Censored

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I would advise that comments from the likes of John Kactuz are suppressed here

And so on... Well, so much for dialogue. At least I tried. The problem is that Muslims don't want dialogue. They want people to say only what they want to hear. It seems that "freedom of speech" is going the way of the dinosaurs, rapidly.
This is about some of my experiences with Muslim censorship - or just plain censorship. I cannot even begin to count the number of times my remarks about Islam have been censored and/or deleted. I am guessing it probably runs in the dozens of dozens bracket as of today.
Islam has the rather dubious distinction of being the only ideology on this planet (or in the universe) where, if you post comments quoting Islam's own sacred writings, and provide direct links to the text on Islamic sites, you can be accused by Muslims of hate speech and have your comments deleted. It boggles the mind!

Here are a few screen images informing me that I am persona non grata. Some times I feel really unappreciated. A few months ago I decided to write this page, so I started making copies of screens that show these cases of censorship. For the most part I don't keep copies of my posts to blogs or forums. Based upon my experience, I have a feeling for what type of comments will be accepted and which will be deleted. It isn't a matter of hate or harshness. There seem to be two types of postings that are prime candidates for being sent to "comment heaven". These are: 1. comments that say unkind things about Islam's great prophet; and 2. comments that give references and links to specific details in the Quran and ahadith that Muslims would prefer not to think about. Of course, when these two overlap doom is certain.
My language is not offensive - much to the contrary. I try to be clear and to explain my understanding of the issues. I do make it clear I don't like Islam and I explain why. I try to be honest and straightforward. I never attack individual Muslims but I do let them know I believe they are wrong and I try to cite specific information in Islamic texts to back this up. Yes, I generalize too much. Yes I stereotype, but we all do. Yes I am sure I hurt peoples feelings, but that must be weighted against the evil of not speaking out agaisnt hate, violence and discrimination. If something is stated in a book, and you refer to the content of that statement, and a person does not like what is being stated, it is not me to blame. I didn't write the Quran and ahadith. I am old, but not that old.

The possible reason so being censored
so often is that when I make a statement
about Islam, or Islam's dear prophet,
I try to include a quote, reference or
a link to the original Islamic text.

I often see other remarks on some websites that are more offensive than mine (in my opinion), but haven't been deleted. What I think is the most frequent reason for being censored by Muslims is that, when I make a statement about Islam, or Islam's dear prophet, I try to always include a quote or a direct link to the original Islamic text on an Islamic site. That, I believe, is my sin, at least in the eyes of these people who feel the need to supress my freedom of speech.

What I sometimes do after submitting a comment is save the Internet URL in My Favorites folder called "posts", and then I go back later and check to see how my comments were received - or if they are still alive and well. Here is a screenshot showing a few of the many posts I have made to Muslim sites and blogs. Just by looking at the list I can say that many comments have been deleted, so that Muslims can sleep easier. I would hate to keep Muslims up at night thinking about the things they would prefer to ignore. This page on Internet censorship is by no means a complete record of how Muslims handle criticism of Islam on their websites. It just scratches the surface. It is just a few cases to illustrate the problem.
I would like also to say something very important. There are Muslims blogs, or blogs by Muslims, that do not delete my comments. Not many, but they exist. In my book, any Muslim that does not censor or delete coments critical of Islam and it's prophet is a good blog by a good Muslim. These people deserve our respect. No, they deserve admiration, especially if they live in Muslim societies. I can easily think of a dozen or more, but will not list them so to not cause additional problems for them.
Muslims are quick to criticize Western Europe and the US on any issue relating to discrimination, but never mention the horrors inflicted by Islam in every one of the 40 to 50 countries where they dominate. I have been to many debates here in the US and the Muslim response is so pathetic. All I hear is 'there shall be no compulsion in religion' and, of course, everything else is 'out of context.' Maybe the problem is less a matter of Western attitudes then Islamic actions. Do not Muslims have any decency? Are Muslims not to be held accountable for the oppression and persecution of Christians, Hindus, Buddists, Bahai, jews, women, gays, etc? Why is Islamic hate and persecution of others acceptable? Why should anyone trust a Muslim? American and European Muslims don't want to even talk about this shameful situation. Ignoring this tragic reality is not only an injustice to those persecuted for their faith, it is even a disservice to Muslims themselves. The right to openly worship God in the form and manner one chooses, or even not to worship a deity, is fundamental to freedom, and cannot be separated from freedom of speech, the right to fair elections or even economic progress. Until Muslims change their actions toward others, one can only conclude that Islam is an intolerant, oppressive religion, and Muslims are hypocrites, reserving for themselves what they deny to others and reaping the bitter fruits of their own bigotry.

