Things I was thinking about this weekend.

Isn't it a bit ironic that France did not want to go to war against Iraq, an Islamic country, but now finds themselves in a *war* of their own.

Why is the average age of the rioters in France 16? I read that the violence was due to the fact that the group rioting was tired of being poor and unemployed. But shouldn't they be in school? I think they should issue a curfew and if someone under 18 is arrested, the parents should be thrown in jail as well. This is so out of control. The French have started deporting those who are arrested for this violence.

In an effort to better understand what is going on, I did a google search, and found this article,
Symposium: Muslims in France: A Ticking Time Bomb? July 4, 2005
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=18631

It is quite long, but very interesting. Since it was written in July, it doesn't address the current riots, but it gives a great backstory.

Why is it that when *we* (we being anyone other then an arab/islam ) travel or move to an arab/islamic country we have to abide by the religious dress code, and driving laws (i.e. women can't drive), or we can't hand anyone anything with our left hand. But when muslims/islamics move to another country, they want that country to abolish the current religious symbols.

There have been instances of this in the US, Germany, Italy and France, that I know of. In Italy, there was an arab family that demanded the removal of a cross from a classroom in southern italy. France agreed to remove the chrisitan symbols from the classrooms, but that meant that ALL symbols had to be removed, including headress. That didn't go over well. Germany said, sorry. We are a christian country, and you moved here - we are keeping our christian symbols. The US has absolutely no religion allowed, anywhere, because someone is always complaining. HAHA

Why does the presence of religious symbols, other then their own (if they have any) offend some people? I can walk down the street and see a women in a headress, and see a guy with a yamakuh, and pass a woman wearing a big cross, and think *diversity*. I can also pass a republican, and a democrat and think *diversity*. So much of who you are depends on where you were born, and how you were raised. Why, because of who we are, and where we are from, some people do not tolerate the beliefs of others? And it all happens in the name of religion?? Isn't religion supposed to be about loving one another?

Why does someone with such strong beliefs in their religion, choose to move to another country that is 95% catholic, but then complain about the religious symbols found in that country?

Why, in schools, is tolerance and understanding of other beliefs not taught?

Moving on...

I was also thinking about this woman in Italy who woke up after being in a coma for five years. She was thought to be in a coma after a car accident, but it turns out that after she woke up she told the doctors that her husband had tried to kill her. He is now in custody. It is a tragic story. She was paralyzed in the attack, and has no movement from her head down. Comas are such a strange thing. How does someone wake up after 5 years?

Another story that caught my eye is the disapearance of a 14 year old girl, whose parents have been murdered. They think possibly this girl and her 18 year old boyfriend killed them because of her curfew, and that they did not approve of her boyfriend. Crazy.

And I guess a good man really is hard to find....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10038333/

Anyway...kind of a downer post today. I hope for all the people in France these riots end.

Have a good Monday.