tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917428205224357542.post3929857805805417172..comments2024-03-29T08:15:42.790-05:00Comments on messymimi's meanderings: No Matter What The News Saysmessymimihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10649529601786689712noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917428205224357542.post-52890680079939492132013-08-17T18:44:55.933-05:002013-08-17T18:44:55.933-05:00Jenny, i agree, the whole situation upsets me grea...Jenny, i agree, the whole situation upsets me greatly, too, and i pray that it goes well for your friends.<br /><br />Sandee, there are some Muslims who are like that. My next door neighbors are not. Let's hope the ones who are tolerant and don't feel the need to force their ideas on others win out.<br /><br />Stephen, except that separation of church and state, as a statement, is not in the constitution. It's still the idea behind the First Amendment, though, and i wish everyone on earth could live under that protection.messymimihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10649529601786689712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917428205224357542.post-48381799380129818382013-08-17T14:32:24.388-05:002013-08-17T14:32:24.388-05:00As someone who has visited Arab countries I have s...As someone who has visited Arab countries I have seen the tolerance you speak of. Radicals screw it up for everyone. I do believe that the best idea of our founding fathers was the separation of church and state. I only wish Arab countries (other than Turkey) would embrace this idea.stephen Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17659054447637207734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917428205224357542.post-37246692702786083022013-08-17T12:11:44.597-05:002013-08-17T12:11:44.597-05:00I don't see Muslims tolerant to any other reli...I don't see Muslims tolerant to any other religion. It's Islam or death. Until that changes I won't have any respect for Islam. <br /><br />Have a terrific day. :)Sandeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06785788498697004273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917428205224357542.post-50802523005124182712013-08-17T04:01:45.740-05:002013-08-17T04:01:45.740-05:00Gestures and initiatives like that of the church d...Gestures and initiatives like that of the church do not surprise me, nor does the response from most people who encountered it. Most people want to get along with their neighbours. A fundamental tenet of Islam is supporting the poor, it is the religious duty of Muslims to do so. <br /><br />The sitution in Egypt makes me sad. Going as a writer rather than a tourist last year meant I had the chance to meet and talk to many "ordinary" people. I found most of those I spoke yearned for a tolerant and decent society and were terrified that they will not get one. Their lifestyle and businesses and families were all tremendously threatened, as usually happens in countries boiling up into civil unrest. Women I spoke to felt particularly threatened, and some were considering getting out altogether. I hope they have now done so. <br /><br />These were the lucky ones, who were educated and had money, but in Egypt, a major problem seems to be many horrifically poor and uneducated people with next to nothing, who are then encouraged by extremists who give them hope of a more secure life if they will only fight for it. Of course it is largely the government's fault for not educating the people and offering them chances. Instead, the country's assets were pocketed by crooked politicians for decades, backed by a very, very powerful army. In Egypt the army were even running hotels and tourist businesses!<br /><br />As you might know we travelled to Syria many times before the recent troubles and to me it was even more tragic there because although Syria was a dictatorship, it has a centuries long tradition of religious tolerance and the people we knew there all, without exception, were desperate to keep to that plurality. We are still in touch and life is hard for them now. <br /><br />Well, I could go on, but I won't. I feel quite strongly about this, as you can see...Jenny Woolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16881781466502273314noreply@blogger.com