Why do I bother? Muslims don't really want to think about certain issues. Here is a screen shot of part of a comment I left on Izzy Mo's blog (izzymo.wordpress.com) on the topic "Why do they hate us". I asked why don't Muslims consider the fact they they kill and preach hate when they ask that kind of question.

My comments never appeared. They were moderated into oblivion. Censored again. Curses!

It is not just the Muslims

More troubling, however, than Muslims deleting my remarks, is the mainstream media, academic institutiins and government entities that also censor speech, under the guise of not wanting to offend any group - which, of course, really means Muslims - in most cases, or at least, in my case.

If a Muslim deletes my remarks,
that is his or her right.
It is their site or blog and
they have a right to accept or
reject comments from visitors.

Actually, if a Muslim deletes my remarks, that is his or her right. I think it is cowardly and counter-productive to ignore these issues, but it is their site or blog and they have a right to accept or reject comments. I can almost understand them not tolerating a bore like me. What I cannot accept is that public and media websites should censor people -- including myself -- for petty reasons. When schools, government institutions and the mainstream media censor speech because it might offend people, or a certain group of people, then society is in real trouble and our basic freedoms are being sacrificed on the alter of political correctness.
For example: this is an email I received from a well-known site about an answer I had posted in the 'Questions' section.

From: Yahoo!7 Answers
To: kactuzkid
Subject: Violation Notice Email
Sent: Sunday, December 3, 2006 4:15 PM Hello kactuzkid (kactuzkid)
You have posted content to Yahoo!7 Answers in violation of our Community Guidelines. As a result, your content has been deleted.

I guess somebody hit the 'Report offensive comment' button. I decided to reply, asking them to reconsider.

You are wrong, very wrong.
A question was asked, I answered it. I quoted original source documents; I gave references; I provided links; I referred to current events. The quotations, references, links and facts are accurate and correct. Is being honest and factual contrary to Yahoo's policy? Yahoo Answers does not want answers, but propaganda and sugar-coated distortions.
I am sorry that Yahoo chooses to exercise censorship and abridge freedom of speech, but I am not surprised. This is typical of the lack of honesty and moral conviction in the media, our schools and government. By deleting my arguments relative to the very real issue of Islam and violence, Yahoo is certainly contributing to the suffering caused by an oppressive and violent ideology. Yahoo is providing support for hate, intolerance and carnage by suppressing voices that speak out against those evils. Yahoo is making it easy for people to ignore truth, to not consider the nature of the problem and to not be held accountability for their actions and ideology.
Would not the correct position be to let those who disagree with my comments and facts provide proper arguments and evidence to support their views, and/or demonstrate the errors in my sources and reasoning?
Please reconsider your actions.
Thank you for your kind attention.
John

This was the text I posted to Yahoo. They have a separate box for sources, so I also added a few.

Question: If Islam is a hatred religion and supports violence?
Answer: Muslims are killing people very well, thank you. In fact they are killing more of each other than infidels. Look at the sad state of Islamic societies. Look at the discrimination and abuse in all Islamic countries. No wonder they want out. But Muslims come to the West and they bring their hate with them.
The violence and hate in Islam comes directly from the Quran and hadiths. May I quote from the Quran: "So, fight them till all opposition ends and the only religion is Islam" (8:39) and "Muhammad is the apostle of Allah. Those who follow him are merciful to one another, but ruthless to unbelievers" (48:29). The truth is, however, that you can find anything you want in the Quran - love, hate, peace, war, be nice, kill - it is a confused mess.
In my opinion the problem with Islam rests mainly with its dear prophet. According to Islam's own writings, this man murdered, tortured, enslaved, plundered, slandered women and even beat his own 9 year old wife (unless the words 'he hit me and caused pain" mean something else.). Yet Muslims write and say "PBUH - Praise be unto him" after his name. That should tell you all you need to know about Islam and Muslims. Oh yes, here is a quote from the hadiths: Ibn 'Aun reported: ...The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) made a raid upon Banu Mustaliq while they were unaware and their cattle were having a drink at the water. He killed those who fought and imprisoned others. On that very day, he captured Juwairiya bint al-Harith. Muslim Book 019, Number 4292 - also in Bukhari). http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/019.smt.html#019.4321
So Mohammed attacked a village by surprise, murdered the people, stole their cattle and took their women as slaves. If you continue reading the linked text, the men ask their prophet about something called "coitus Interruptus" with the captured women. Maybe they were taking latin classes.
John

