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If Muslims in Japan live peaceful lives without forgetting the virtues of Islam, understanding of Muslims will spread.

15 Comments

Mimasaka Higuchi, 79, who served as chairman of the Japan Muslim Association from 1990 to 2003, and continues to be Islam's leading voice in Japan. (Asahi Shimbun)

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Islam is not only a religion but also a political ideology. However that is not to say that every Muslim is violent at heart. Many are not and they might have the same aspirations for living peaceful lives that people have worldwide. But they also have the same potential for violence as others. However Islam as a religion and an ideology seeks to exploit that potential.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Japan needs to be very careful. Look at the state of Western Europe, especially the UK.

2 ( +8 / -5 )

@onagagamo I agree. UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, and other European countries are having social problems since their liberal immigration policies of allowing Muslims into their countries. I hope Japan learns something from this.

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People are of course free to practice any religion, peacefully., but to say Islam will be the dominate religion is absurd. It is already the largest religion in the world.

Conversely, to say that secularists will disappear is also absurd. A majority of the scientific achievement in history were made by people who were secularist or agnostics or were faithfully religious but not afraid to challenge established moribund religions and thus branded heretics, causing science to be delayed by hundreds of years. We still have this problem today.

Last but not least, ANY religion that mandates blind obedience is a failure.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

@genjuro: True, that is my main concern. Europe has lost a LOT of culture because of the immigration.

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Conversely, to say that secularists will disappear is also absurd. A majority of the scientific achievement in history were made by people who were secularist or agnostics or were faithfully religious but not afraid to challenge established moribund religions and thus branded heretics, causing science to be delayed by hundreds of years. We still have this problem today.

So much wrong with this paragraph. Basically you're just repeating a bunch of atheist trite that lacks any sort of actual evidence. For one, the overwhelming majority of scientists and philosophers of note prior to the 20th century were religious, and in some cases very devoutly religious. Nearly half of Isaac Newton's written works dealt with religion, for example. To claim that these people were secretly atheist, agnostic, or otherwise lying about their religious observance without a shred of evidence isn't scientific, it's a creationist-tier claim.

The other issue is this "science delayed by hundreds of years" claim that you came up with. Here's a question for you - aside from Galileo, whose case had much more to do with personal relationships than the heliocentric theory anyway, can you name any other notable cases of the Church prosecuting natural philosophers as heretics? Because if anything it was the Christian monks who preserved the knowledge the Ancients, thus enabling the renaissance.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Look at the state of Western Europe, especially the UK.

UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, and other European countries are having social problems since their liberal immigration policies of allowing Muslims into their countries

Europe has lost a LOT of culture because of the immigration

Go on, say what you really want to say.

"Breed like rabbits you know"

who in turn have many children

Oh. Already done.

"coming over here, taking our culture" , "we should send them back where they came from".

The only thing worse than a bigot who speaks his mind is a bigot who doesn't.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

To suggest that secularism will, ahem, "die out" because secularists aren't having enough kids to keep the flock going is patently ridiculous. Is secularism, or religious faith, for that matter, genetic in nature? I think not. Religion is simply a codified belief system that is created, taught, and learned, and nothing more. Secularism as well, but to a lesser degree, IMO.

Religions don't necessarily ebb and flow in adherents based on baby-making capabilities. If this were true, Catholicism would be neck-and-neck with Islam in terms of sheer number of believers. Family is a cornerstone of Catholicism, as it is to Buddhism.

And the audacity and ignorance it requires to even imply that family is not important to atheists or agnostics beggars belief.

Re: the topic at hand, understanding of Muslims is a noble goal, just as is the promotion of understanding and toleration of any religious belief. The caveat is that religious belief must abstain from subjugating or suppressing beliefs or fundamental human rights that might run counter to its own.

Also, it's important that "understanding" isn't packaged with an expectation for broad latitude towards proselytizing and recruitment. The world hardly needs the expansion of any religious system that has codified decidedly non-humanist dogma. This isn't limited to just Islam. It applies to any religion that considers female adherents beholden to the demands dictates of allegedly superior males.

1 ( +3 / -3 )

I think as humans develop and receive better education over time, religion will phase out for it's silliness.

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Historically speaking, Islam tends to rise as other empires crumble. They don't generally build empires themselves, they just invade existing empires. If the world ever becomes predominantly Muslim, it would be an indication of a world back down below the Industrial Revolution economically wise. Not a happy place.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

'I think as humans develop and receive better education over time, religion will phase out for it's silliness.'

I think you're being a bit too optimistic in the case of Islam. This is the youngest of the major religions, has fire in its belly and more than the other religions, will tend to dismiss the new or erect defences against anything which contradicts its beliefs. It's generally the hardest nut to crack.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Imho, what Europe did wrong was it flooded itself with immigration (mostly muslims) without letting the slower process of assimilation to take place first. My experience tells me, when a mass of people come into a foreign land, they tend to crowd around themselves. It's uncomfortable being around strangers with differing values, it's easier to stay within your comfort zones. With Japanese attitudes towards foreigners, you can forget about "understanding" when that happens in Japan.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I have never met anyone except some other Jews that know anything about Judaism. And I have met very few people that know anything about Islam. People do not read and study. It is sad, and that is where racism comes about.

There is an extremely important phrase in Hebrew and it is the backbone of Judaism. It is called Tikun Olam. It means repair the world basically. Only men can bring about the messianic state. I doubt it will ever happen though because most people are blind ignorant and do not study.

Put away your phones, or download some books on them and read instead of playing brain numbing games.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

patronizing attitudes are never good for winning crowds. If people aren't interested, if certain things don't concern them, it usually means that they won't study it.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

'I have never met anyone except some other Jews that know anything about Judaism'

Really? I've met quite a few. It is often the patronising tactic of the religious to tell non-adherents they are ignorant and shouldn't criticise due to this ignorance. One interesting study in the US found that atheists scored highest when asked questions about religions.

Also, I don't think the word 'racism' can apply to Islam. Muslims constantly like to remind us they are not a race - anybody is welcome ( well, perhaps that's an exaggeration - quite a few wouldn't accept homosexuals ). As for Jews and Judaism, Mehdi Hasan, a very distinguished journalist in the UK who is also a believing Muslim, once wrote a superb article outlining the rampant anti-Semitism among many UK Muslims, referring to it as 'our dirty little secret'. This is a man who certainly can't be accused of knowing nothing about Islam.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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