at any price, not knowing the course toward deterioration will not change it will only be fastened. In this senario only 2 kinds of people exist, the oppressors, and the oppressed.

Bad designed for a purpose

A fundamental disaster occured in the pre-material phase of Existence. This 'unexpected' tragedy i.e. the emergence of Evil is the source for all evils in actual reality including the present state of religions.

Religions are 2 sided coins, they have both good and bad aspects, they have rendered services to mankind and at the same time they have been the sources of extremism, biases and wars.

Religions like 'any other' ideas emanate from and by Existence itself under its New Program. the distortions of truth are 'deliberate' and purposefully designed by Existence in order to realize and unfold its Program. None of the religions reflect the truth of Being as it is, they are all purposefully distorted by Unlimited Existence itself.

Perceptions....

If people are to change their perceptions on a certain religion or ethnic group then those discriminating are the ones that need to change their erroneous perception.  They need to stop over generalizing.

For example, Middle Eastern people are discriminated against. Anonymous576 are you also going to hold  all Middle Eastern people responsible for the world's perception of them. If you are Middle Eastern then you are holding yourself accountable.

Your logic does not make sense.

Solh va Doosti (paz a vosotros)

Nadia

Some atheists are closer to

Some atheists are closer to God than they can imagine .And some religious people are so far away from God .
As an agnostic, I feel rejecting everyone's mythology across the board is valid. It isn't so much that Islam has been demonized for being a religion, but by other theists who demonize it for being the WRONG religion, as do many Muslims towards other religions or non-religions. In fact, isn't an infidel an atheist almost by definition because following the wrong god is following no god...(rhetorical question)

Muslims have been the

Muslims have been the largest contributors in the "dehumanization" of Muslim. They sit on there hands, and stick their heads into the sand. If they want the rest of the world to change our perception, it is up to muslims to do so.

Lingering absurdity of religins....

I don't give a rats ass who is Hirsi Ali!
She has alterior motives attacking Islam.

We have to approach issue of religion with open minds folks. Do you really believe in all that nonsesne that they say? Virgin birth? Miracles?
Hell and Heaven? These are childish simplistic and in some part outright absurd concepts that you would not even consider if you were told when you were adults! When you were kids with no discretion these kind of nonsesne were sold to you by your parenst that themselves aquired them through their ignorant parents and so on.

YOU don't really need that kind of nonsesne to be a good human! Look at our author here. A respected university professor that despite his just opposition to Hirsi Ali, himself is still trapped in the nonsesne of his childhood. People think about it. do you really believe all that nonsense?

I know you are saying if it was nonsense how come billions of people believe in it? But think about it. It's like live by sord and die by sord. Numbers don't matter. Every religion has billions of followers and all rejecting other religions. What does it tell you. All of them are absurd except may be one! Bad news is that one is also absurd. Humanity has to grow up. If our professor is so misguided and trapped in childhood misgivings what should we expect of others?!!!

Damet garm, baba. I'm with

Damet garm, baba. I'm with you.
For example, look at this rediculous conference:
www.hereticmuslims.com
and this 2002 report about Christian missionary deceipt in Muslim countries:
www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2002/05/stealth.h... .

For an example of how false anti-Islamic propaganda advances because it overlooks history, see
www.payvand.com/news/06/feb/1121.html .

what really has given

what really has given religions bad names are the cults that have been developed after the prophets have ascended. Look how many cults we have after Moses, Jesus and Mohammed. We even have people like Bahaiis claiming they have a true religion in this century.

Wholesale Comparison!

"Ms. Ali, what makes you believe that the traditional Islam cannot follow the path of its two other historical and doctrinal neighbors -- Judaism and Christianity - into modernity, tolerance and respect for human and civic rights?..."

