Quote:They are to blame to trying to bring the same barabaric standards into the 21st century.
The Islamic empire was not the last empire to be dismantled...
Quote:Democracy was not unheard of back then. Yet Islam saw fit to forbid it in favour of dictatorship.
Islam was unfortunately caught up in a hereditary system of government. However, it was for most of it's history a more advanced one than it's European counterparts. It was more like the monarchies of today, where the monarch was an official head of state, but the government was mostly run by a cabinet of ministers (wazirs). Unfortunately it didn't play catch up in the end, we can agree on that. The difference between democracy and dictatorship is a false dichotomy. Islam is neither of those systems.
Quote:Why is it that you are so afraid to explain islamic concepts on spoils of war?
I'm not afraid of explaining anything fd. I've explained it already, and have posted a very lengthy scholarly article about it in the common misconceptions thread, just because it doesn't particularly take your fancy doesn't mean the information hasn't been presented.
Besides Islam is more than honest about it's texts, you can find them across thousands of sites (Islamic sites, not jihadwatch), translated into English.
Quote:All proselytising religions are out to dominate the world. It's the methods of Islam that make it unconscionable.
Both Islam and Christianity did it in the past by forming empires.. yet you only believe Islam is like that... Ok.
Quote:Yes they were all nasty empires that went round slaughtering people
I disagree, I don't think they were necessarily nasty, just a product of their times. That's just the way things were back then.
Have you seen the PBS documentary called "
Empire of Faith"? If not, I'd advise watching it. They capture this quite well when they say "In a time when even prophets bore arms", or something along those lines.
Quote:No it isn't. I don't have a problem with other proselytising religions.
That would be because you're a bigot.
Quote:It's the methods Islam uses that makes it barbaric.
*used* in a time when the rest of the world was far more barbaric.
Quote:Islam as an empire would not adapt, it would drag the world back to the age of empires.
It wouldn't be able to. It simply wouldn't even be able to eventuate back into the old paradigm. By necessity it must adapt to the new geo-political climate.
Quote:Nope, it spreads by people recognising the truth of it, and embracing it.
Quote:Crap Abu. If what you say is true, Islam would not call for the death of Apostates
That's the equivalent of saying American freedom isn't embraced by the people themselves, otherwise they wouldn't need the death penalty for treason... Someone's peddling crap here, but it ain't me.
Quote:The US is not going to make Iraq and Afghanistan part of it's empire
As we discussed the 'age of empires' has indeed passed. That doesn't mean colonialism doesn't still exist in another form. As I said, it's no longer carried out by direct rule, not permanently anyway.
Quote:They are giving the local people democracy and self determination.
Yeh the U.S is purely there for altruistic and benevolent reasons...
Dreamer.
Quote:This is nothing at all like what the barbaric Islamic empire of the past did.
The Islamic empire was not imperialistic in the sense all European powers were. Lands that came under Islam were given the exact same status as any other land. The citizens given the same status as all other citizens. They weren't just slaves of the monarch as they were in European empires, with no ability to benefit from the empire's resources and systems. The only way an Indian for instance had any hope of travelling around the empire they were supposedly part of, was by being convicted of a petty crime, then being transported as a convict.
Quote:It is your attempts to conceal the truth about it that cocnerns me.
As has been repeatedly stated, I've not concealed anything from you. *ALL* aspects of Islam are openly available all over the place. Unlike some other religions, namely Judaism, the teachings of Islam are open and welcome for all to peruse. The fact I was unable to answer some more detailed or loaded questions about Islam, doesn't mean I've concealed anything. Just means I recognise I'm not qualified to answer them.
Quote:Otherwise I can only conclude that you ahve something to hide and a good reason for hiding it
Conclude as you like, most of your current views on Islam are based on your wayward conclusions anyway. Even when you find the answers you want, you're still going to draw your own conclusions from them anyway..
Quote:If Islam won't drop stoning women to death, killing apostates, denying free speech, what chance does it have of dropping militant expansionism?
Capital punishment is prescribed in the Islamic texts, militant expansionism is not, that's why.
Quote:A new Caliphate would either be crushed or expand.
With fanatical attitudes from non-Muslims like this, perhaps.