Does the news from a country define the country? Or religion?

Ok if these are social problems and not religious ones, why are the problems in the middle east seen as religious ones when really, they too are social problems. Not all muslim countries are the same and culture has a huge affect on what the social norms are. It drives me crazy when no one bothers to check the facts before making these statements! Why is it that women in the 7th century during the Prophet (pbuh)'s time had more rights than women in some muslim countries have today? Something is obviously wrong here and its definitely not based on the Quran or sunnah. Some muslims need major social reform but there is nothing wrong with islam itself. Maybe if islamic countries had secular societies, everything would not be blamed on islam but the fact wouldn't change that the same problems still exist.

To the person below me, the first hadith regarding Aisha's age was recorded by Hisham ibn `urwah and no one else reported it. It was written that his reports after he went to iraq are not reliable and this one did come from after he went to iraq. He was 71 and he suffered from memory problems. The reason this hadith was not put to the same stringiency tests is because it was only for academic knowledge and not for practical islamic life. If this event was as shocking as you want it to be, why in the world did no one pay attention to it? Why was everyone so disinterested in it and even his enemies, who ridiculed everything about him did not find anything wrong with it? She must have been mature enough to be married and there is so much evidence that says she couldn't have been 9 years old. Tabari wrote that all 4 children of Abu Bakr were born before islam began. That would make her 14 at the time of marriage and definitely not 9. So there are many hadith that contradict the fact that she was 9 and there is not a single reliable source that says she was 9 years old. I do not know how old she really was but if you think that posting the same things again and again about Aisha's age can prove something, you are wrong.

I just responded on your second question and decided to take a look at this one.

I like what you've asked and want to tell you that the things that you wrote about are horrific and, sadly, rampant. It's not however Christianity that teaches these horrors nor do I believe that true Muslims endorse these acts either. If anything, I think that it's a lack of God in peoples lives that causes such horrors - even though some acts are perpetrated by people who shout from the mountain tops that they're Christians.

The devil likes to take hold wherever he can and this is the product of people allowing him to.

Another point is that these terrible acts have been committed from the beginning of time but now there are endless medias by which these things can be reported and more and more, people are willing to hear what's happening in the world.

I offer no solution just a perspective and prayer for mankind because it's not just the U.S. that has these problems.

Well, there is a lot of assuming going on obviously, especially when people in the US feel theyre better than the rest of the world because of the economic and military superiority it has over other countries.

This being said, Ive met a lot of Arabs who consider the social problems that Americans have, as a consequence of their religion too. :) But their media is not mainstream like the CNN, or Fox is. And not a lot of people understand Arabic, so it goes unnoticed.

Ofcourse what people do in their social life does not define a religion. But humans are inclined to think that way.

I cant blame them, because Ive seen quite a lot of Muslims who do the same to Christians. All the while, they have no idea that a lot of the Islamic teachings are shared with Christianity. Like covering your body parts for modesty, not dating until marriage, not having abortion, drugs and gambling being bad habits etc.

In your question you keep saying that this is a Christian nation but what you do not realize is that this country is a melting pot of all religions. It is not just Christians who commit crime in this great country of ours. We are the land of the free and the home of the brave. My father, mother, three brothers, a sister and a sister-in-law serve(d) in the Armed Forces to give you the right to voice your opinion. And do you think this is the only nation that the police force go to far? You must not watch much news broadcast then. All of the problems you mention are happening in every country.

I am a proud American and proud to live in this Country no matter how fu**ed up some people are.

Incest is rampant? That's news to me. Tell ya what, show me what I should positively want that comes uniquely from the middle east and we can talk on a positive note instead of arguing about who's the bigger a-hole.

BTW, I'm not Christian and I sort of resent having the US constantly painted as a Christian nation. It is, the polls show that but I view that as Christian people pissing on the country in the same way a tomcat does. Islam pissed on the middle east and the same way and I don't think it's something to be proud of, no. Not in either case. Religious types don't have the sense to feel any shame at all over that. And yes, it's THOSE TWO religions - Christianity and Islam - that seem to have this problem. It's like there's some big g/d sales contest and they're in the final weeks.

And another thing that gets my goat is this "blame the media" pathology. You do it. Wolfowitz did it. Hell, everybody's doing it and to my way of thinking the more enemies they have the more it proves that they're doing their job, not like back in 2003 when they simply rolled over for Bush's war machine.

The facts of the Quran and Hadith: intolerance and hatred towards ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING non-Islamic.

This Atheist has read both the Bible and Quran and is happy to live in a tolerant Christian USA instead of as a 'dhimmi' in a Muslim country.

Neither.

Ignore the Quran and tell people about the hadiths, such as the following.

Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 64 -Narrated 'Aisha: that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he had sex with her when she was nine years old, and then she remained with him for nine years (i.e., till his death).

Hadith : 1:229. I used to wash the traces of Janaba (semen) from the clothes of the Prophet and he used to go for prayers while traces of water were still on it (water spots were still visible).

ISHAQ:166 You have recited to the people that which I did not bring to you from Allah, and you have said that which He did not say to you. The Messenger was grieved and feared Allah greatly.

Bukhari, Vol 2, No. 167 "The sun eclipsed and the prophet jumped up terrified that it might be the Hour (of Judgment)"

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i am not afraid to answer this one sister...make your voice loud, you go right ahead...may Allah Subhanna wa ta'ala give you good deeds from this. and may the God save you.

this is very good point. something for American people to think about before they second judge us again i hope. it isn't Islam that needs to be bashed and judged, as you said we can do the same. it needs to be the terrorists who i hope Americans troops get rid of. Insh'Allah. but those of us who {are not interested in hypocrite ways of terrorist} maintain our peace, and keep to ourself we will be fine. Insh"Allah. because if we do the same bashing that is done to us, we become just like them. and we are trying here on Y! Q&A to show the people that we want our name back. and i hope that when the people here see there are good Muslim and Muslims who don't want to kill them for what they believe i hope that they are speading the word that yes...Good Muslims do exists...insha'Allah

America is not a "christian" nation. It is a republic and there's an amendment to the constitution that formed that republic that states that there is no "national" religion.

I don't agree with any behavior you've described -- these are mostly social problems, not religious ones.

you are so right! im a muslim pakastani girl born and raised in america! i feel the same way, and yes you should defend our religion and everything we stand for!!!

good luck!=}