Sam Harris. What's your take on him? Why do some progressive media outlets label him a racist?
I do know that his "Islam is not a race" defense for his views against Islam is used by some to label him a racist. I don't understand why - because he criticises all religion with the same vehemence.
His some time collaborator, Maajid Nawaz, who served prison time in Egypt for being a radical Islamist, and who he calls a friend, has not left and is not interested in leaving the Muslim faith behind. Instead, the focus of Maajid's current work is to de-fanaticise Islam to be similar to the current Christian moderate (outside of the U.S.).
If Harris is racist 1: he wouldn't be supporting Nawaz's work, 2: he wouldn't be against Trump's "Muslim Ban", 3: he wouldn't suggest that innocent Syrian refugees should be welcomed into the U.S, etc...
Here is Harris on "Winning the War of Ideas" on Bill Maher's show last year:
What do you think of Harris? Why do some progressive media outlets (like Sam Seder's Majority Report) call him as part of the alt-right?
"It is time we admitted that we are not at war with "terrorism". We are at war with Islam. This is not to say that we are at war with all Muslims, but we are absolutely at war with the vision of life that is prescribed to all Muslims in the Koran. The only reason Muslim fundamentalism is a threat to us is because the fundamentals of Islam are a threat to us."
Sam Harris, "Mired in a religious war", Washington Times (1 December 2004)
I happen to appreciate Harris' ideas...likewise, Bill Maher!