Sir/Madam:

Common, give me a break!

With 100 Islamic scholars and more mullahs giving different interpretations of Islam, which Islam a "non-believer" like me has to understand!

First reform as per times; be prepared to discard unsuitable and unacceptable practices; permit others also a litle bit of freedom of speech to contribute; and above all be prepared to listen to others instead of taking meaningless and misleading reports!

Regards,
Regards,

Like perhaps learning that, as according to Australia's most senior cleric, Western-dressed women can be viewed as "uncovered meat put out for the cats"?
Time to stop wittering on about diversity, richness of culture and all that 1960's PC drivel and concentrate on building a tolerant and integrated society.
Perhaps new immigrants need to learn that they are joining an existing society as have many before them. If they aren't prepared to fit in then perhaps going somewhere else that does meet their high expectations should be high on their list of options to consider. As the environmentalists never tire of telling us, there is a superfluity of flights to other countries.
Indigenous malcontents should learn that they are nothing new. Perhaps a course in recent British history dealing with, for example, Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts, would be appropriate.

Why is it always us that have to understand islam? A little give and take is in order.

Islam is medieval and over 1000 years behind the times, it is up to them to get up to date or get out.

Sir/Madam:

"If they aren't prepared to fit in then perhaps going somewhere else that does meet their high expectations should be high on their list of options to consider."

Sorry!

There are few secular democracies which meet their expectations.

May be some Muslim country with "great culture" and so on may be the best option!

Regards,

Islam is a primitive desert religion with no concept of tolerance for non believers. Unlike Christianity, it hasn't reformed significantly in 1400 years. There's really not much more to understand.

What drivel, why not also promote the understanding, of Sikkhism, Scientology, Aetheism, Agnosticism, Hinduism, Buddishm, Agnosticism, satanism, Christianity, Judaeism etc etc etc etc.
Promote it all you like but how is an understanding of Islam going to help anything. Most of its own adherents have different understandings of it.
just about everybody else understands that Islam is a religion of total intolerance to the beleifs of others and until they can learn indifference instead nothing will change.

Having come from a religious background and having studied the Koran in the 50’s and having lived and worked in several Islamic states, this is my opinion.

Christianity which properly should be based on the life of Jesus Christ and his teachings supported and guided by Scripture is subject to many interpretations and has been modified over the last two thousand years. However, the Koran and its associated holy books are considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God or Allah, it is therefore immutable

Will these Academics conduct a detailed study of these works and explain how a religion that calls for the total destruction of infidels (that is all unbelievers) and the murder of anyone who decided to repudiate Islam be welcomed into a modern civilised multi cultural society?

Will they also look at the history of the development of this religion and how it was spread by the sword and conquest? Look at the treatment of Non-Muslims in Islamic countries. Look at the history of the Islamic record of integration and their demand for Shari Law? Will they also consider the position of those, like me, that repudiate all religions as superstition?

I’m certain that if they carry out a fair and detailed study then they can only conclude that Islam has no place in any society other than an Islamic one. The primary intent of Islam is to create an Islamic world by stealth then force.

Afterthought: - Perhaps they can also ask the Muslim community to explain the fatwa!

yes i was thinking of opening my own classes Teaching Muslims the understanding of Homosexuality

Not another Understanding Course for us Infidals to go through! I uderstand Islam very well, they have shown their true colours for over a decade now,& I dont think anyone with a sound mind can fail to see an Unreformed Isam is a very dangerous thing! It is a other posters have said Medieval in the extreme, & the latest Fatwa from some Cleric Down Under saying uncovered Women are akin to MEAT, just shows their comtempt for Women in general!If they want to live according to their Medival ways in their own Nations I have no problem with that, feel heart sorry for their Women but its up to them to revolt! However they should Not be allowed to get away with such utterings & demands in Non-Muslim Societies.

Sorry I don't understand or want to understand the Christians...why would I want to understand the Muslims..

Judging by the tone of the comments here, there is great need for more understanding of Islam and how it fits into a multi-cultural, multi-faith society. I read this article as meaning that both Muslims and non Muslims could be better served by courses which address these issues rather than separatist, and possibly extremist approaches which the researchers imply exist currently. Given the current asinine level of debate around women wearing (or not) the veil, surely most people agree with this?

With u all the way no8....but there is no movement around to deal with the threat...they are saying jump & we ask asking how high!

Simply put no.12...is doesnt fit! They cant fit themselves into a Non-Muslim enviorment!They dont want to fit into our Culture,& if anthing in our Culture offends them, its Banners with Be-Head the Infidals....& worse threats, surely u must see that no Democracy when the Majority not happy with the Minority,something will have to give....anyway I wasnt asked or Polled if I wanted to live in a multi-cultural Society, simple because in my travels I have seen it dont work in the Real World.U try living as a secular westerner in any Islamic Country...bottom line u CANT...

The U.K. is a Secular Country with a Christian Background.Muslims have lived here for decades,but kept their Religion indoors where it belongs, not out in the streets or in Politics!

U have Muslims from whatever background,demanding respect & wanting to live as their fore-fathers lived in their Countries of Origin, sorry it cant be done! If I am not free to express my Religon or lack of it in any of their Countries, the same should apply here!

Why does'nt the academics do a study on how to promote the understanding of Christianity in Saudi Arabia ?

Enough is enough. A "religion" of such hate and savagery should be avoided like the plague.The UK is no place to practice primitive ways of life.Understanding of a Religion that encourages bare faced lies, if you are speaking to the infidel(That's you and me) is dangerous and has no place in academia.

The senile, repugnant, and venomous comment proves the articles very point: a lack of honest, disspassionate study of Islam is grossly lacking.

No matter what fellow Muslims say, there is always the power of cynical editors (as we saw in Europe with the republication of the flagrantly offensive Danish caricatures) who have the power to magnify any ranting of a far-flung cleric to reinforce the negative, hostile, and downright racist perception of Islam.

Here in the US, we have Christian right-wing extremists ranting about bombing abortion clinics, in Mexico we see beheadings by drug-lords and wholesale sex-enslavement and kidnapping industry of young girls, but we don't see that in the news? What about Mexican, American, and European savagery? If you're offended by that simplistic generalization, then afford the Muslim people the same courtesy next time there is a propensity to generalize and demonize Islam.

Some say Islam calls for "killing the infidel." Wow! Such poison!

No doubt there were Muslim rulers and are Muslim extremists who kill, but by far and wide their victims are fellow Muslims!

If we assume that "Islam calls to kill infidels" to be true even for a second, then what would explain the systematic and uninterrupted generational continuation of Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Hindu, and other indigenous tribes and people in Muslim world including those in Middle East, AFghanistan, India, and Southeast Asia.

Andrew (20)

The Koran sets out how non Muslim people may live under Muslim rule - the concepts of jezya and dhimmi, a system of extra taxation and restrictions designed to intimidate and insult.

What you say is true, other religions have survived under Muslim rule but only under intense oppression. Consider that the Christian population of Egypt has dropped from over 90% under Muslim rule to now under 10%. Zoroastrianism used to be the majority religion in Iran, under Muslim rule, it has declined to less than 1% of the population.

Part of the reason for the decline of these populations is that Islamic regimes such as the Ottomans took Christian children away as slaves from their families (a custom known as devshirmeh). Boys grew up as soldiers (Janissaries) and were made to convert to Islam, girls were taken to harems.

We are constantly being told that we should do more to understand Islam however what is actually wanted by these apologists is that we accept their pro-Islamic propaganda at face value.

A simple "Thank you for your thoughts but we will not be pursuing this" should cover it.