Muslims the world over are upset about the Danish cartoons. They demand that the rest of the world respect their religion, specifically their belief that Muhammad should not be depicted. It’s interesting how they selectively respect that rule. According to their beliefs it is wrong to depict any creation of God, not just Muhammad. That means no drawings, paintings, pictures or sculptures of people, plants or animals. It they really believed in that rule as deeply as they claim, they’d burn Al Jazeera to the ground.
But why should others respect Islam when they do not reciprocate. In many Muslim countries, it is against the law to not be Muslim. Under their laws, you can be legally murdered for wearing a Christian cross. Which is odd since Islam considers Jesus to be a prophet and the Koran instructs them to be tolerant of Jews and Christians because they share many of the same prophets and beliefs. Of course Islam has long since been perverted by fundamentalists that don’t care what the Koran says, but rather what they can tell others it says, so the actual teachings have little meaning.
I try to be tolerant of other beliefs, but it’s getting more difficult to tolerate Islam. That’s not to say I think all Muslims are bad or that I’ll start being rude to every Muslim I meet, but I’m done listening to their excuses. They can’t tell me Islam teaches peace. Actions speak louder than words. It may be a minority of Muslims that use their religion as an excuse to destroy and murder, but the majority is far to silent about the evils carried out in the name of Islam.
So what should Muslims do? They need to first respect others and be tolerant of other beliefs. They can’t judge others based upon the laws of their religion and they need to accept that others have a right to freely express their thoughts and ideas. They also need to very loudly and publicly speak out against Jihad or any acts of violence in the name of Islam.
Do I believe Muslims will do these things? No. History and current events have taught me that Islam is a religion of intolerance and oppression and I have nothing but poor expectations of them.