Lifting the Veil on "Islamophobia"

by cofty 108 Replies latest social current

  • cofty
    cofty

    The late Christopher Hitchens decribed the word Islamophobia as "created by fascists, and used by cowards, to manipulate morons.”

    Please take half an hour to read a fascinating conversation between Sam Harris and Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

    Ayaan is an apostate from Islam. She fled to the Netherlands in '92 to escape an arranged marriage and went on to become a Member of the Dutch Government from 2003-2006.

    Ayaan is now a Fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at The Harvard Kennedy School... She lives with round-the-clock security.

    "Some moderate Muslims hate me—and yes, that’s a strong word, but I think what they’ve said supports it—because I make them feel uncomfortable. The things I talk about put them in a state of dissonance that they can’t live with. Many of them seem to hate me more than they hate al-Qaida."

    Read more...

  • glenster
    glenster

    It may be as simple, as in Abrahamic religion generally, to distinguish con-
    servative/extreme and liberal stances. The hamhanded broadside swing giving all
    misinformative/harmful conservative stances as being "Islam" would be
    Islamophobia.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamophobia

  • zebagain
    zebagain

    Cofty your input is most timely.

    Please look up U-Tube / Ann Barnhardt experiences.

    I have read the first book written by Ali.

    Revere your daughters and wonder at the hatred of the emigrants in to dutch society for Ali.

    Holland has recently dropped the official notion of being a 'multi cultural' society and emigrants will have to learn Dutch and pass at other levels for permanent acceptance.

    Harris is right. The support for Ali by the feminist lobby; is non existent, their silence is deafening. But it is typical.

  • Tiktaalik
    Tiktaalik

    That is an exceptionally good interview. Thanks for posting the link.

  • Fernando
    Fernando

    Very informative, thanks for posting.

    I share the disdain for religion and its rather obvious fruits.

    (Googling "not all muslims are Islamists" produces almost 40,000 hits)

  • Justitia Themis
    Justitia Themis

    Hirsi is an apostate from one form of Islam, one that is particularly vile and radical and that most Muslims reject.

    As she notes in one of her responses, moderate Muslims hate al-Qaida.

    As far as them hating her just as much, I think "hate" is an especially emotionally-laden perjorative that likely does not apply.They don't support her because she recommends atheism--not moderate Islam--as the only acceptable alternative. So she is attacking very good, honest, hard-working, family-loving people (just like moderate Christians) when she attacks moderate Muslims simply for believing in God.

    Gee . . . imagine that . . . people respond badly to that! Go figure!!!

    Because I know moderate Christians love being told that, regardless of how good they are, they are less than just because they believe in God.

  • cofty
    cofty

    she is attacking very good, honest, hard-working, family-loving people (just like moderate Christians) when she attacks moderate Muslims simply for believing in God

    So what are the views of a typical "moderate Muslim"?

    I have met many moderate christians who reject the morality of the bible. They eschew the inspiration of scripture and everything that goes with it. They are relaxed about speaking openly about their liberal views. Nobody threatens them for saying so.

    How about "moderate Muslims"? Their holy books really do teach that any body who leaves the faith is to be killed, that women are 2nd class citizens, that marytyrs will go straight to paradise etc.

    Nobody can be a Muslim and reject the dangerous nonsense in their book. It isn't an option.

    From the interview...

    Christians and Jews don’t tend to take the worst of its passages seriously, for reasons that can be explained both by the centuries during which these Western faiths have been weathered by science and secularism and by crucial elements of their own theology. Most important, in my view, is the fact that Christianity and Judaism do not have clear doctrines of jihad, nor do they promise, ad nauseam, that martyrs go straight to Paradise. Islam is truly unique in this respect, which helps explain the fanaticism and violence we see throughout the Muslim world. Of course, your focus has been on the plight of women and girls under Islam, many millions of whom live in conditions that are antithetical to the most basic human happiness, as you know all too well. And the rationale for their oppression is drawn directly from scripture.

  • Mikado
    Mikado

    Cofty, that isn't quite true. I spend a lot of my time I a predominately Muslim country, and count many good Muslims as close personal friends.

    I personally am athiest, but the mainstream brance of Islam is no more extreme than mainstream christianity.

    They are honesty hardworking decent people. Islam at least has obligations to donate to the poor and to support charity. None of the many people I know support calls to Jihad, or to murder infidels...

    remember the bible also teaches that women are second class citizens, that non believers should be killed etc etc. the standard excuse for that is thats only the OT, but as an excuse that doesn't really hold water....

    There are many things I don't like about religion, but after spending much time with moderate Muslims, I can't see it as any worse than moderate Christianity.

  • cofty
    cofty

    Mikado - thanks for your comments.

    Is there a Muslim society where women are treated as full equals with men?

    Do your moderate Muslim friends reject the quran when it comes to the role of women in the family and in society?

    Thanks.

  • glenster
    glenster

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