A popular question seems to be to ask where are the muslim scientists? followed by much lamenting about the glory days of muslim scientists and how Muslims are not progressing.

Well, I have news - there are still plenty of Muslim scientists, businessmen, pioneers in the world. You just don't hear of them as much because they are working.

There are many Muslim scientists. They just do not have the recognition as muslims because they do not work in the middle east. Instead, many work for multinational corporations such as GLaxoSmithKline, Shell, IBM, intel, AMD and many others, or even have prestigious research positions at universities.

Richard Dawkins, even since writing a book titled "The Selfish Gene" has been a proponent of memes as a form of social evolution.

A meme has no physical existence and is just ideas, practices or symbols transmitted in some sort of viral manner from person to person, community to community.

It is a clever idea that through interaction with others societies adapt, evolve and change, exchanging ideas, transmitting knowledge and adapting to other changes. And on paper it all sounds great.

From Wikipedia:

GAUTH-UL-AZAM CONFERENCE

Sunday 2nd August 2009 2.00 PM

Speech By Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr.Muhanmmad Tahir-Ul-Qadri

Brothers and Sisters welcome

VICTORIA PARK MOSQUE, Manchester, M14 5RU

">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGAaFMJji_8]

">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5k-jotksSM]

Befriend an extremist - because they're worth it.

Once upon a time there was a man. He was angry, murderous even. He decided to act on his rage and set off to find his target. When he arrived, He accepted Islam. He was Umar ibn al-Khattāb.

If someone so angry, so enraged by Islam can have a change of heart, why can't other non-muslims who are less angry? I think it is time to engage them with dialogue.

"Operation Peace and Love" is to join such groups and then... be nice. Give answers where possible and these are ripe hunting grounds for people who are afraid or angry for the wrong reasons.

This is moved from comments in Fighting fire with fire with some amendments and additions etc and has been posted to a couple of Casuals United Facebook Groups.

Questions from a few people over at http://www.therevival.co.uk/blogs/beast/fighting-fire-with-fire :

1. Why are Muslims bad people?

2. What aspects of the British way of life are threatened by Muslims?

3. Do you think that Anjem Choudry is representative of British Muslims?

4. Do British Muslims need liberating from themselves? Should women be forced to abandon wearing what they want to if it is a headscarf?

5. Why do you feel threatened by a building which is not insulting you, nor demanding you to even acknowledge it.

why does it seem islam is on a course to take over the whole world through birth rates?

Once again, this should not threaten you or anyone - its not like you are prevented from having kids.

As for birth rates, they are more linked to how affluent a community is - poor, less affluent communities have higher birthrates than the richer ones.

If you look at muslim immigrant community birth rates in europe, you will notice a trend of normalisation over time where they become closer and closer to the "native" birthrates, so this is not a threat and the best way to counter such things is to help poorer people become more affluent.

Further discourse with members of Casuals United:

"Its a fact that whilst not all muslims are terrorists, All terrorists these days are muslims so why does the so called peace loving religion stamp it out?"

erm.. you need to get yourself some figures. Muslim terorism accounts for probably less than one % of all terrorism related activity in Europe - "Know your enemy"

From my friendly discourse with Casuals United:

why cant you intergrate into society like other races? why moan and set up ghettos and no go zones for whites etc?

Have you personally been exposed to any of these "no go zones" for whites? Are you sure they are not simply a figment of the media's imagination (actually no, I do suspect there to be morons around where there are such cases and yes, if they do exist, they are wrong)

I have a friend hounded out of a property he bought and paid for because it was in a predominantly white area. He repeatedly was threatened, had his windows smashed, people threaten and break in.

There should be no "no go zones" anywhere IMO as they are all bad and counter productive.

If this story doesn't make you laugh so hard, let me know and I'll pray for you.

This is a story about a couple who had been happily married for years. The only friction in their marriage was the husband's habit of farting loudly every morning when he awoke. The noise would wake his wife and the smell would make her eyes water and make her gasp for air. Every morning she would plead with him to stop ripping them off because it was making her sick.

He told her he couldn't stop it and that it was perfectly natural.

She told him to see a doctor; she was concerned that one day he would blow his guts out.

The years went by and he continued to rip them out!