Criticism of Islam is a protected belief

Fundamental Christianity in some African countries is completely curtailing and sometimes barbaric if a young woman is homosexual.
No whataboutery from me, equivalence.

It’s interesting people can’t accept just how bad it is for women and girls in a completely curtailing and sometimes barbaric situation and choose to deflect.

Every time it’s what about. Why is that?

I expect the bible is fairly limiting for a homosexual in several African countries.

Exactly. The Bible isn’t limiting to you. It’s not even limiting for everyone who does have Christian faith.

Whereas in countries such as Afghanistan religion manages to severely limit the lives of women and girls. Worse than that actually.

I don’t see the point in comparing an old text to the reality of women and girls today in some countries. How has that curtailment endured?

I feel (strongly) that the Amish should be prosecuted for not giving their children modern medicine. But it's a question of children's rights, not of women's rights (and a narrow question at that in terms of% of population).

But if a grown Amish woman wants to see a modern doctor and her husband stops her she can sue him. And any US Court will rule in her favor and possibly throw the man in jail.

Now if a grown Afghan woman wants to see a modern doctor the State will throw her into jail.

Still can't see the difference ? And again, not mentioning stoning to death and the likes

I don’t, I’m an atheist.

How limited do you feel by the Bible in your every day life compared to say the lives of women in Afghanistan and the religion that impacts them?

If you have to "grapple" with the essential meaning of Jesus' teaching, then you really haven't understood them.

The only "grappling" that ever needs to be done is when you are looking for loopholes.

I've not seen any philosopher in the ancient world criticise slavery as an institution.

Why do you think that is ? Once again the ancients (i.e. pre Christian) lived in a completely different world to us. Throwing concepts of "good", "evil, "harm" around is meaningless. They had no concept of human life as being in any way equal. That is very much a Christian contrivance (although the story of the last 2,000 years has been people "grappling" with the concept to explain why it doesn't apply to them).

Just to address the thread title, do you think Islam should be protected from criticism or ridicule by the law or should the law protect my freedom to say what I think about it?

All religions are equally deserving of the same protection afforded to Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, or Peter Pan.

Ruth?

And you said ‘certainly Old Testament’ so didn’t exclude the New Testament.

I said old testament. From which take your pick. You’ll be perfectly well aware.

Which New Testament women were you thinking of here?

Sounds fairly typical view of women in the bible, certainly old testament. Men, great and good, women bad, duplicitous and sinful.

And we can certainly see that playing out right now. Pick a side.

Yes thank you. I reject it also because of the treatment of women and girls.

That is about power. Secular states also go to war and cause bloodshed for centuries in order for groups/families to maintain power or gain access to resources, or to spread political ideologies (eg communism). It is the state of man.

You seem to have a bizarre fixation with US fundamentalists.
I'm an atheist, I have no skin in the game. However the idea that any Christian democratic country (not sects, with no authority) oppresses others on the basis of religion is nonsense.

To me this highlights the use of religion not just to control, but to weaponise groups. Henry VIII took that control from the pope wrt the UK and it was a cause of bloodshed for centuries. I see the same playbook between Shia & Sunni as between Roman Catholics and Protestants, same faith, different loyalties.
At the point where it causes more division than cohesion I reject it, because I can.

The girls not allowed to wear jeans were in exactly the same place as those who wear a burkha. It’s all good as just diversity though?

The UK has never been anything like a theocracy, particularly since the time when Henry V111 invented the Church of England, to allow him to marry, divorce and execute various wives. Since that time, the church has not been in charge of anything, it was always the monarchy, up until Queen Victoria, when there was a seismic power change from monarchy to government, with the church very much in the background. Up until very recently, the church had a massive (negative) influence in Ireland. In the US even now, fundamentalist Christian groups are very active and influential in shaping politics, particularly around such issues as abortion and women's rights.

I'm not sure why you keep holding up extremes in the US as representative. Do you live there?
This thread is about freedom to criticise all religions in the UK without fear or favour. I see a lot to criticise.
I'm actually horrified at schoolgirls in burqas, do they do PE? How do they eat their lunch?
What faith puts such strictures on schoolgirls, not even grown women, in the UK.

@JadeSquid

It's what a Christian Bishop (follower of Jesus) says in trying to grapple with the essential meaning of Jesus's teaching. I raise this because I've not seen any philosopher in the ancient world criticise slavery as an institution.
Just to address the thread title, do you think Islam should be protected from criticism or ridicule by the law or should the law protect my freedom to say what I think about it?

Much of their heinous behaviour is condoned by law. That's why the US still allows child marriage in some places.

I have a problem because no girl is allowed to wear jeans. I also went to school with plenty of Muslim girls who did not wear a hijab because nobody said they had to and they didn't want to.

Do you think they are the same @JadeSquid? Why?