Such a sad state for the people that preserved much of Greek and Roman philosophy and the beginning of modern mathematics. It's sad that a religion that used to promote learning and tolerance has degraded to fanatics howling in the desert (or howling in crowded areas with explosives strapped to them). Of course that was before the crusades, going to a Catholic school I'm not sure which one (they glossed over them).

"It's sad that a religion that used to promote learning and tolerance ..." When did Islam ever promote tolerance? Were they tolerant of other religions when they took over Mecca? Perhaps when they forced "polytheists" to convert or die? Were they tolerant of Jews and Christians when they threw them out of Arabia and forced them to live as Dhimmis in other Muslim lands?

It's funny how some people speak of the Crusades but never the invasions and conquests of Byzantium. News flash. The Crusades occured to retake land that the Christians had lost to the Muslims.

There was never a point at which Islam promoted learning and tolerance.

The intellectual growth of the middle east came to an abrupt halt with the creation of Islam.

The reason for terrorism, and anti-everythingism, in Islam is this simple fact: When a muslim leaves the land of his birth and finds out how far the world has advanced without his people, he has one of two reactions: (1) I'm going over there to live in prosperity, and (2) I'm going to make them live in the same squalor I do.

Three guesses which choice the Imams in the middle east promote.

2 options, 3 guesses ... does anyone fail these tests?

I've had it happen before.

Liberals take the stance that neither choice is valid, and therefore the test is a sham.

FAIL.

Three guesses which choice the Imams in the middle east promote.

Actually there is a third option: I'm going to go live and prosper in the great country until I can make enough money to bring them down to the third world squalor.

The average Arab in the Middle East reads approximately four pages worth of literature a year

Most of them being the Koran, right?
;)

It's sad that a religion that used to promote learning and tolerance has degraded to fanatics howling in the desert (or howling in crowded areas with explosives strapped to them).

Posted by: Nicky

Uh, ... Nicky? Exactly when during Islam's 1400 years of anti-western hegemony was learning and tolerance ever promoted?

Charles and brian raise points well taken in response to this ridiculous assertion of yours.

I see you have not yet responded.

You might do well to crack open a world history book or two before you do respond.

The next time you're in a bookstore, note how many different ways you can learn about Britney or Paris vs. something solid in the sciences.

Then, if you, yourself are looking for something interesting to read, do not forget the secondhand college textbook store.

When you don't have to read it, it can be interesting!

| During the entire 20th century,
| fewer than 10,000 books were translated
| into Arabic -- equivalent to the number
| translated into Spanish in a single year.

Perhaps we (who? me?) should translate more books into Arabic. I have a feeling they'd just be banned, like Richard Dawkins' website.