Tuesday, July 31, 2007

The West's condescending-yet-privileged view of Islam

Dennis Prager hits the nail on the head (and, as usual, Christopher Hitchens goes a little too far.) Why should Islam be singled out among faiths? Why can't we talk about certain issues in Islam without being labeled bigots? Aren't Muslims offended that we treat them with such condescending care and concern that is not afforded other religious groups and essentially infantilizes them? Aren't non-Arab Muslims (read: the majority of Muslims) bothered by the ignorant racial connotation of "Islamophobia?" Do Western Muslims realize that the reason we don't criticize Islam in public is because we're afraid of being blown up? Isn't that more offensive to them? Ugh. This is how Western culture is cannibalizing itself...

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