Patters

http://www.expatica.com/actual/artic...story_id=33213

PARIS, Sept 19, 2006 (AFP) - A large majority of French Muslims support sexual equality, free choice in religion and the separation of church and state, flying in the face of some Western cliches on Islam, a new poll reveals.

Of the Muslims questioned, 91 percent said they supported male-female equality, while 69 percent would accept a Muslim woman marrying a non-Muslim, according to the CSA poll to be published Thursday by the Roman Catholic weekly La Vie.

Some 73 percent also said they agreed with the French separation of church and state -- an issue spotlighted two years ago by a contentious ban on religious signs including Muslim headscarves in state schools.

Fully 94 percent said they believed people were equal regardless of their religion, and 46 percent that it was acceptable for a Muslim to convert to Christianity -- against 45 percent who said the opposite.

***

For many of us, this poll is only a little surprising, but given the anti-Muslim rhetoric expressed by some, some might find the poll results rather shocking. AFP is the French press agency, and thus in France I believe as legitimate as CNN would be here, but I will say that I find it strange that the article does not say more about who conducted the poll.

Harry Boy

Do really believe that?

Patters

The numbers were higher than I would have guessed, but let's remember that most people don't give a damn about politics. Most people are more concerned with their paycheck, what's on tv, and what sales are going on at the mall. Also, let's remember that the French are much stricter than us with regard to the separation of church and state, so the Muslims who grew up in France are to some extent indoctrinated with that sort of liberalism.

gomezcat

I believe it. The extremists always shout very loudly and act as if they are representing a large percentage of whatever community they represent. I can well believe that so few Muslims go to Mosque in France. It certainly is true of the ones I know in the UK. It doesn't surprise me that French Muslims have adopted some of the scepticism that exists towards religion in general.
It is worth bearing in mind that we have declining interest here in religion, unlike the US, where I understand that churches are full on a Sunday. When Blair made a reference to God, it went down extremely badly in this country. He has never repeated it since. When I see a US politician, they always make references to God. That plays really badly in most of Northern Europe. I think it is one of the biggest differences between us and you.

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Real World

Don't look now Patters but you've just pointed out one of the reasons the Administration went into Iraq.

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"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897

IcyPatriot

Also...if not for the fact that they fear for their life...the majority of Muslims would gladly rid themselves of the Muslim fanatics tomorrow.

Real World

Check out this video. The woman is right on point.


http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.a...=1050wmv&ak=nu

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"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897

sdaniels7114

Well, its a poll covering people who left a Muslim country and decided to move to France, as well as their offspring. People don't leave a country to bring that country's way of life someplace else. They leave because they don't like how things are. I laugh at those who think Mexico is attempting to take over the Southwest by sending their people here. My mom left Ireland many years ago because she wanted a better life, not because she wanted to help Ireland take over the city of Boston, that just sort of happened.

Turk

Careful, Patters.
You are shattering the evil image here that the Neo-Cons would love to have of people they never met.
Hell, it is so much easier to look at things in purely black and white, good guys against bad guys; requires no research, no analogy, no thinking whatsoever.
It is so much easier to hate them, while claiming that you are doing your best to help them.

Is it any wonder that you see so much resentment towards the higher educational institutions, coming from the right?

Patters

Wait until Homeland Security gets her. Then she'll admit the truth.