Sources:
Wife beating: http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/004.smt.html#004.2127
Torture: (see verse 261) http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/052.sbt.html
Rape: Quote: "And all married women are forbidden unto you save those captives whom your right hand possess (your slaves). It is a decree of Allah for you." (Quran, 4:24) Can anybody justify this?
Disrespect for women: Bukhari Volume 1, Book 6, Number 301. http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/006.sbt.html#001.006.301 and many others....

Here is another example. In its On Faith online site, Newsweek magazine calls for dialogue and requests that viewers submit questions. I did. My question -- about the hate and violence in Islam, with references -- is deleted. So much for dialogue, or as it says on Newsweek site "making your voices heard by posting questions and comments." In the thumbnail there is a screen shot from this page, in which another person also complains that his posts were deleted. He says "Meacham and Quinn (the editors of On Faith), you have done more harm than good. Your editing shows a lack of regard for your readers". Not to mention that it shows how dishonest they are. They should have added a notice stating that only comments we like and that are Politically Correct are welcome. It is not just Muslim deleting comments, but also the Main Stream Media. You cannot criticise Islam!

Why do I speak out?

Actually, looking back, it was 3 or 4 small things that caused me become interested in Islam and its relationship to the rest of humanity. These things were by themselves quite insignificant, but as each occured it added to a growing conviction that this ideology was harmful. Here are four incidents that in my life that convinced me that I must speak out.

A talk with a Coptic monk from Egypt, back in the 1990s. He told me that "People in the West have no idea how it is to live under Islam".
Being censored on the BBC site. I have no idea what I wrote because I did not save it. I did save the email I got the next day, as follows

Dear Contributor, Thank you for posting a message to a BBC Message Board. We very much appreciate your interest in the message board, but are sorry to have to tell you that your message has had to be removed. Sorry but we feel that parts of this message will be offensive to Muslims. The specific religion boards are really for discussion about those religions and not comdemnation of them - perhaps you might like to take this point to the Religion and Ethics General board. Again, thank you for your time and interest. We hope we will hear from you again very soon. Best wishes, BBC Message Board Moderator.

My comment on the PBS about the program "Mohammad, Legacy of the prophet" was deleted. Now this is the USA and PBS receives public funding. It seems that many comments critical of the program were deleted.
I received threats. First it was the "we are going to get you" type and then it became "We are going to find out where you live". At that point, Islam has made an enemy.

No excuses, please. Anybody, anything, any ideology or religion that threatens people, even old men, is pathetic sh*t and deserves nothing but contempt. There is no nice way to say that. Yet this type of threat is common when it comes to Islam. It is basically standard procedure for those who speak out against this religion. In fact, you don't even have to say bad things to be targeted for abuse. All you have to do is point out to Muslims what their own sacred writings say. This, to many Muslims, is disrespect and hate. Go figure. So, instead of analysing these things, or debating the issues, they want you to shut up so they don't have to listen to things that are inconvenient and might cause them mental anguish if they were to be considered seriously.

Censored by Muslims wanting dialogue

This is another example of how difficult it is to talk to our Muslims friends about certain aspects of their faith. Here is a link to the page an the "Alternative Entertainment" blog that I posted a comment on

and here is a link to the original html code for that page, which I saved

Here is the context of this page. The blogger is worried about how the general public will react to the continued abuse and terror by the Muslim minority in its midst. He says:

The mind would boggle except that we know that there are Muslims in our communities who have become absolutely oblivious to common sense, religious guidance, and divine warning. What else can we possibly do with them? These brothers and sisters, indeed fellow citizens in the main, have lost total control of their senses and religious priorities and seem intent�no, in fact they are intent on absolutely obliterating the Muslim community here in the UK, and no doubt �the West.�
This has clearly gone beyond the madness of the Conspiracy theorists (of the other group of mad-cap Muslims we �enjoy� in our community) dedicated to blaming everything on someone else. This is serious. The Community is in serious danger now from these terrorist lunatics and just how long will the Muslims expect the patience of our fellow non-Muslim citizens to hold? If you don�t like that statement, then you put yourself in the position of a nation that has another religious minority group that it is protecting whilst they launch all sorts of terror attacks on the sovereign state - how long would you hold back for, fearing for the safety of your family? How would you expect the intelligence and security services to respond?

