Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 08:29:46 +0900 From: Joao Barros-Pereira <joaobarrospere...@gmail.com>
Reading the posts, in particular on religion, I get the impression that there are few Muslims as members of Goanet. How many Muslims have commented in the last few months ...? Mario responds: There are no Muslim members of Goanet, as far as I know, though there is one female member with a hyphenated Catholic-Muslim surname. Joao wrote: As I'm new to this list I feel strange reading the posts and sometimes get the impression the world is divided into Roman Catholics vs Hindus. Mario asks: This is an open forum, so any VERSUS based on our surnames is pure coincidence as far as I am concerned. I don't consider a member's religion when I respond to something they have written, only what they have written. Their surnames mean little or nothing here as we have some agnostics and atheists who have Catholic or Hindu surnames. Joao wrote: I cannot help but wonder why it is so ... Please enlighten me. Mario responds: An open worldwide forum like this attracts members by natural selection, mostly hearing about it from a friend or search engine. If it interests them, they stay. No one is asked to leave, except in a rare case when they may refuse to abide by the rules, but some have left for their own personal reasons. We had a Muslim member several years ago, but he decided to leave. If you know of any Muslims who are interested, feel free to invite them to join. Joao wrote: It is, after all, a big world we are living in which is full of a wide range of opinions - and, that's what makes the internet interesting, right? Mario responds: Right. So, see if you can find us a Muslim member. I don't know a single Goan who is a Muslim.
