I'm not convinced that freedoms threaten anyone's way of life. Iraq for all its failings managed to let women go around without full headscarves, drive cars and hold down jobs; Turkey and Egypt likewise; and this hasn't noticeably led to extra immorality there.

Islam isn't a conservative religion in itself - the problem is that many *countries* in which Islam is the primary religion are conservative countries, and interpretation of religion is used as the means of control. We can't impose our culture - but we can support self-determination (vocally or otherwise) when the people of those countries decide they've had enough of it. The problem is that the very concept of self-determination can be seen as a threat. That's a standard government problem though, and it's not specific to Islamic countries - most countries' governments today have been founded after some kind of popular protest against the previous rulers, and most of them celebrate that revolution whilst simultaneously saying that popular protests against the current rule are immoral and evil. Such is government. :-/

The problem is though, we claim we celebrate freedom of religion, and then we get front-page newspaper articles about "mad mullahs", or a devout religious family who do nothing but help their neighbours being dragged from their house and shot by the police. Similarly we claim we don't discriminate, and then more black and Asian men are stopped on suss. Does not compute.

Graham.