It is a good post and a worthy problem to consider. The first comment is excellent.

It�s a total disaster what has happened. You�re piece AE is spot on. On the radio, a person was asking where the muslim community leaders are condeming these actions. While we may feel that we do not need to keep apologising for the actions of a few lunatics who claim to be muslim, the fact is that �the british public� want to hear our leaders speaking out against these horrific actions. We really need our leaders to take a lead, get on TV and radio and really disassociate our deen from what these people are trying to do to it. The consequence of a failure to �engage� does not bear thinking about. May Allah SWT protect us.

Comment #6 is great. It says:

A Muslim says that Muslims need
to 'engage' Non-Muslims and talk
about the issues. Well, it was a
wonderful idea - except that my
comment was deleted.
So much for engagement

I completely agree with you. Why wait for leaders to speak out when we know from experience that whenever anything happens, any leader that has a clue won�t speak out and condemn these atrocities and any leader who is clueless they will have on in a second waffling on about some rubbish that doesn�t do Islam or any Muslim any favour!
You are right, WE need to engage with the non Muslim on a regular basis. People need to get a positive image and the best way to fight off the negativity is to be the best in manners according to the Qur�an and Sunnah.

So they need to engage us non-Muslims. At last, a rational dialogue. Good, let's talk.

Somewhere about here here I post a comment. It was deleted, but only after a few others had read it and reacted to my statements. I really don't know what I wrote, because I didn't save a copy of my post. So much for 'engaging' those darn infidels.

Anyway, here is what Comment # 11 says about me.

Ps Old Man Kactuz - I am not sure where to start with you - perhaps try reading literature on Islam that is written by Muslims and not by orientalists. Other than that - just keep taking the tablets�.

Comment #15, by ANONYMOUS, says:

AE,can u respond to what john kactuz is sayin, and ENGAGE with him please

Comment #19 gives me some advice

for J. Kactuz Says:
Kactuz please sit down and contemplate what your ultimately trying to achieve (with these comments)? Is your ultimate goal worth spending your life on?
Use your time wisely to search for the truth with an open mind, for the open mind opens the heart, and the heart is the best recepient for guidance.
Know your creator and what is beloved to him�

Khalidsays in Comment #21:

JOHN KACTUZ,
I�m going to be very basic about this:
Go to the �source� for information. Buy a Qur�an in English from a MUSLIM Bookshop. And buy authentic Hadith i.e. �Sahih Bukhari� from a MUSLIM bookshop. READ THE ACTUAL MATERIAL THAT WE READ IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND US and thereafter ask us questions do not conclude.
Our religion does not sanction such actions that we see on the news, or the ones that you claim. The World is a complex political arena and people take �individual� actions on their own accord; and these are not sanctioned by our religion at all. After all there are over 1 billion Muslims, so why isn�t everyone doing it.
ALSO:
-How can you accept the misguided actions of the few to be representative of over a billion people?
-Why do you want to believe people that set themselves on fire?
-Why don�t you want to believe the MAJORITY of Muslims that live ordinary peaceful lives who will tell you that such actions are completely wrong and against the principles of Islam?
I think you need to reflect on your inner-self a little.
I think you have taken a leap out of your own common sense. I�m sure that if you read the TRUE LITERATURE and converse with mainstream Muslims, all of your comments and the ones that you�ve read from orientalists will prove to be unfounded.
Do not read the works of orientalists; because their objective is to re-write Islam in order to strengthen Secular ideals. They do this to alot of religions.
Our Prophet (May Peace and Blessings be Upon Him - PBUH) did NOT commit any brutality or torture, nor did His Companions, nor did the Pious Saints after them. In fact The Prophet (PBUH) was forgiving and just, to the actual surprise of the non-Muslims, who began to flock to Islam upon observing this. You need to read authentic books.
Do not approach a subject with one viewpoint or a narrow perception from what you�ve read� I expect �plebs� to do that. And please do not take any Verse from the Qur�an out of context, read the entire Chapter and Part in which the Verse exists.
I could write forever about this, but I�m getting tired of correcting people with unfounded views�
I�m sure you would take offence to anyone reading your literature then taking bits out of context to suit their bias and/or prejudice.
Open your mind�.

In comment #24 Hussam doesn't specifically address me, but he may have me in mind.

