Why I have frequently criticized Christianity but not Islam in my life:

[Douglas Carpenter]

5. I think there is a fundamental difference between self-criticism of a powerful majority versus

unleashing bile against a largely powerless, unpopular and marginalized minority.

Why is is okay to harshly criticize white-American society but it sounds racist for white people to criticize African-American society? Well, white people in America come from a position of power. African-Americans in spite of many advances - still suffer serious marginalization.

Europe and America has for quite some time militarily, politically and economically dominated the Islamic world. Imagine if it were the other way around. Imagine if the Islamic world had us surrounded militarily and if they were in the position to determine which governments are legitimate and which are not. Imagine if the Islamic world had decided to create a state in Paris or Boston completely against the will of the local inhabitants and achieved this through a mechanism that displaced most of the long term inhabitants and then represented the migrants to their new state as the victims and the indigenous as the perpetrators and felt utterly righteous about it. Imagine if the military power of the Islamic world was so strong - that resistance was essentially futile. In spite of all of this - most still only want to live in peace.

Then of course is the issue of the Muslim American. Most are deeply patriotic toward America - yet suffer a marginalization that no one so loyal should have to experience. Yet they grin and bare it and try to forgive and forget.