One of my favorite scenes from Star Trek DS9. Just thought I'd throw that out there...

[redgreenandblue]

...in light of the ongoing debates on Islam. Summarizes my view on the subject rather well.

[redgreenandblue]

1. kicked for the evening crowd.

[linuxman]

2. Can I safely assume

that in your mind Quark is representative of Muslims, and Sisko is is representative of Europeans/Westerners?

[redgreenandblue]

4. Not necessarily only Muslims.

You can, if you wish, apply it to whatever other culture is looked down upon at a given time.

There is no glossing over the fact that in the last century alone, it was mainly the "Christian occident" that lit the world on fire twice.

[ChazII]

3. Ferengi are interesting but not

necessarily better.

Until the episodes "Ferengi Love Songs" (in which it was revealed that Ishka, the mother of Quark and Rom, had become romantically involved with Grand Nagus Zek), and "Profit and Lace", the laws and society of the Ferengi were extremely harsh towards its women. Selling one's mother for gold-pressed latinum, the principal form of legal tender, is an act that would be looked on with admiration in Ferengi society. Moreover, female Ferengi were forbidden to learn to read, acquire profit, talk to strangers, or even wear clothes. They could only leave the house with the permission of the eldest male of the family. Ferengi women traditionally softened food for members of their family by chewing it (though not all females did this). The rules regarding females were not always followed; Ishka regularly wore clothes and talked to strangers, and it is unlikely that she was the only rule-violator. Given that Ferengi had no objection to doing business with women of other species, it can be reasonably assumed that their attitudes toward females had evolved over time. Female Ferengi gained the legal right to wear clothing and leave the house in "Profit and Lace".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferengi

[Humanist_Activist]

5. That argument is kinda demolished when you realize that, historically...

most societies practiced all the atrocities you can think of on this planet. The only exceptions I can think of offhand are smaller tribal societies that never developed the means to commit large scare atrocities or were able to practice slavery, etc.

Not to mention Quark is lying in that scene, at least about slavery, as revealed in later episodes.