Very naive of you all, Westernized Muslims, to believe the media of the kuffar with every bit of news they throw at you!!!
Allah commands you to verify any news brought to you by a FASIQ MUSLIM, but you chose the other way around, to believe original kafirs� news and do so without even verifying (or having the means to do that):
{O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient [Arabic: fasiq] one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful} (49:6).
All those of you who pick up the news blindly and spread it around as facts..are naive, idiots, and extremely gullible!
And just like you accuse these jihadists of ignorance about Islam, you are also ignorants about the enemies of Islam, and it is through the ranks of your likes that Islam was corrupted throughout the centuries, in thought and practice, until we reach the low pit we�re in now. Both you and the jihadists are defaming and corrupting Islam!

Muslimah says the following in Comment #29

for JOHN KACTUZ
you are precisely the reason why we need to engage.
you obviously have a very one sided view of Islam and many misconceptions.
I do not know for what reasons you feel like this or why but it is our failure to have not rid these misinterpretations for the very reason I stated before which is we need to converse, we need to sit together so that people can gain a true understanding of Islam.
I do not have to repeat what brother Khalid has pointed out but would like to add that please do read a good translation of the Qur�an with an open heart and mind.

Now Comment #30, about my dead brain

Please don�t anybody try to discuss matters with �John Kactuz�. Just a couple of sentences in and he�s attacking the Prophet, sall� Allahu �alaihi wa sallam. What does that say about his mentality?
He is brain dead. Ignore his garbage. I always delete his comments without letting them appear on my blog, and I suggest that other bloggers (are you reading this, Abu Eesa?) do the same.

And so on... You will notice they don't see the problem as pertaining to Islam. Non-Muslims must seek other answers. Non-Muslims must reconsider. Non-Muslims must open their hearts and minds. This is what I have to say about this case
Let me make two important points:
1. When Muslims hear things they do not like, most often they say you are full of hate or you are ignorant and need to listen to what Muslims say about Islam. Actually I agree with this statement. Non-Muslims should listen what Muslims say about their religion. Period. They should also listen to what critics of Islam say. They compare and analyze both sides of the story and most of all they should go read the Quran, the hadiths and the original sources including the early biographies of Islam's prophet. Another thing that should also be considered is the state of Islamic societies. A person wanting to know about Islam should look at how Muslims treat non-Muslims in those countries where they dominate. I think this is a very fair way to evaluate an ideology or religion. Does anybody have a problem with this?

The problem is that Muslims don't want to
hear what others say about Islam - unless,
of course, they say the sweet things that
Muslims want to hear. Anything problematic
about Islam is ignored, called 'ignorance'
or denounced as 'hate speech'.
This is why things never change.

As to the accusation aboutbeing brain-washed, the fact is that I almost never visit anti-Muslim websites. I only listen to Muslims - their sites are so much more educational and entertaining. The problem is that Muslims don't want to hear what others say about Islam - unless, of course, they say the sweet, nice things that Muslims want to hear. Anything that relates to difficult issues in Islam is ignored or denounced as 'hate'.

2. If I am deleted or banned on a forum or blog, I do not reply. I do not use another name or login, or change my IP to fool them and go then go back to continue the discussion. That would be dishonest. If they don't want dialogue, so be it. If they don't want to discuss facts and issues, so be it. This bothers me, to a certain degree, because I cannot respond and/or correct commentary that needs to be challenged.The owner of the site knows that I have been deleted or banned, but the other posters are not aware of this. That bothers me, a little. Oh well.

Hard things, or Apologetics . Here is a link to a page that talks about the diffcult issues that are often (almost always) ignored by Muslims. It is about the things that make Muslims delete your coments and say you are ignorant. It is about what they call "islamophobia". It is about Islamic apologetics, or in other words, how Muslims explain and justify the hard things, ie. the difficult questions about the hate and violence in the Quran and the many evil actions of its prophet recorded in Islam's early writings. Note: of course, the word 'evil' only applies if you consider attacks on villages and caravans, killing, plunder, torture, rape, oppression and beating women to be wrong.

