to find an article to PROVE, (because it's in The Guardian) there's no religious issue here.

Mighty fast searching and analysis by some of the finest and most nimble apologists ever to post on DU.

Just curious as to why religious apologists seem to have such a hard time actually discussing the weaknesses of religions and disgussing the numerous disastrous consequences of "sincerely held religious beliefs".

(Maybe because there's just so many many weaknesses of religions, and so many disasters caused by religions; where to start?)

assholes the Taliban, you know the same ones who shot that girl Malala Yousafzai in the head for attending school against god's clearly stated rules, the one factor was intimidation. So stop pretending this has anything to do with religion or I will admonish you! Plus I have googled this and there are experts out there like radioactive ark man who know much more about this than you or I do, so I urge you to sit down and shut up.

although it was to be done separately. One of the reasons for the early Golden Age was that everyone was educated, male and female, and women contributed greatly to the arts, sciences, math, and engineering of the period.

It was only when the old woman hating tribal crap crept back in and was codified into the Hadith that girls were kept ignorant and shrouded as though they were already dead so the poor widdle mensies wouldn't get all hot and bothered all the time.

If Islam ever grows up enough to reject that stuff again, it will be ready for another Golden Age.

(just pretend)

You still have a group who claim to be as devout as you can get.

What is it about their religious beliefs, that they would claim shape every part of their lives, that allow them to do something like this?

in the year 2014, we still have this Islamic fundamentalist group running amok in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It's sad enough that we still pay such homage to religion at all, but some of these folks are wayyyy overboard.

There's a long, absurd, scary listing of some of the Taliban restrictions on women here. I cannot vouch for complete accuracy, but I have heard of many of these in other quarters.

I don't understand why some religious apologists on DU cannot acknowledge that these measures are quite extreme, and perhaps contrast them with the "accepting, loving nature of Christianity." (I partly gagged while writing that)

Beslan School #1 in Russia, Sept. 1, 2004. Islamic militants, but that time Chechen. They used women known as "black widows" for potential suicide bombers.

There's a heartbreaking documentary about the Beslan siege, called "Three Days In September" and narrated by Julia Roberts. Many of the people who lost their children and other family members are interviewed.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beslan_school_hostage_crisis