Why did Islam become a protected religion

lissavalerian, I must not have explained myself very well or I do not understand what you are saying. I do not see that your position disagrees with mine. I see what you are saying more as a different perspective on the same phenomona.

"When the class of individuals who have been subjugated create establishments to help support people in their own situation, it is seen as building themselves up to the level of those who previously subjugated them." Do you not understand that anyone who allows others to subjugate them are inherently inferior? Furthermore, that allowing the formly subjugated to behave in ways inappropiate for the previous subjugators is another way for the subjugators to continue to subtly assert their superiority? That's all I'm saying. I don't believe it contradicts what you are saying.

I kinda have to disagree with this. IT has more to do with who has the "power over" versus who is subjugated. And its also the same as "in group" vs "out group" psychology, which has been studied extensively. When someone who "has power over" others, flexes that power by creating establishments that exclude others, that is seen as racist or bigoted, because it is a systemic way of excluding or denying advancement to the class of individuals who have been subjugated. When the class of individuals who have been subjugated create establishments to help support people in their own situation, it is seen as building themselves up to the level of those who previously subjugated them. When the group that has power continually creates a network that systemically excludes the "other" they continue to keep and hoarde the power for themselves. When the the group that does not have power bands together to help each other up, somehow people attack that as being somehow wrong. "why can't the whites do that?" But they don't see that whites have been doing that all along. Don't get me wrong, sometimes/often what happens is when the subjugated group becomes the group in power, they start committing the same "power over" behaviors as their previous oppressors. It's been observed time and time again in social experiments, case studies, etc. I have a friend of mine who moved into a golf course community. They were very excited about joining the community ... when they went to join the country club, they were told there was a very long waiting list, at least 6 months to a year. A month later, a neighbor who had just moved in informed them that he'd just joined the country club and was wondering if they had yet. Waiting list? No, there was no waiting list? Of course they hadn't joined the country club. Their last name was Cohen. Bigotry and prejudice is alive and well. Against muslims, against jews, against blacks, etc. Yet when these groups band together to support each other and create support networks, those networks are attacked as racist, in what seems to be some sort of unconscious effort to continue to subjugate those people. Why is it that a lot of white people in the US don't realize that they've had generations of privilege. My grandparents and great grandparents do not have a history of being subjugated to others, of being denied the right to seek out a livelihood on their own. They don't have a history of being subjugated to others. My family is very independent. We have great stories to tell. But when you have a person whose family stories include subjugation, and whose average family education level was not equivalent to mine, then no, they don't have the exact same opportunities as me. yes, there are those who rise above, those who DID get the opportunities "only in america" - but the fact remains that we have a systemic problem of subjugating others that are different than us, whether that difference is racial, ethnic, religious, etc. It is a human trait, but it is what leads to so much violence and treating each other so wrongly. Okay, I'm just rambling now ... I need to stop. Maybe I'll make sense after I've had my caffeine for the day, lol. ~ Lissa Valerian

LOL... Good one! But still it is true.

Lol, did you see #12 below you?

How can you argue with such a logically and well presented statement such as that? It must be the KoolAid.

Well, you dated a Muslim, and I am married to one. I see what my husband goes through. Unfortunately, you are unaware of what Christians go through because you choose to turn the other check. Do some research. But you are not interested in really knowing, are you? You also forgot to add whites to your list of people suffering. My husband was beaten up by two men because they thought he was white....the young black woman who helped him told him so.

I think violence for violence sake is abhorent. For someone to attack your husband (or anyone) for their perceived race, religion, ethnicity, etc., is apalling. I don't care if its white on black, black on white, etc. Whatever the case, wherever divisive violence continues, we are not going to stop it by continuing the divisiveness and continuing to divide everyone and attack people based on perceived divisions. What we need to be focusing on is on how we're all freaking human beings who have loved ones, who care about our families and loved ones and who have people in our lives (hopefully) who mean something to us. And from there, understand that other people, regardless of race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, and even orientation, also have people in their lives that they care for. We all have the same desires to be safe with our families. If we are able to connect to that same basic desire and figure out how to stop HURTING each other and stop ATTACKING each other ... i dunno, i guess if i'd figured that one out I'd be the next messiah. Oh well, wishful thinking. The only point I'm really trying to make is that continuing divisiveness brings us no closer to any kind of solution. Okay, I'm gonna stop my kumbaya rambling now. blah Sorry.

After looking at some of the profiles in this discusion I've drawn the conclusion that I need to state where I stand. It is every persons right to pursue their own spiritual fuffilment whether it be through Vishnu,Yahweh,Allah(pbuh). I would never diminish or ridicule someone's beliefs through spoken word or deed. It is notok to call someones beliefs 'nonsense'. If I allow myself to develop an 'us and them' mentality I become no better than the people who inspire religious hatred and intolerance!the bottom line.. People have been killing each other for hundreds of thousands of years ... not much is going to change unless we challenge our own perceptions and learn to understand each other.

I would say we must actually learn to understand ourselves first before posing questions and submitting answers.All the way with you JIMBOMUSO(786)