The Two Things most likely to cause a Comment to be Censored

There are two things that most often cause a posting to be deleted or censored:
1. The first and most obvious is to be critical of Mohammad and Islam. Note the order, it is important. From my experience I have noticed that Muslim will be more accepting of criticism of Islam and of its prophet. Of course, regarding the later , Muslim can always say that the problem isn't Islam, but Muslims, which is true to a certain extent. When criticizing Mohammad, there can only be two reactions from Muslims - either the criticism is true and can be sustained by evidence, or it is a lie and the accusation cannot be proven. Rather than deal with this, Muslims will delete the comment - especially when it has references and links to materials in the traditions and biographies that substantiate the accusation. In other words, of all the comments and posts that have been censored, the ones most likely to be deleted (or as often said, moderated) are those informing Muslim about the vile things their prophet did, with clickable links to Islamic texts.

2. The second most frequent cause of a posting being deleted is to call attention to how Muslims treat other minorities. Muslims don't want to talk about what they do. They want us only to focus on how intolerant others are of them and their religion. Remember that to condemn actions of terror and to link them to Islam, even when the terrorists boldly proclaim they are acting in the name of Islam, is considered unfair by Muslims. Muslims insist that we accept the idea that terror by Muslims in the name of Islam has nothing to do with Islam - and that these terrorists are just practicing a perverted form of Islam. If you ask about the way that Muslim treat other religions where they dominate, they are offended. They don't really care about non-Muslims because infidels are really people, I guess.

Here is an example:
I posted the following comment to the IndianMuslims.in blog on an article complaining about how Muslims in India are treated.

It is always interesting to see Muslims complaining about the way they are treated where they are a minority.
Yes, Indian Muslims have suffered, yes, they have been discriminated against. But this is nothing compared to what Muslim do to others where they dominate. I have nothing but comtempt for Islam. If you care to read the writings of Islam (quran and hadith) you will see that they are full of hate and violence against non-Muslims.
Muslims bomb trains, attack governments, plot murders and then complain that they are victims. Muslims get special laws and then complain they are discriminated against.
Look at Pakistan. Look at what your dear religion did to that country. Indian Muslims should thank their hindu neigbors for their tolerance (such as it is) and be glad they live in a secular state, not an Islamic paradise like the one set up next door.
Regarding the "provocative material" mentioned.... yes, some of it is provacative, baseless and even untrue -- but a great deal of it is honest reporting about the actions and mentality of Indian Muslims. Like all Muslims, Indian Muslims never believe anything is their fault. It is always somebody elses fault. Islam is pure and perfect. If something is wrong, it can only be because the evil infidels (Hindus, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, British, Colonialists, Imperialists, Captitalists, communists, Hollywood, put your favorite evil here).
As one person said, Indian Muslims are just those Indians that have chosen to continue to serve their arab masters -- as if 800 years wasn't enough. Think about that.

Muslims are never responsible for anything,
past or present. Whatever Muslims do or have
done, it is not Islam's fault. Non-Muslims,
on the other hand, are held accountable for
the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Pope, and
anything bad that has done to Muslims in the
last 1400 years, even if it is only a matter
of hurt feelings. Also, never ever Muslims
about the hate and violence in Islam. If you
do, you are an Islamophobe. If you ask them
about how they treat others, you are a vile
racist. If you ask them about the evil deeds
of Muhammad, you are ignorant.

The posting was deleted, of course. Notice that the article argues that the quality of democracy can be judged from the way minorities are treated (from a saying by Mahatma Gandhi). Of course, Muslims only apply this concept to nations where they are a minority.

With very few exceptions, Muslims never speak out about their vile, intolerant actions and policies against minorities. They are bigots, hypocrites. When Non-Muslims react to Muslim intolerance and arrogance, they are denounced and called ignorant, intolerant or racist. Muslim actions and behavior are never judget. Muslim never apply to themselves the standards that they so readily demand from others.
Here is an example of this: The BBC published an article by a Seema Chishti mostly blaming all the Hindu-Muslim troubles in India on the Hindu's, of course

. (From a review of other works, Ms Christi is probably a Muslim -- or at least a strong sympathizer). In the article above the writer says:

India's western state of Gujarat should be a model of Hindu-Muslim integration. For centuries, the two communities co-existed in apparent harmony.
The BJP, which aside from a one-and-a-half year break has been in power ever since, has had both the time and the opportunity to set the terms for its version of a Hindu society. The party has tried hard to convince its constituency that minorities, especially Muslims in India, have been pampered by other political parties. Long years of single-party rule in Gujarat have been used to make the majority Hindu community feel like a minority.
Hindus have been encouraged to believe that Muslims are taking them for a ride in their own land. This has fuelled resentment over issues such as the fact that Muslims have their own separate laws, including one that allows them to have four wives. "If only there was a uniform civil code for all citizens in India, there would be no problems," said Rakesh Rathod, a leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or World Hindu Council. The resentments have created a siege mentality among Hindus that has set the stage for the violent backlash of recent months.

