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In reply to the discussion: Saying Islam has nothing to do with the Paris attacks... [View all]Matrosov
(1,098 posts)We claim to be fighting against, many other things, sexism and homophobia. That's wonderful, and I look forward to the day when one's gender or sexual orientation is no longer an advantage or disadvantage.
Here is the problem..
When a fellow progressive speaks out against the Christian War on Women or the Christian War on Homosexuals, everyone applauds. Yet when someone speak out against the Muslim War on Women or the Muslim War on Homosexuals, only a few agree, many dismiss it as racism* or Islamophobia, and many others simply stay silent.
Furthermore, the Christian War on Women consists mainly of trying to deny their reproductive rights, and the Christian War on Homosexuals consists mainly of trying to deny their right to marriage. On the other hand, there are countries in the Islamic world where women have almost no rights and where they can be executed for things that are perfectly legal for men. Likewise, the Muslim War on Homosexuals sometimes consists of hanging them. On top of that, facts aren't even that important; women and homosexuals can be executed simply for rumors of improper conduct, and the Muslim scholars in the regions where these things place then justify these actions as being in line with Islam.
The problems with Islam don't excuse the problems with any other religions. It is also intellectually lazy at best and downright dishonest at worst to ignore the problems with Islam and to dismiss those who point them out as racist* or Islamophobic.
*and the charge of racism is especially stupid. Islam is not a race. Not all Arabs are Muslim and not all Muslim are Arabs. In fact, while Saudi Arabia might be the heart of Islam, the most populous Muslim country in the world is Indonesia. The first non-Asian country is Egypt in fifth place, followed by Nigeria in sixth place, and the first strictly Arab country is Iraq in 11th place. Turkey and Iran rank higher, but they're Turkic and Persian, respectively.