General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I continue to wonder why progressives are so protective of Islam [View all]Prism
(5,815 posts)Eh, bullet points.
- We recognize Western colonialism and contemporary imperialism has played a significant role in making a hash of the Middle East. So, there is a feeling of responsibility that we "did this to them," which is actually partly right. Partly. Tribalism, religion, despotism, oligarchy, and a whole host of other reasons also contributed. But that sense of guilt and responsibility leaves us constantly questioning whether we have the right to say anything at all. Which brings us to . . .
-Multicultural relativism. A pseudo-intellectual and hilariously unserious philosophy where American Christians are just as bad as Islamic fundamentalists, and all cultures are equal! No. American Christians are hateful, and largely hilarious these days. C'mon. Gay tsunami is gold. Islamic governments still hang gay teenagers. But some people honestly refuse to see that difference. It might mean saying something vaguely kind about American Christian conservatives, and some people would rather eat their young before participating in that.
- The Right hates Muslims. Well, then we're for it! This is as far as some people go.
- Racial politics. Some people act like Muslims are a race unto themselves. Forget the varied ethnicities, from Semitic to Persian, to Indo-Pakistani, to East Asian, Africans, and everything in between. Patronizing liberals see "brown people" (which is condescendingly racist in and of itself), and all brown people are automatically oppressed by the white West and so must be defended. It's simplistic and infantile. This sentiment is all over DU. Islam is a religion and ideology, but nevermind. If you don't like Islam, you're secretly racist, and that is that.
- Muslims are a minority in America and this perception of a vulnerable, mistrusted population translates to the global stage in thinking. We should embrace, welcome, and protect American Muslims precisely because they are a vulnerable minority. However, this is not true in the rest of the world. In the rest of the world, conservative Islam is a majority and controls the levers of state. Treating global Islam as if it has the same dynamic as a local Islamic neighborhood in Chicago is just provincial American political ignorance on display.
- Self-loathing.
Eh, that about covers it. Like I said, some of this is valid, some of it is just dense.