So, Ms Christi thinks that it is basically the fault of the Hindus, because they are ignorant and easily manipulated. The fact that India is historically a Hindu culture and that Islam was brought by conquerors that invaded the land and ruled over India for 800 years (often, but not always, brutally) is not a factor in the current troubles. The fact that Muslims do have special laws and priviledges isn't a matter of concern to the writer.

Another thing I have noticed... Non-Muslims are not even allowed to talk about the problems in the Muslim community. An example, in this article Ms Christi talks about the vile treatment of women among the Muslim communities in India, but it has nothing to do with Islam, of course, and this should not concern others because it is a Muslim problem.

Another Muslim blogger comments on Ms Seema Chishti works

, and then criticizes the Indian government for "revealing' figures about the sad state of Indian Muslims in every aspect - employment, literacy and income distribution." She says:

I do not understand to what end the Prime Minister has appointed this particular commitee (not that the others are doing ground-breaking work)? We know the state of Indian Muslims in India. Just quantifying the gravity of the situation is definitely not helping matters. She says: If, according to the figures available, Muslims are proportionately poor, they will also benefit proportionately. Secondly, the media should ensure that religious undertones are avoided in any related news story.

So, what is her conclusion and remedy? More special priveleges to Muslims and let's not talk about Islam and the evils it does to its own people.

Curses, Censored again, and again...

I posted a comment regarding islmophobia to Dr Maxtor's blog

and then was acused of criticizing the blogger for 'taking an anti-islamophobic stand' (see thumbnail). That is not exactly the way it was. What I did was suggest that what he calls "islamophonia" might instead be a natural reaction to the hate and violence that people see in Islam everyday. I suggested that maybe some people have read the Quran and traditions and they are offended by the hate and violence against non-Muslims, and that this may contribute to a person's mistrust of Islam. Finally I asked why -- if Mohammad did the things that the hadith said he did (with references to the texts) -- should anybody not only find much of Islam to be morally objectionable, given the the violence and lack of honesty about these things. Here is what the man said about my posting:

I think it's possible to be indirectly racist by making irrational criticism and slanders, one Islamophobe who has criticised me for taking an anti-Islamophobic stance, says that Muhammad raped and murdered. That's not just ignorance, it's being used as a slanders against Islam, and all Muslims for following Islam. That has to be xenophobic if not outright racist because it's not criticism of Muslim beliefs, it's criticism of Muslims as a people based on lies.

Well, my comment was deleted - of course, only the reference to my post remained. So, if you ask about certain things, you are automatically an evil person and a racist and ignorant and a liar -- no need to think about what is written and no need to examine the references and facts. Actually, I am not just a racist, I am an "indirect racist" according to the good doctor. I really don't know what an indirect racist is, but it must be very, very bad.

An interesting case. Here is a page from an Islamic forum discussing anti-islamic allegations. Notice the "No insults, Please" warning and the word about "twisting facts". What they are saying is that you must only post facts that they like and approve. Any facts that do not meet this criteria will be removed and the member will lose his/her posting rights. Notice also that they removed the names and links to blogs that provide a different opinion of the virtures of Islam.

"I am trying to delete the undesirable comments as fast as I can". This is from a Muslim blog that was featured on the front page of MSN Spaces. I posted a few questions and they were removed. It wasn't just me. From her comments she had a busy day and probably wore out the "delete" key on the keyboard. Another great moment in serious dialogue with Muslims.

This is from the Guardian newspaper, online version, a British media giant. For a while I was quite active in the Comment is free section, posting on matters relating to the interaction of Muslims and non-Muslims. Well, one day, my rights were withdrawn. Comment is no longer free, at least for me. I am not sure, but I think it was some comments that I made on an article called "Apostasy and Islam" that caused them to ban me.
Here is a link to the original Guardian article:

and here is a link to the html code for that page which I saved.

. They didn't delete my comment, but my account was closed for "inappropriate" comments.

Hate - So I Hate, do I? . Here is a link to another page in which I am deleted, again, after responding to questions made by other commentators. Fortunately I made a complete copy of my detailed response with links and references to specific accounts in Islamic writings, before my martyred words went to collect their 72 virgin letters in prose paradise.

