Even ex-Muslims are being branded as racists when they attack Islam. The reason this has become such a problem is that there are large numbers of vile people who attack Islam purely because they are racists, so anyone who attacks it without such motivation is automatically lumped in with those neo-nazis. This makes it hard to discuss the causes of terrorism, most of which is driven by hate speech in the holy texts of religions and manifestos of other ideologies. When you point to the clearest recent example of such primary hate driving terrorism, that takes you to a verse in the Qur'an which directly drove the recent genocide of 10,000 Yazidis by ISIS who were doing precisely what God told them to do. Most people are blind to this, and if you try to inform them, they take you for a bigot. You can point out that you apply the exact same rules to all other religions and ideologies, discussing how the Christians murdered most of our experts in herbal medicine on the basis that they were witches, and how the Nazis killed millions of people based largely on race hate, but they fixate on any criticism of Islam and refuse to see that you are being even handed to all ideologies.

What we need to do is call for legislation banning all hate speech in the manifestos of ideologies, including the holy texts of religions. If religions are genuinely lovely and peaceful, their followers should not want to retain their holy hate. Indeed, they should see that holy hate as a test set for them by their God, because he surely must want them to denounce it. If they stripped all the hate out of their religions, then they would become genuinely lovely and peaceful things, at which point none of us would feel the need to criticise them. As it stands though, they are promoting and propagating hate which generates war, terrorism, conflict and all manner of abuses because instead of condemning that hate, they effectively endorse it (while either denying that it is hate, or just pretending it isn't there). They are all accessories to every crime that has been inspired by the hate contained in their holy texts. Until that hate is stamped on, there won't be peace. But we must be absolutely fair and apply this to all ideologies rather than singling some out while ignoring the rest. We need a war against the primary hate that sparks off all the rest.

You're right. It's all bad. Religious fakery of all kinds. No God, just patriachy oppressing and sucking the life out of the common man. BTW it is okay to slam Islam, but it it not okay to slam Arabs, Asians and others who look and act differently. If you check under the hood, you will find that most anti-Islamic rhetoric is actually racial and ethnically based.

I agree that Islam is just as wrong as Christianity. That being said, I feel that I have no place speaking out about something I have no personal expiriance with. I was raised both Lutheran and Catholic. Christianity is what I know and am comfortable speaking out against.

Its a good question. I think a lot of people don't really understand why and that gives rise to a 'victim' mentality,

Firstly, imo, you shouldnt be insulting ANY religion or set of beliefs. When did you last change your views after someone called you a @% (insert your fave expletive)?
I doubt if theres any of us that don't hold a strange belief or two. Theres a world of difference between 'challenging' and 'insulting'

Secondly, context IS important. Whats your objection to Christianity? Is it that they believe some weird shit about a virgin having a baby with god and that wiped out all the sin that had been incured by a woman that ate an apple when asked to by a snake....? No of course it isnt. Lets face it, thats actually quite funny. My guess is what we actually object to is the power that these organisations have managed to acheive over us.

So in our respective countries we can bitch about Islam or Christianity but only one of those has any serious impact on my life and here the context comes in.... the vast majority of muslims in my country (and i suspect yours) are darker skinned and ( i don't know this so forgive me if i'm wrong) probably 1'st or 2nd generation immigrants. Whereas the majority ( not all but the majority) of christians are white and probably have a longer connection to the country.

The outcome of this is that if i insult muslims in my country its far more likely that im insulting recent immigrants and people of relatively little power and therfore people who are perhaps more vulnerable. Whereas if i insult christians theres far more of them, they are more established, not as visible.....

At this point i reiterate that insulting anybody at any time is not really a great thing to be doing

I often wonder what Native Americans must think of it all. You lot have only been there for a few hundred years and you didnt bother learning the languages or customs.... Its no wonder youre so frightened of other cultures taking over

I don't see religions as being hateful. I see some humans that practice them and berate you for not being of like mind, or trying to continually push their beliefs on you, as intensely dislikeable !

no need to insult or bash , just rational commentary would do .

All religions are bullshit but some are more pernicious than others and Islam is one of the worst and possibly the worst one! Mormonism and Scientology are terrible too and they were invented in the USA.

I don't bash anybody.  Christianity is being used by trumpty dumpty and the Republicans to form social policy in this country.  Messing with education, football games, and LGBTQ rights are solely hateful Christianity. 

The Muslims do not interfere with our institutions the same way.  Big difference.

Where in the USA can atheists bash Christians, exactly? And why are we "bashing" anyone...my definition of "atheist" is someone who minds their own business & wants others to do the same!
And I find your post pretty racist, btw.

"Both horses have jaundice"
BUT the motto is "In God We Trust", not "Inshallah". It's about whose beliefs are written into the laws of the country. Who has the most power over your life? Moslems or Evangelicals? Humour and mockery is the weapon of the underdog against the powerful. Turning it on an equally disempowered group in your society (they are the power structure in others, and should be mocked by those people. And in fact are) is self-defeating, in that it takes focus off the power structure, and somewhat cowardly, given that you are then "punching down".
Ultimately it's not about Islam, it's about you.

For one, you're messing with a hornets nest. For two. why do you feel the need to insult them or even re-educate them? For three, I would be afraid of the repercussions for pointing out Islamic bullshit due to the populace of fanatics in that religion who are ready to chop off your head. Shall I go on? Your pointing out its followers as mostly minorities or immigrants sounds blatantly racist as well making me question your real motives.

Islam is based on the Judeo Christian religion as is Mormonism. Islamic terrorists are Wahhabists. Wahhabism is an Islamic cult or sect practiced in Saudi Arabia and is spreading from there.

It depends on what the criticism is. If there is a suggestion that muslim=terrorist, for example, that is definitely islamophobic.

Go to a present day moslem state, (try Pakistan), and mock Christianity. The people will laugh.
Mock Islam, or even criticise the Quran or say something about Mohammed, and you will be hunted down and killed. THAT IS REAL DISCRIMINATION.

I think I'm one of the seemingly few liberals that agrees with people like Sam Harris and Bill Maher on this subject.

Or we fear for our lives..

I ignore all of them. If one will pick an argument with me over their personal belief, I will tell them that I am happy for them but request that they keep me out of it,.

Same in UK they just use anything to stop people criticizing them ignore and carry on dismantling their beliefs

Welp Islam is not a race. But I've noticed this from regressives.

I disagree we can do it freely. And we shouldn't be bashing anyone.

I believe your right and its the do-gooders standing up for them. how comes you can have a ms black America beauty contest but not Chinese or white?

Ignorance of mankind