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Not that really, I just discovered that the Taliban didn't like fancy shoes for the ladies...... Life (or reality) dosn't like firm rules. Some Christian sects in the US West firmly limits everything people, specially women, wear, there is a boundary case with eyeglbuttes, so the ladies load them (glbuttes) with spangles.

Depends on the rulers, the Crusaders end off everyone they didn't like, Saladin, on the other hand, left most people alone when he reconquered the area. Baibers wasn't as forgiving. There is a statue to Saladin near the Great Mosque in Damascus. All through the Middle Ages Saladin was regarded as a paladin throughout the area. I didn't see his behaviour mentioned in any the `Islam is a sworn enemy of the West' books rushed out after 9-11..

They seem to be reading from the same hymn book.

Gawd!

Small point, there are no priests in Islam, what there are is men that lead the congregation in prayer, and will then address the congregation on various matters. (Any Muslims reading this please correct me if incorrect!).. Islam is more faithful to the Jewish descent this way than Christianity. Their society listens to respected older people, as it has for milennia in one form or another. Big cities and technology in these countries give a false impression, they are very structured in the way they always have been. Their fascination with television is remarkable, parts of the cities that hardly have power have lines of satellite dishes pointing off to the whatever direction... There is a big split between Sunni and Shia, but both are very similiar in their form, and they all fiercely resent being dominated by firstly the British and French after the First World War, and the USA since WWII. Children reared in a very restrictive environment will find it hard to adapt when they are on their own (Some will retain an inner strenght, others will fall apart).. These countries are like that, it will take ages for them to adapt (and, of course, the world will be still changing, as it always did, and always will).. Iran dominated that area in ancient times, and will in the future. There were three influences in ancient Syria (in the geographic sense), Egypt early on, then a long contest between Anatolian Powers and (Persia buttyria Babylon). These will continue to influence the area. As civilized people, with no power to influence affaires, what is the best we can hope for?.. Israel to stop settling colonists in the West Bank.. Some sort of arrangement that will allow the Palestinian Diaspora to return.. Some sort of arrangement that will stop the looming civil war in Iraq.. Saudi to slowly reform into a semi-modern state.. Egypt to continue as it is. (The Muslim Brotherhood threat to Egypt is at least as dangerous as any in the area).. Iran to put a large sock into it's presidents mouth.. As the dominant World Power, it is the US's responsibility to influence affairs in a positive, but the whole Muslin World regards the US as being completely in Israel's corner. That's the present problem.

Anyway, peace.

-- greymaus