And finally succeeded the Jasmine Revolution

[Petarda]

If you want the West to stop interfering in your business, which I do too, then you must take a stance to combat these people.

Nope, if they want West to stop interfering their business they will need to give them oil.

[Bundy]

Then it up to Muslims to stamp out these extremists in their religion who abuse it. If you want the West to stop interfering in your business, which I do too, then you must take a stance to combat these people.

You think the Islam is a clan or something? There are plenty of people claiming to be Muslim and go around bombing people and whatnot...
Let me tell you something, they aren't Muslims

[Kewlizm]

Let me tell you something, they aren't Muslims

INDEED!!!

It bugs me how people call the guys bombing and doing all the terrorism muslim extremists. They are not muslim, and especially not extremists. They just claim to be muslim, taking the quranic verses out of context. Extremism is a whole different thing.

[JDC]

You must be anxious to find out. You've been asking that for 3 days and no one has answered yet.

Then I guess you can expect the same pattern of curtailing civil rights to show itself again.

With the change of a constitution, people see little more than the promises of peace and freedom, at the cost of other sacrifices that may go unnoticed by everyone apart from those affected.

[Kewlizm]

Islam forbids extremism.

Let me explain extremism. Extremism is exceeding the limits in trying to worship god.

There are numerous evidences in the Book and Sunnah censuring extremism. Allah says, " O ye who have believed, do not put (yourselves) before Allah and His Messenger but fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing."{al-Hujurat(49): 1}

Allah also says, "Say, O people of the scripture do not go to excess in your religion and do not say about Allah except the truth."{an-Nisa(4):171}.

He also says, "So remain on the right course as you have been commanded,(you) and those who have turned with you (to Allah), and do not transgress. Indeed, He is Seeing of what you do."{Hud(11):112}

The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Beware of extremism in the religion."(reported by an-Nasae). And he (phuh) also said: "The extremist are destroyed, the extremists are destroyed, and the extremists are destroyed." (Muslim)

Also, he (pbuh) said: "I was sent with the upright moderate way." (Ahmad). Yet in another narration, the Prophet of Islam (pbuh) said: "This religion is ease and no one is hard on the religion except that it overcomes him." (Bukhari).

[Kewlizm]

Going back, seeing as there is no country that will implement "100% of Islamic laws as according to the Qu'ran", the question still remains unanswered: how will Sharia law not lead to the repression of those outside the male muslim majority in Tunisia? (i.e. women, non-muslims)

I understand your question, but can you clarify how would it repress them?

[Jellyfish]

repression of those outside the male muslim majority in Tunisia? (i.e. women, non-muslims)

I'll leave someone more eloquent to lay out the women issue, but with non-muslims I really doubt there would be much of a barrier. Perhaps there would be taxation, but I doubt there will be problems with them being registered as legal citizens. (like there is in Saudi Arabia)

[[WS]Jacob]

You think the Islam is a clan or something? There are plenty of people claiming to be Muslim and go around bombing people and whatnot...
Let me tell you something, they aren't Muslims

Most of these extremists will be brought into Islam when they are younger but are brainwashed by people that take advantage of their innocence - causing them to commit these horrendous acts. I believe that more can be done in Muslim communities at a localised level to stamp out these extremist attitudes before they start to grow and grow out of control.

[JDC]

Most of these extremists will be brought into Islam when they are younger but are brainwashed by people that take advantage of their innocence - causing them to commit these horrendous acts. I believe that more can be done in Muslim communities at a localised level to stamp out these extremist attitudes before they start to grow and grow out of control.

What about hardline imams that help instill hatred of western / non-muslim practices?

[Kewlizm]

What about hardline imams that help instill hatred of western / non-muslim practices?

There is actually an islamic subject called "Fiqh" which is jurisprudence in english. It is the study of applying Islamic rules in different places. Now you cannot apply some rules in USA which can be applied in KSA. And these 'hardline imams' or however you want to call them, they are most probably in a muslim country where these rules can be applied. And when they preach the rules, for example if they preach some rule which opposes the western practices, it means you apply it IF you can.

Let's take an example. Let's take  male and female separation. In theory, males and females should not be together. Now if you are a man and live in the US. You obviously want to work to earn a living. But almost all occupations involve colleagues, and almost always you will have a few colleagues of the opposite sex. Now will I go "no no no I will be involved with women"? No. I HAVE TO deal with it. But if I lived for example in Saudi-Arabia, HAH easy. All occupations are either 100% male or 100% female.

