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Originally Posted by MikeWaters
Muslims, fundamentally, do not see religion as a free market. Period.
If they did, you would see missionaries from other religions allowed in their countries.
Increasingly, on an empiric basis, I doubt the notion that Islam is a religion of freedom, peace, and tolerance.
Sorry, Bush, not buying that one.
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I wonder how much of this is determined by the influence of local custom and culture on the practice of Islam? For example, Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, does allow missionaries from other religions. A link to The Church's Indonesian website:
English version
http://www.gerejayesuskristus.or.id/church/hp/index.asp
Indonesian version
http://www.gerejayesuskristus.or.id/church/hm/index.asp
Additionally, Christian missionaries are active throughout the Muslim world (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Turkey, etc.). Granted, the more fundamentalist societies (Saudi Arabia and other gulf states, Afghanistan) remain closed, and the plight of new converts from Islam is difficult even in the more tolerant states. Nonetheless, a certain level of tolerance does exist. While the teachings of Islam may militate against a "free market" approach to religious tolerance to a certain extent (what religion's teachings don't to some extent?), the level of tolerance appears to be more a factor of local customs and the "civilization" effect than Islam itself. I also wonder how much of this, particularly the intolerance found in Middle Eastern Islam, is an outgrowth of that region's mistrust and antipathy for Western political and military dominance in world affairs. Many still see the establishment of Israel as a modern day extension of The Crusades, placing a European enclave in the heart of the Middle East.
I don’t see Islam as a monolith. The puritanical Wahhabist tradition found in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan is only one shade among many.