# I say "Islam" What's the first thing you think of? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 2, 2012, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515 "2012-02-02T06:08:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/261 "2012-08-24T14:41:06Z")
Another religion which I missed in my last post which is at war with Islam is Judaism. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Nonsense. Christianity is just as barbaric and tyrannical and irrational as Islam; it’s just not as powerful in most of the countries it dominates anymore. If you magically switched Christianity for Islam in America, very little of importance would change; if you magically turned Saudi Arabia and Iran into Christian theocracies instead of Islamic ones, they would be just as tyrannical and nasty. > > And America isn’t exceptionally free, and it isn’t the “land of opportunity” except in its own fantasies. It’s one the least social mobile Western nations, tied with Great Britain last I heard. Looks like you are trolling me.🙂 Most things wrong with the Islamic world(Lashkar-e-toiba, Al Qaeda, Taliban, Boko Haram, Hamas, Repression of women, Homosexuals, Sharia, intolerance, hypocrisy, forced conversions, Ghettos which are risky for kafirs to go to, Religious Madrassas, idiotic and cruel killing of animals for sacrifice to God or for food) can be directly attributed to Islam\Quran. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/262 "2012-08-24T14:42:09Z")
The color green. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/263 "2012-08-24T15:18:27Z")
Body parts strewn about in a nightmare salad of blood and bone. And, hiding behind the phrase " Sharia Law " to commit acts of utter barbarism and inhumanity. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/264 "2012-08-24T15:26:47Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Looks like you are trolling me.🙂 No, I am not. > [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Most things wrong with the Islamic world(Lashkar-e-toiba, Al Qaeda, Taliban, Boko Haram, Hamas, Repression of women, Homosexuals, Sharia, intolerance, hypocrisy, forced conversions, Ghettos which are risky for kafirs to go to, Religious Madrassas, idiotic and cruel killing of animals for sacrifice to God or for food) can be directly attributed to Islam\Quran. Religion is a destructive force. Anywhere religion is powerful it is going to be destructive to society regardless of what religion it is. And outsdie of the specifically Islamic groups you mentioned little of that is unique to Islam. And “hypocrisy”? You actually think that _hypocrisy_ is an especially Islamic problem? ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/265 "2012-08-24T16:10:18Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And outsdie of the specifically Islamic groups you mentioned little of that is unique to Islam. Its all relative, For example the oppression of women anywhere else is not nearly as much as it is, in Islam. > [@](#): > > And “hypocrisy”? You actually think that _hypocrisy_ is an especially Islamic problem? Religion would be left more and more redundant if Islam wasn’t around because all other religions can peacefully coexist in the 21st century. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/266 "2012-08-24T16:29:09Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Religion would be left more and more redundant if Islam wasn’t around because all other religions can peacefully coexist in the 21st century. \ \ Um…that’s an…_interesting_…assertion. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/267 "2012-08-24T17:03:59Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > In other religions its very rare. Other religions have also reformed themselves over time but not Islam. Oh, come on. Are you not old enough to remember the Ayodhya riots? The 1984 Sikh riots? Communal violence is endemic in the subcontinent. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/268 "2012-08-25T02:49:13Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Oh, come on. Are you not old enough to remember the Ayodhya riots? The 1984 Sikh riots? Communal violence is endemic in the subcontinent. Half the Hindus dont even eat non-veg not to cause the pain endured by the animal. One of the main principals of Hinduism is ‘Vasudev kutumbakam’ meaning ‘World is a family’. The people of the sub-continent are one of the most tolerant people in the world. The populations of minorities- Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, jains have prospered in India. Zoroastrians (Parsis) have found India tolerant when their own country(Iran) was getting Islamized. Jews say that India is the only country in the world where they werent persecuted. An odd incident in multiple centuries ('84 sikh riots) doesnt prove anything. Islam has increased in numbers but its a different ball game wrt peaceful coexistence albeit most muslims of the sub-continent have Hindu forefathers. India was divided because of Islam. Pakistan as per its 1951 census had 21% minorities, 2011 - it has merely 1.5% minority. > **[Hinduism in Pakistan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_Hinduism_in_Pakistan)** > > Hinduism is the second largest religion in Pakistan after Islam. With the largest population concentration in eastern Sindh province, Umerkot district has the highest percentage of Hindu residents in the country at 54.7%, while Tharparkar district has the most Hindus in absolute numbers at 811,507. Hindus are also found in southern Punjab and in areas of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. > Though Hinduism was the dominant faith in the region a few centuries ago, its adherents presently accou... Islam is not a subcontinent problem. Look at Iran-iraq, Nigeria, Syria, Thailand etc - not part of the subcontinent. Let alone other faiths, Islam isnt at peace with itself - Shia, Sunni, Ahmedia, Alawites. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/269 "2012-08-25T04:13:22Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Half the Hindus dont even eat non-veg not to cause the pain endured by the animal. One of the main principals of Hinduism is ‘Vasudev kutumbakam’ meaning ‘World is a family’. So what? Plenty of nasty, brutal religions and non-religious groups have spouted platitudes while stomping on other people. Nor does kindness to animals necessarily translate to kindness towards people. Some of those Hindus are the same people who burn women alive in suttee. There’s plenty of religious violence and oppression in India. > [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Islam is not a subcontinent problem. Look at Iran-iraq, Nigeria, Syria, Thailand etc - not part of the subcontinent. Let alone other faiths, Islam isnt at peace with itself - Shia, Sunni, Ahmedia, Alawites. Catholics, Protestants…internal religious hatred and violence isn’t some special Islamic thing either. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/270 "2012-08-25T04:51:35Z")
