abu_rashid wrote on Apr 6
th, 2011 at 6:28am:
Quote:He has no tolerance for their attitude towards women which is profoundly derogatory... even the way they speak about their respective wives as all are married is offensive to him.
This is where the alarm bells are raised. If they even mention their wives, and especially in a negative light, then it's quite obvious their practice or adherence to Islam is absolutely zero. A good practicing Muslim would not even mention his wife in a conversation to other men, as mentioning them is considered disrespectful to begin with.
let's be fair here abu... this is a real scenario and not some kind of set up that warrents alarm bells.
I never said that the Muslims spoke disrespectfully about there respective wives... I said that my son took offense to what they had to say about there wives. Big difference.
My son is an active listener and people enjoy talking to him. If they mention their wives... my son will ask about there wives and what they do yadda yadda yadda... just feeding off the conversation to create more conversation. The structure of their Mulsim families was explained to him... with the man as they head and the wive subordinate to that. It was explained respectfully and within the context of Islam. My son finds offense with this because it denies equal consideration which he was raised to believe... which our society is encouraged to believe... which our laws are supposed to protect.
When the muslims spoke about western women they were disrespectful... but again, in context, they work in the city and there is a significant minority of women who have an obviously slutty look to their dress sense. These mulsims have generalised this slut image to make it meaningful across all western womanhood... just as my son is starting to generalise his muslim experiences across all of Islam.
Quote:Let me ask you a question Sappho, if he were having these conservations with non-practicing Christian guys (ie. your average Aussie Anglo), would he be associating their views and behaviour with Christianity?
They are not non practicing muslims. I asked. They have a prayer room... one carries a little carpet to work with him. I'm not after moral equivalence Abu... I'm after advice. How do I speak to my son about this?
Quote:This is the major problem with people's attitudes today, is that anything remotely related to a Muslim, or even an Arab Christian is taken as an absolute representation of Islam, whilst the same would never be done for Christianity.... Why?
Because christianity is a dying faith and islam is a growing faith.
Because christianity does not hold to their religious texts and islam does.
Because american fundamentalist christianity does not attract the media and islam does.
Because we are not at war with christian nations but we are at war with muslim nations.
And in my son's case... because personal experience has affected their world view.
I should also point out that my son is not christian nor was he raised a christian. Not even easter did we celebrate... I would take them instead on a camping trip to a celebration called Confest... a hippy/ alturnative thing.
Quote: What makes people so biased and inaccurate in their appraisal of Islam?
In my son's case... talking with these 3 muslim men who work at the same place as him... is what has done it.
Quote: In your mind, or your son's mind, if they have any inkling of being Muslim, then every single action or word that comes from them, instantly must be representative of Islam,
My son had no attitude towards Muslims until meeting them and getting to know them over the years... through smoko's. He still has smoko with them... still listen to them disrespect our society whilst praising their own ways.
My son has always been tolerant until this getting to know muslims phase. He still is tolerant... but that is changing... and that is not what I like.
Quote:yet no way would you apply the same standard to Christianity and Christians (ie. secular Anglo-Aussies).
He calls real christians who follow the bible such as the jehovah witness's do... jesus freaks and accepts that they are harmless and not influencing secular society in ways that change the secular nature.
Quote: I've been absolutely mortified by some of the stuff I've seen from people of Muslim background, but to me it's quite obvious those people had absolutely no connection to Islam at all, other than the fact they happened to have been named Muhammad or Ahmad.
I have tried that approach. I pointed out that there is good and bad in all cultures... and that has prompted my son sending me video of new items in which muslims are the offenders.
If I point out that aboriginals are as a group the largest offenders to society... he will point out the abuses that past govts have inflicted upon them, their victimhood ect.
If I point out that other ethnic groups have had issues settling into society... he will point out that there is a vast difference between teething issues when settling into a society and the abuses of our secularism that muslims defiantly engage within.