I saw this a couple of days ago but just now read it more carefully. I’m talking about an article written by Sam Harris critical of Islam that I would expect to see on Jihad Watch, not the Huffington Post. What is the world coming to? Hopefully to its senses!
Harris, author of The End of Faith, calls himself “an equal opportunity offender critical of all religious faith” so what he writes cannot be dismissed as driven by Christians and Jews.
There is an uncanny irony here that many have noticed. The position of the Muslim community in the face of all provocations seems to be: Islam is a religion of peace, and if you say that it isn’t, we will kill you. Of course, the truth is often more nuanced, but this is about as nuanced as it ever gets: Islam is a religion of peace, and if you say that it isn’t, we peaceful Muslims cannot be held responsible for what our less peaceful brothers and sisters do. When they burn your embassies or kidnap and slaughter your journalists, know that we will hold you primarily responsible and will spend the bulk of our energies criticizing you for “racism” and “Islamophobia.”
Here Harris discusses a question we have wondered about at Refugee Resettlement Watch. Why the double-standard? Why are we offended and thus eager to go after a fundamental Mormon sect for polygamy and alleged abuse of women, but chicken to go after the same practice by Muslim immigrants in the US. See Judy’s post on the topic here.
The Muslim world can match the FLDS sin for sin–Muslims commonly practice polygamy, forced-marriage (often between underage girls and older men), and wife-beating–but add to these indiscretions the surpassing evils of honor killing, female “circumcision,” widespread support for terrorism, a pornographic fascination with videos showing the butchery of infidels and apostates, a vibrant form of anti-semitism that is explicitly genocidal in its aspirations, and an aptitude for producing children’s books and television programs which exalt suicide-bombing and depict Jews as “apes and pigs.”
Any honest comparison between these two faiths reveals a bizarre double standard in our treatment of religion. We can openly celebrate the marginalization of FLDS men and the rescue of their women and children. But, leaving aside the practical and political impossibility of doing so, could we even allow ourselves to contemplate liberating the women and children of traditional Islam?
See the whole Huffington Post article and especially the comments here.