Criticizing the doctrine of Islam does not mean the person doing so is a xenophobe,Islamophobe, or hates all Muslims.
Change My Mind
The doctrine of Islam is as stupid & nasty, in actual practice, as is the doctrine of xian-based religions.
You are challenging the CLAIM that criticizing Islam is racist, or comparably immoral.
I suspect that this claim is being marketed by Saudi Arabia and by similar Islamic entities. Religions do act on their own behalf. Distributing a false claim like this seeks to disarm opponents of the religion.
Two examples of successful silencing of critics were the dis-inviting of Dawkins and Maher to lecture at Berkeley. Indeed, other atheist and scientific speakers have often received their sharpest criticism when they criticized Islam. The shouting down of critics of Islam has effective reduced the volume of outrage over Islam-inspired atrocities as they have occurred around the world.
Indeed, certain Christian-inspired critics have used false testimony and innuendo of scandals to bring down atheists, as I believe is the case for both Lawrence Krauss and Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Fortunately, Tyson has been mostly unscathed so far.
Christopher Hitchens recorded a number of YouTube videos discussing the demerits of Islam. Hitchens attacks are interesting, clear and unambiguous, and he often makes the distinction defining precisely why criticizing Islam isn't racist, but rather that Islam deserves all the criticism it gets.
@OwlinASack There's a gigantic difference between those who criticize the nonsense of Islam versus the propaganda from white supremacists, but you seek to conflate the two. Then you say:
"those who seek to oppose the ignorant end of criticism of 'Islam' are seeking to protect ordinary muslims who are being targeted by people who say the things you say." (Just what was it you think I said?)
Bullshit. Trolling bullshit.
As to Tyson and Krauss admitting wrongdoing, WRONG. They have expressed regret if their accusers misunderstood their comments, but they've admitted no wrongdoing, so you're just lying here. Nor has there been any indication of a common motivation, that's in YOUR head.
Also, in YOUR head is the claim that these imaginary evil motivations are 'standard for men in atheism'!!! STANDARD??!!! How would you know that? Projection much?
As for Buzzfeed's hit job on Silverman, this was the same Buzzfeed that ran the bogus accusations against Krauss.
So much for seeking to be a man of letters. You need only three to write you down...
Islam is no different than any other religion.
They're all fake, they're all dangerous, and they're all evil.
Islam is just currently the most violent.
Christianity has been just as violent and bloody. Sometimes, even moreso.
I'm not about to defend islam, or any other religion, to anyone.
Depends on where you are located in the world as to which religion is currently the worse or mist violent. Yes, there had been a rise in Islamic violence especially with the rise of Wahabbism in Saudi Arabia. That said, Buddhists in parts if the East are crushing mussies and xtions; and in India, hindis are doing similar things, mostly to the muslims. Of course there are still xtions out there using their prejudices to push war and violence on others ad well.
@Beowulfsfriend The muslims are also doing their thing in Indonesia.
Like I always say, ALL religion is evil. All. Of. It.
Criticizing the doctrine of Islam does not NECESSARILY mean the person doing so is a xenophobe, islamophobe, or hates all Muslins. But you have to admit that many critics of the doctrine of Islam do so out of xenophobia, islamophobia, and hate. And that some feel with permission to act out on their xenophobia, islamophobia, and hate because of the rhetoric of their commander in chief.
Criticizing the doctrine of Christianity does not mean the person doing so is a xenophobe, christophobe, or hates all Christians.
As with criticizing an adherent to Islam?
Islam: Spread by the sword since 630 AD. We are in the middle of a world war. And way too many lefters are helping the enemies of reason change what we all hold dear: free speech, freedom for all, freedom from religion,...
As Hitchens said, "All religions are wrong in the same was. But islam is the worst because it claims to be the last religion, coming from the last prophet, the TOTAL solution for everything."
And you will be killed if you do not agree, or try to get away.
Islam is the worst of cults as there are nearly 1.8 billion muslims, most completely oppressed by themselves, and way too many still spreading the word through violence, demanding special rights and privileges.
Criticizing the doctrine of Islam does mean the person doing so is a xenophobe,Islamophobe, and hates all Muslims.
Did I change your mind?
Now do Christians.
@EnlightenmentNow My atheist powers of persuasion are a God given talent and not to be used as mere entertainment..
I'm unlikely to want to change a mind that has come up with sound reasoning for the issue at hand.
@tbarrack90
As an Antitheist - I criticize religions across the board.
But that doesn't mean that I revile an individual for having a belief system I don't follow. (You need to know a lot about how and why they practice their religion before you start making judgments based on that).
One thing doesn't prove the second.
I don’t really think enough people from White Anglo-Celtic ethnicity have paid enough attention to Islam to be able to comment
When I was a security guard I often got good tips and sometimes even some food. The group that was doing this was Muslim. The man always paid his camping fee and told me to keep the extra as my tip. He was a nice man. He and his family were very polite.