Censored by Harvard

A certain Ivory League school has a website called Global Voices Online that agrigates bloggers from a round the world. It is a good site and to their credit, Global Voices and Muslims bloggers took a stand for a brave young man in Egypt named Kareen. Here is the post on that issue:

Free Kareem Campaign Continues...
But this will not dampen the spirits of campaigners fighting to free Kareem.
�The Free Kareem Coalition has been contacting individuals around the world who have expressed interest in holding rallies next month at Egyptian Embassies and Consulates in their country of residence.
We believe that all freedom-loving individuals need to make their voices heard with the rest of the world. The date of the worldwide demonstrations has been tentatively set to Friday, April 27, 2007.
Any form of support from you, be it your presence in the rally, promoting it, or organizing one in your area, would be a great boost to our cause to free Kareem Amer�

In case you want to know what the young man wrote, here is the link again.

I posted a comment on this story, as seen in the thumbnail. It was deleted. This website, Global Voices Online, is run by Harvard University. So much for the Ivy Leagues commitment to free speech and to those who support this brave young man.

Why did authorities put this man in jail? Well, here is part of what he wrote about...

"Kareem�s writings, mostly in Arabic, have appeared on his blog and on Modern Discussion. He has written about political repression, religious extremism, and discrimination against women. Kareem often expressed �secular� views and called for equality for women in all aspects of Egyptian society. He also denounced violent attacks on Christians in Alexandria."

I pointed out the fact that even the moderate, liberal Egyptians that say they support Kareem feel obliged to say they so not agree with him. They post a "We Support Kareem" banner than add a DISCLAIMER in big letters saying he is wrong, without the courtesy of explaining where or why he is wrong. This, of course, undermines their support. Is this fear? Dishonesty? I don't know. They are, in fact, saying This man is innocent but he is wrong. They are saying that the events cited by the young blogger are not true or his understanding of it is incorrect. In simple terms, they support the ones that did the evils things that Kareem writes about, and see no problems. This is why there is no hope for the so-called moderate Muslims. They cannot be honest about Islam and they will, at most, only make excuses for those who kill and oppress.

Follow up on above post. A few days later I posted another comment to another article on Kareem on Global Voices. I thought it, too, was to be censored, but after 4 or 5 days it showed up in the comments section. By that time this follow-up story was no longer on the main page and easily found and read. So, the second story was not censored, just delayed. It was probably just that the moderator was off but I am getting paranoid, I guess. Get a grip, John. Here is the link to the second story and my comments:

The post was probably approved because I did not post the usual references and links, but rather stressed the lack of freedoms in Islamic societies, taking Muslims to task for their apathy toward these serious issues. Here is part of my comment.

Kareem stands alone. No Muslim has the courage to look at Islam and tell the truth - or more likely, it is a matter of fear. This is why the problem is Islam. The lack of freedoms and rights in Muslim societies is a consequence of Islamic ideology that not only imposes abhorrent and inequitable moral values on society, but seeks to silence any voices that question those values. If people cannot be honest about basic concepts of right and wrong, or be able to analyze so-called sacred texts without fear, then there is no hope for Muslim societies. Worse yet, Muslims in the West are demanding that we, too, give up our right to criticize Islam and its prophet. Kiss your freedoms goodbye.

Excuses. Here is a link to a page in which I have added information about this young man. Actually it is on a page about a woman named Asma bint Marwan who was murdered for criticized Mohammad. I put some information about Kareen because, to me, he is a modern day Asma - a brave person that speaks out and then is punished for it. In this case, as in the case of the murdered mother, Muslims make excuses and pretend these things have nothing to do with Islam.
Let me say that I have probably been too hard on these Muslim bloggers like Sami Ben Gharbia and Amira Al Hussaini at Global Voices. They are speaking out. They are trying. It easy easy for me to be hionest because I live in a free society - they might have other factors to consider when their write their articles.

Here are a few more pages from this site that might be of interest...

Here are a few other pages from this site that might be of interest, including a link to the main Index page: I have a page about Lies and misconceptions about Islam. A few words about the hard things , or apologetics, that Muslims don't want to talk about. A look at events at a small quiet village in old Arabia called Banu-al-Mustaliq. A collection of Stupid things my Imam told me... Really Stupid! A page about brave women and abuse and misogyny and Islam. A look at the not-so-funny Cartoons of Mohammed. I am offended too! A page about liberty and religious freedom, and the campaign to end these.