So that rule you can apply in KSA but not in USA. Now a sheikh will go preaching it in al-jazeera, and then it will make headlines about how muslims are weird and oppose western traditions and they create problems because they will require occupations with only 1 sex involved even though the rule will not be applied in the countries where it cannot be applied.

Oh and as if as non-muslims dont instill hatred against muslim practices.

[[WS]Jacob]

What about hardline imams that help instill hatred of western / non-muslim practices?

They can be arrested under the Terrorism Act, if they are preaching terrorist agenda to their followers.

[JDC]

Before anything else, as an outsider raised in a semi-oriental, semi-western culture, I have little knowledge in many matters of Islamic teachings, so forgive any lack of information on my part.

There is actually an islamic subject called "Fiqh" which is jurisprudence in english. It is the study of applying Islamic rules in different places. Now you cannot apply some rules in USA which can be applied in KSA. And these 'hardline imams' or however you want to call them, they are most probably in a muslim country where these rules can be applied. And when they preach the rules, for example if they preach some rule which opposes the western practices, it means you apply it IF you can.

They can be arrested under the Terrorism Act, if they are preaching terrorist agenda to their followers.

What about those who encourage their followers to hate western practices and westerners, but stop short of outright preaching violent or extremist agenda? Are there rules in Islam itself that forbid these practices?

Let's take an example. Let's take  male and female separation. In theory, males and females should not be together. Now if you are a man and live in the US. You obviously want to work to earn a living. But almost all occupations involve colleagues, and almost always you will have a few colleagues of the opposite sex. Now will I go "no no no I will be involved with women"? No. I HAVE TO deal with it. But if I lived for example in Saudi-Arabia, HAH easy. All occupations are either 100% male or 100% female.

My question here is less centered on cultural relativism and more on equality individuals regardless of sex. Do the customs of male-female separation also encourage curtailing of rights for women, such as driving or enjoying the same rights as men under the law?

Oh and as if as non-muslims dont instill hatred against muslim practices.

There are bigots on all sides of the world, unfortunately. As we cannot do something about it, I would like to limit my questions here to matters of Islam themselves and less on how people are spreading this or that about Muslims.

[saberman]

My question here is less centered on cultural relativism and more on equality individuals regardless of sex. Do the customs of male-female separation also encourage curtailing of rights for women, such as driving or enjoying the same rights as men under the law?

Yes. Nothing forbids them for driving, getting education or a job.

[JDC]

Yes. Nothing forbids them for driving, getting education or a job.

curtailing of rights for women, such as driving or enjoying the same rights as men under the law

To curtail means to "reduce in extent or quantity; impose a restriction on". You may want to do a double-take on your answer.

If women enjoy the same rights as men, why are they forced to cover themselves more or disallowed from contact with non-related men? Does this restriction also apply to men?

Also, what about incidents or practices in Muslim-majority countries such as the ones described in this article?

[Kewlizm]

If women enjoy the same rights as men, why are they forced to cover themselves more or disallowed from contact with non-related men? Does this restriction also apply to men?

I will try to answer the other questions later but this one was easy so I started with it.

Women have to cover themselves so that only their own husband is allowed to enjoy looking at her beauty. Honestly, every time in a western country when you see a fine girl on the streets, your hormones obviously go ding dong. So by covering themselves, they allow only their husbands (and some close relatives called mahrams) to see them.  Of course there are many more reasons such as preventing rape and being pure and showing that you are muslim, but that was one main point why they wear hijab.

Men wear hijab too. Hijab = some kind of barrier/obstacle in arabic.

We can't wear silk or gold (scholars have generalized this to mean not wearing "lavish clothing") - Women however, can.
- We can't wear "feminine" clothes
- We're suppose to have a beard (but sadly most don't follow this)
- We can't wear tight or revealing (ie. biceps) clothes, especially if it may cause fitnah (corruption).
- We must cover between the belly button and the knees.

 Men just have a smaller area to cover because women are obviously much more 'delicate' and attractive if you know what I mean.

And no, it is not oppressing women. Islam teaches to treat women like queens!

Men and women do have equal rights in Islam. Men have their rights, restrictions, and so do women.

And at last, I may ask a similar question. Why is it not considered nudity (in western societies) if a man is without a bra. But it is nudity, if a woman is without a bra? There. In a nutshell.