I urge my fellow "true" agnostic's not to respond to posts which are clearly provocative and inflammatory, silence is the best response in these cases!
You are probably right, but too late!
@JohnnyQB One that does not need to drone on about the shortcomings of religions in order to reinforce their own disbelief! For me anyway.
@JohnnyQB, @Donotbelieve Trawling for points, the "change my mind" did it for me! Dont think he's a troll though.....
@JohnnyQB Can't disagree with the great man! Hatred however should be reserved for those who pollute young minds with utter rubbish presented as fact, now that's diabolical!
How can any true "agnostic" support any of the behaviors of islam. A truly horrific religion. Suppressing hundreds of MILLIONs of women worldwide.
Shame on the "progressives" for defending this totalitarian shit.
I think it's a matter of perspective, the specific critique and not limited to just the doctrine of Islam.
I can see two very different scenarios, regardless of religious affiliation.
Person A: Has a whole host of negative opinions in relation to people of a religion and feels strong emotions in expressing those opinions, usually by criticizing the intelligence, ethics, morality or arbitrary behavior or costume of those who believe in the doctrine of the religion (i.e. "Look how stupid that religious costume is. Why would anyone wear that just because a book told them too?", "How stupid do you have to be to accept a story about every animal in the world fitting on a boat?" ) By refusing to see them as individuals, each of which will create their beliefs and act not only as the doctrine proscribes but with their own intelligence and experience as a buffer.
The second would be valid critique of the results of the religious doctrine on society at large from an objective POV that doesn't reflect general critique of those who follow the doctrine (i.e. "How can someone justify restricting someone else's rights based on their personal view of their religious doctrine?", "Why doesn't the religious doctrine outlaw slavery?" )
There are probably a lot of other scenarios that I haven't considered, but the point is that nuance matters in these situations as implications and inferences don't always match.
Same ole story, jus' a different face. Any criticism of any religion is considered malicious.
Malicious and, oh my goodness, BLASPHEMOUS as well.
Ergo I love and enjoy CRITICISING any and ALL religions and especially those who seek to disparage, belittle, etc, those of us who have chosen/decided to follow Reason, Logic and Sciences rather than trusting in blind Faith.
So, don't both playing the Racist, Xenophobic, Anti-Semitic, etc, card with me BECAUSE it won't wash.
And, btw, my friend, my last sentence was NOT aimed at you nor ANY other member of this Site/Group, I was just expressing myself for ALL to see.
"Same old turds, just a different dunny" is what we, Aussies always say.
Crititicizing Isreal over a policy they are pursuing doesnt make one a xenophobe, antisemite, or necessarily racist.
The problem lies in what your motivation for criticizing and that's hard to prove. It takes context, knowledge of the persons previous arguments, and character.
Just like the problem we are having making racism, xenophobia, and white nationalism against Donald Trump stick. With him it's actually easier to make this case as he has made a practice of these type of statements in public. He has business practices that he has been indicted and tried for discrimination, etc.
But it's difficult to make the case stick because his supporters insist your not in his mind. Even though there is ample evidence to establish the paradigm for Trump.
The problem is that so many xenophobes, Islamophobes, and people who hate Muslims do simply hide behind the banner of, "I'm just criticizing the doctrine!"
All religions are equally false and fictional. I refuse to be co-opted into one side or the other of the religious war. I'm against all of them, because they're all (with a few honorable exceptions) against me.
I do not hate muslims. Islam is evil: a psychopathic warlord in the desert created a religion to give him license to conquer the world. His crusade is now 1400 years and counting. Spreading the most vile and hateful ideas. AND BEHAVIORS!.
How can any agnostic/atheist support any of that shit?
@Jacar I didn't mention you, first off. Methinks you doth protest too much.
Second, did you read what I wrote? "I'm against all of them, because they're all (with a few honorable exceptions) against me."
Finally, why single out Islam for doing the same thing Judaism did, and did first? Read the OT with its detailed instructions for how to invade cities and the specific fates to be meted out to the inhabitants, depending on their location and their status (men, children, unwedded female breeding stock). And observe the war crimes of the recent Israeli regimes; invading and annexing territory, shooting peaceful protestors, unremitting violations of UN resolutions, which, if they weren't a US ally, would by now have seen their nation subject to drone strikes and regime change; supposedly because they seek territorial security, in reality all in the name of their biblical claim to the entirety of the "holy land"
And following the rise of Islam, the Christian Crusaders took their religion as a "call" to cleanse the Middle East of Muslims in the name of their "true" religion- a call which American right-wing commentators (Ann Coulter's "kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity", for example), politicians, and at least one serving General have repeated. G W Bush even called our operation against Al Qaeda a "crusade" and claimed he answered a "higher authority".
None of these are morally superior to another.
So, why single out Islam?