Blackareonaut:
On the charities front I'd suggest also watching where and from who they get money from particularly when it's coming from outside the U.S. some of the sources of funding for some of the charities can be a nasty surprise. In fact one issue with Islam is there is no institutional system in place to prevent the nutcases from becoming clerics (Mullah/Imam). Any Muslim can become a cleric if they study to do so and are then recognized by another cleric as being one. I agree with you that in most western countries an islamic takeover is unlikely and nor are most western Muslims likely to wish to institutionalize Sharia (the same can't be said for some of their clerics). But the situation in many Islamic countries isn't to reassuring where there has been a trend for Islamic parties taking over and wholesale forcing a dominant role for Sharia law at the expense of secular law.
One nasty aspect of Sharia is its in built biases against women and those of other faiths most of whom to me look as pretty much well set up to drive those of other faiths in a Islamic country to convert. See how the testimony of Muslim versus that of a Christian are weighted in a court case there is a specific mathematical formula for that purpose. I'd suggest doing some checking for yourself on the translated versions of the Koran yes some of the fundamentals are very similar to those in the old testament but when you get down to the nuts and bolts the differences can be pretty jarring particularly in how the Koran treats those of other faiths as well as the punishments prescribed for certain crimes. As well as the differences between how certain crimes are punished if offender is a female and or if a male. Also look at what the age of consent in Islamic law is...
--Werehawk--
My mom's brief take on upcoming Guatemalan Elections "In last throes of preelection activities. Much loudspeaker vote pleading."
On the charities front I'd suggest also watching where and from who they get money from particularly when it's coming from outside the U.S. some of the sources of funding for some of the charities can be a nasty surprise. In fact one issue with Islam is there is no institutional system in place to prevent the nutcases from becoming clerics (Mullah/Imam). Any Muslim can become a cleric if they study to do so and are then recognized by another cleric as being one. I agree with you that in most western countries an islamic takeover is unlikely and nor are most western Muslims likely to wish to institutionalize Sharia (the same can't be said for some of their clerics). But the situation in many Islamic countries isn't to reassuring where there has been a trend for Islamic parties taking over and wholesale forcing a dominant role for Sharia law at the expense of secular law.
One nasty aspect of Sharia is its in built biases against women and those of other faiths most of whom to me look as pretty much well set up to drive those of other faiths in a Islamic country to convert. See how the testimony of Muslim versus that of a Christian are weighted in a court case there is a specific mathematical formula for that purpose. I'd suggest doing some checking for yourself on the translated versions of the Koran yes some of the fundamentals are very similar to those in the old testament but when you get down to the nuts and bolts the differences can be pretty jarring particularly in how the Koran treats those of other faiths as well as the punishments prescribed for certain crimes. As well as the differences between how certain crimes are punished if offender is a female and or if a male. Also look at what the age of consent in Islamic law is...
--Werehawk--
My mom's brief take on upcoming Guatemalan Elections "In last throes of preelection activities. Much loudspeaker vote pleading."