[DianaDrk]

It is the opposite of humility. It isn't about giving respect, but demanding it...or else!

Dear All,

Let us remember that happily our Church did not participate in the crusades. It is clear the Muslims cannot be criticised for feeling the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan by Christian countries as a sort of resurgence of the crusades and the colonial era. It would be comforting to say that Orthodox nations are not involved, but Russian behaviour in Chechenia seems pretty awful. This in no way justifies what the Sudanese have done, but can anything justify the behaviour of the British towards Muslims? Kids being called 'paki bastard' on thair way to school, for example.
A lot of you have had contact with Muslims, and know that most of them are good people, who for cultural reasons believe something different from us. If those British citizens who saw fit to blow themselves up in London on July 7th had the necessary hatred to do so, then at least a part of the blame is attached to the arrogance of the government, which while playing lip-service to anti-inflammatory speech, has invaded Muslim countries and intervened in Muslim affairs. A Muslim family was raided by armed police in East London, and one of them was shot, for seemingly no other reason than that they were Muslim. The government foments fear among us by constant reference to some sort of unspecified Muslim plot. With a few blips - Bosnia, Chechenia come to mind - our church has strived to live well with Muslim neighbours.
I meet Muslims on a regular basis, and most of them are humble, tolerant, law-abiding people. Let's use our faith to improve ourselves, not to 'dis' (sorry Fr. Matthew, but I rather like this expression I learnt from my nephews and nieces on a trip to the UK) others.
Intolerant of intolerance, Simon