[quote=Ren] In general, they are not as culturally advanced as western states, so more of them take religious works literally. If you removed Islam from the equation and put Christianity in its place, you would have entire mid-eastern countries treating women exactly the way they were treated in the Old Testament, and stoning people, and crucifying people. [/quote]
A bit of ethnocentrism has leaked out. By whose standards are you measuring “culturally advanced”? Do you have a clue what that area of the world looks like? Have you ever been to the middle east? Or anywhere else that isn’t the US or Northern Europe? Before it came tumbling down, Beirut was one of the most modern cities in the world. Oman is today. As are many cities across the middle east. So if “culturally advanced” means modern cities with indoor plumbing, then the middle east is as advanced as any other part of the world. If it means something else, then the subjectivity of any measurement makes it moot.
Beyond that, are you aware that there are significantly MORE Muslims living outside the middle east than in that area? There are somewhere in the neighborhood of a billion Muslims in the world. Are they all culturally backwards, or just those that reside in the middle east?
Captain Jingo rides again. Put another quarter in the electric bull.