Even after 9/11 and the War on Terror, I’m reminded of waking up in a hotel in Kuwait to the morning call to prayer. Quite peaceful, actually, and a much nicer way to wake up than the buzzing of an alarm clock. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/271 "2012-08-25T04:58:11Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > So what? Plenty of nasty, brutal religions and non-religious groups have spouted platitudes while stomping on other people. Nor does kindness to animals necessarily translate to kindness towards people. Some of those Hindus are the same people who burn women alive in suttee. There’s plenty of religious violence and oppression in India. > > Catholics, Protestants…internal religious hatred and violence isn’t some special Islamic thing either. Hinduism, christianity have reformed themselves alot. There has been hardly any case of Sati in India in last 50 years. Likewise, the caste system is getting eradicated slowly. Catholics and protestants - again, not nearlyas much bloodshed between them in present world, as there is between Shia, sunni or between other sects of Islam. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/272 "2012-08-25T05:52:27Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Hinduism, christianity have reformed themselves alot. No; they’ve weakened, and the governments in regions where they are prevalent have become stronger. Where religion is powerful enough that it can do as it pleases, it creates tyranny and destructively irrational behavior. Where the government is strong enough to clamp down on it, religion is “reformed”; but only so long as the government retains that position of dominance. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/273 "2012-08-25T06:27:20Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > No; they’ve weakened, and the governments in regions where they are prevalent have become stronger. Where religion is powerful enough that it can do as it pleases, it creates tyranny and destructively irrational behavior. Where the government is strong enough to clamp down on it, religion is “reformed”; but only so long as the government retains that position of dominance. 1.Hinduism, christianity have reformed themselves. If Hindu, christian, Buddh majority states arent governed by those religions, its actually a tribute to those religions. 2.Even if a country was governed by Hinduism, Christianity, it wouldnt nearly be as bad as being ruled by Islam Let us agree to disagree:) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/274 "2012-08-25T07:05:13Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > 1.Hinduism, christianity have reformed themselves. No; they’ve been beaten down, weakened. They are about as “reformed” as a felon with a cop watching him. > [@truthSeeker2](#): > > 2.Even if a country was governed by Hinduism, Christianity, it wouldnt nearly be as bad as being ruled by Islam History shows otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/275 "2012-08-25T07:41:20Z")
A coworker of mine: the only person I know that was actually active in the religion. Laziest coworker I ever had. I met him a few years after he left, and he had married a girl that looked 14. He was Canadian so I’ll assume she was actually 16. More would be a stretch. She was quite beautiful and wore some kind of white lace garmet. When I extended my hand in greeting, she shrank away in silence, and my coworker said she wasn’t allowed to touch other men (he may not have said “allowed”, but that was the gist of it). They later separated, and my coworker was convicted of a felony. No surprise there. I hope his ex-wife was able to escape some of the negative consequences of divorce–but that might be hoping for too much given what I saw. ---
**Author:** ![Neverender](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/848f3c/32.png) [@Neverender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neverender)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/276 "2012-08-25T09:59:02Z")
[Ravensthorpe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravensthorpe,_Dewsbury). It’s a small town/village near Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. The reason a small English town reminds me of Islam is that almost all the people in that area and the surrounding council estate, are Pakistani immigrants, and most seem to practice Islam (there’s certainly an incredible amount of foot traffic in the area when it’s time for Mosque. It can feel very odd, getting off the bus and seeing my service users in the community, and not seeing another white person until I get back on the bus. I don’t actively dislike it, but I sometimes feel like a target when I’m walking past biggish groups of Pakistani male youths, especially when there have been several reports of Anti-White racist graffiti and the like in the local paper. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/277 "2012-08-25T16:06:22Z")
My “first thing you think of” when hearing “Islam” was that cartoon of Mohammed with the bomb in his turban, but there’s a new image after yesterday. I was sitting in the auto license bureau waiting to be called for my renewal photo, when a head-to-toe black-robed Somali woman walked by. As she passed me she dropped her key fob on the ground. Without thinking, I picked it up to hand back to her, then remembered this might pose a problem (I once committed the grave error of offering to shake hands with the wife of one of my Pakistani colleagues). For [it is written](http://www.islamcan.com/youth/prohibition-of-free-mixing-between-men-and-women.shtml): _"The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: “It is better for one of you to be pierced by a steel pin in his head than to touch the hand of a strange woman.”_ I thought briefly of giving her my most disarming smile and saying “It’s OK ma’am, I’m Jewish” but decided instead to hold the fob by the edge and let her take it by the other edge, thus avoiding any fleshly contact (she appeared appreciative, but still was sufficiently discombobulated to drop her newly issued license too, which I decided she could pick up on her own). ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/278 "2012-08-25T16:23:33Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > _"The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: “It is better for one of you to be pierced by a steel pin in his head than to touch the hand of a strange woman.”_ > > I thought briefly of giving her my most disarming smile and saying “It’s OK ma’am, I’m Jewish” but decided instead to hold the fob by the edge and let her take it by the other edge, thus avoiding any fleshly contact (she appeared appreciative, but still was sufficiently discombobulated to drop her newly issued license too, which I decided she could pick up on her own). It’s a good thing you were thinking, or Allah would have commanded both of you to be stoned. Or worse. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/279 "2012-08-25T19:27:23Z")
The origin of the phrase " Party on, Mohammed. Party on, Garth ". ? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-say-islam-whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of/611515/280 "2012-08-25T19:39:18Z")
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