As a web developer, I'd say this is the most balanced response I've read so far.

u married bro?

Yo, I'm a practicing Muslim /.er, just wanted to say that this vigilantism is not allowed in Islamic law, whether in a Muslim or non-Muslim country...don't believe everything you hear, there are powers that be that want you to believe Islam is a violent religion, etc., for political purposes.

Whenever i see an article like this, i step in and say something like this, but i would appreciate it if people learned about Islam themselves (and from proper Islamic sources). not everything the internet & mass media says is the truth.

Thank you, and peace

"typical slashdot armchair sociologist" - this was golden. heck, I can relate a lot to ya - I'm muslim and see a lot of slashdot armchair theologists, who think everything they read off the Internet and CNN about Islam explains it all in a nutshell. Kind of like how plenty of those living in suburbia will think "black people are violent", etc., without actually ever even being there or experiencing anything.

The YouTube ban is more based on emotion and "hey, we support the Islam too!" rather than Islamic law or being Muslim. There have been plenty of videos attacking Islam on YouTube for years now, so why is ALL of YouTube only banned because of this one?

As a practicing Muslim /.er, it saddens me to see the people who are supposed to be the most open-minded and questioning often believe the media blindly when it comes to Islam. The media makes a big deal out of certain events, doesn't even mention others, and uses words cleverly to change the mentality of the people. For example, about the same time as the Malala incident, an Afghan girl recently died of internal bleeding due to being raped repeatedly by US troops. Unfortunately she wasn't named Malala...

The media will essentially give the impression that "look - look at what these bad Muslims are doing!" without considering economic and political factors as well. Often "Muslims" or "Islamic extremists" are blamed for incidents completely political in nature (often committed by Muslims or secularists living in Muslim countries). Also, they will take the actions of an extreme minority and use such words, take such pictures that it will make you think they are the majority. Hence "those crazy Muslims". Take the recent attacks on the US embassy for example. I've BEEN to protests in the USA where atheist groups have thrown molotov cocktails. There have been plenty of incidents in which anarchists will cause illegal violence, such as getting on top of police cars and smashing them, during protests. But we don't think that all protesters are like that, do we? We don't hear about those incidents, do we? There's a reason for that.

All I will say is, let those who seek the truth, seek the truth, and let those who blindly follow, blindly follow.

I have been to Pakistan several times and am the son of Pakistani immigrants to the US...the stereotype of a "rabidly Muslim country" is pretty unfair - it's like calling the US a "rabidly Christian country". All in all, as long as people keep believing in media propaganda what the media wants them to think, they'll be ignorant and have views like "Muslim women are oppressed", "Muslims are violent", etc...

Let the seekers of truth seek the truth.

You're just looking to (essentially) display data right? Wordpress is the way to go. Unless your application needs to be able to control the city's traffic and water pump systems, you really wouldn't need a web framework.

"Christianity", not "religion". There is a difference.

Thanks, the best comment on /. on the subject I've read in a while.

Well, in order to understand Hamas's mentality, we also have to understand the history of that region and why the Palestinian people think the way they do. The violence against Israelis is not limited to religious Palestinians, but secular and communist ones, as well. Point is - oppress a people, give them no options, and they will resort to desperate measures.

I'm a Muslim, and that hadeeth (saying of the Prophet) has been completely taken out of context. Just look at how Jews (and other minorities) were treated under Muslim rule - Jewish scholarship peaked in Islamic Spain, and after the Inquisition, Jewish scholars (such as Maimonides) moved to African Muslim empires.

It is sad that a community which prides itself so much on free-thinking and open-mindedness will so blindly follow the mainstream media and right-wing conservative propaganda when it comes to Islam.

Awesome! Fight intolerance with more intolerance.

It's not like secular/atheistic governments have been known for brutal intolerance...secular Turkmenistan, Communist China, fascist Italy, the communist Khmer Rouge, and the list goes on...

In reality, thinking hasn't changed in the West - before, people used to follow the Church and burn heretics at the stake - now, people follow 'atheism' / 'whatever atheists are supposed to believe' and burn heretics at the stake. Nooooothing has changed.

...completely ignoring the brutal oppression which Noam Chomsky calls "murder, not war" of Israel against the Palestinians, which even Israeli civilian activists protest against.

Let me guess - you're from the USA and believe mainstream media?

...Everyone would be clamoring about free speech, freedom, etc.

In reality, there is no consistent standard of free speech that will be agreed upon by everyone. Saying something in support of the Nazi party is different, saying something about the Queen is different, even releasing pictures of someone related to the Queen is different.

But no clamor of free speech when it comes to Western countries. We're civilized, after all, right?

+1 if I could - I enjoy reading your insightful comments.