[thechat] King Preaches Abstinence to Parading Maidens

Chris Marsh chris at webbtech.co.uk
Tue Sep 17 08:49:01 CDT 2002


> > You miss the point. England is a Christian country, and yet Muslims
> > *are* given the opportunity to practice their faith. However, under
> > the circumstances this is a privilege, not a right.
>
> In contrary to this, according to Islamic laws, every
> non-Muslim has a right to practice his faith with full
> freedom in an Islamic country. In Islamic society, practicing
> their faith is a right of non-Muslims rather than a privilege.

Apologies if I appear to be continuing this thread unecessarily, but I
probably haven't expressed myself very well and wish to clarify my
position.

I used religion as an example. The issue was not specifically religion.
If I go to another country where the native tongue is not English, then
I expect that the inhabitants of this country will speak their own
language. I do *not* expect that just because I do not speak this
language I have a *right* to communicate in English. If a native of this
country speaks English and is willing to do so with me, then this is my
privilege, not my right.

To bring it back to the religious question, I am not religious at all.
If I go to a muslim country, I will abide by Muslim customs. This
doesn't mean that I will worship God, but it does mean that I do not
consider myself to have the same rights to actively contravene Muslim
customs that a native of this country would. If I were a Christian, then
wherever I was in the world I would have the right to worship my God.
However, if I were in a Muslim country and I started to require
resources for my faith, then if I were given these resources it would be
a privelige. At least some Muslim states outlaw the drinking of alcohol.
If I were a Catholic who moved to one of these states, do I have the
right to break the law and purchase wine for my communion?

My belief is that the key to peace is not to *care* about what
race/sex/age/sexual orientation/religion someone is, but to truly *not
care*. Unfortunately this isn't the case yet. Black people have cared
that I am white, women have cared that I am male, homosexuals have cared
that I am heterosexual, and members of a wide variety of faiths have
cared deeply that I am not a member of their organisation. While this
state of affairs exists it is not practical to strive for total
equality; rather the "best fit" for society until people stop caring.

Regards

Chris Marsh





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