Dear author, if it takes every religion 1800-2000 years to develop into modernity and civility...etc, why would you stick with Islam which has yet got 400-600 years to go to catch up with human rights? why not give it up now? We are no longer living in isolated villages with few literate people to tell us what's in the scriptures, what to do and what not to...etc. Read all of them and if they do not support human rights and dignity then pull the plug. you do have choice. If like many people you think giving up your religion is equivalent to giving up your belief in god, then you need to know that human beings believed in god long before these religions came to existence. religion didn't bring god into their lives. in fact the urge to connect to our source of being comes from within and not from outside through religions. One more thing, no one should allow themselves to comment about a religion or compare them, or accept or reject them unless they know exactly what they are and unless they have read those scriptures cover-to-cover. Otherwise it's better to be quiet than uttering judgments and comparisons with partial knowledge about them.

I got news for followers of any religion

People are generally ignorant. Religions are stupid, not Islam! Only idiots don't get this simple sentence.
like some stupid Jew or Christian talks about Islam being bad, I got news for them, all religions including yours is shit. WAKEUP morons

Religions have ran their course!

Religions belong to infancy of human culture and
belong to libraries and history book shelves.

Islam has been unjustly singled out and is being criticized for being violent. Indeed old testament is much more violent and "Yahva" the god of old testament is a SOB!

People have to wake up. Throw away what your ignorant parnets told you and move on.

Islam need at least another 600 more years to reach to civility

I admire Ms. Ali's courage for what she is standing for (right or wrong; that's another subject matter)but she is not the right person to ask your proposed question. You may want to ask that from fundamentalists like Ahmadi-Nejad, Khameneei or even Pakistanis living in London.

You did hit the nail on the head!

What you are saying about the literal interperatation of religious scripture is absolutly correct.Great observation!

Shia Islam is considered by

Shia Islam is considered by many muslims sects/group as heretic and the clergies are called Kaffar (Infidels). Shia Islam also is the most fatalistic and hence the potential for uncontrolled violence in the name of God.

Programmer craig.........when

taking into account the Holy Bible you must take all of it into account. You will notice that in the Old Testament there was a great deal of killing in the name of God. It was later reformed or modernized in the New Testament.

You cannot over generalize about ethnic groups or religions. It is important to maintain a level of  objectvity.

 I have friends from many different ethnic groups and religions. I respect their religious/nonreligious and political views.

Solh va Doosti (paz a vosotros)

Nadia

Dr.Sadri, Isn't it pathetic

Dr.Sadri,

Isn't it pathetic when Muslims have to tell westerners that they need to look beyond their own bigotry,that honor killing does not equal islam?

She's after all a woman who supported the war in Iraq and now wanting to attack Iran.She will be loved by the westerners.

Mahmoud Sadri

Ms. Ali, what makes you believe that the traditional Islam cannot
follow the path of its two other historical and doctrinal neighbors --
Judaism and Christianity - into modernity, tolerance and respect for
human and civic rights?

What makes you think Islam is in any way related to Christianity? There is nothing in the New Testament that advocates violence. Nothing. Whereas, in teh QUran, it is hardly possible to read a verse without reading about a violent rememdy for one trnsgression or another. You mkae a mistake bringing Christianity into your debate with yourself. You won't fix your religion by copying what other religions have done. Your religion isn't like other religions.

Mr. Sadri: Don't ruffle your

Mr. Sadri: Don't ruffle your feathers about your looks. Take comfort in the fact that Jesus Christ looking like a Middle Easterners would have been fisked at the airports too.

Islam is in definite need of reform; fundamentalism is doomed.

The literal word of Allah

As you must know our unanswered question has a very simple answer. The other two religions, Judaism and Christianity, the main sources of Islam, do not represent themselves as to be the literal word of God. The word of Islamic Allah is not like that of God or Yahweh and can not be modified and that is what makes it an exception to the rule of all other religions. Even your Soroush with all his double talks and Molana outings has not been able to overcome this main obstacle. The recent news/rumor that Soroush has said Koran was the words of Prophet Mohammad and not the words of Allah was quickly dismissed by him.

Americans Want to be Entertained and Not Educated

Just look at Oscars and which film won the best animation category. An orginal piece like Persepolis loses to an American made animation about some mouse. Do you really think Americans like to learn? Ignorace is a bliss.

The speaker was real smart and fed the audience what they wanted to hear. Everyone wants to reaffirm their beliefs when attending such lectures and the speaker did just that.