Islamophobia
MEMRI, its sights usually aimed in the other direction, tackles Islamo-bashing on YouTube and other sites, noting that same are often used by Crusaderphobic jihadis for their hate speech. MEMRI offers a list of I-phobic vid outrages that are part of “Bash Islam Week” at YouTube.*
Here’s the thing about Islamobashing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with mocking one’s adversaries and the terms in which they have chosen to present themselves. It is perfectly acceptable to mock their bumbling attacks, the methods by which they attack us, their righteous religious rhetoric, their intelligence, their manner of dress, their preference of cave dwellings, in satire that may reflect the predominant ethnicity, linguistic idiosyncrasies, what have you, of our enemy. They are our enemy. We may be required to deal with them seriously, but we are not required to take them seriously.
Some people say we should be bigger than that. Sorry, I am not.
It’s also perfectly acceptable to discuss the religion in question, whether it is in fact what its adherents purport it to be, and whether there may be any hypocrisies lurking. We do that with all religions.
That doesn’t equate to wholesale Muslim bashing, slurs disparaging of the entire religion and its religious symbols, and extensive use of profanity in same. There are a lot of Muslims fighting and dying on our side, a lot who agree with us and just want to go to work and send their kids to school, and a lot for whom their religion is a personal matter they do not seek to impose on the rest of us. A big part of the problem with the profanity, by the way, is that by itself it doesn’t make particularly good satire. It just isn’t that clever.
At the same time, a lot of this Islamobashing might be undercut if law-abiding Muslims in general and Islamic leaders around the world devoted a little more effort to condemning and combating Islamic extremists, rather than harboring, rationalizing or rattling on, in the wake of unspeakable terrorist acts, amid serious and measured law enforcement and military action, about how they are the victims.
* A lot of what MEMRI has listed sounds oddly like this site’s Kumbayah-trilling lefty troll Corndog’s attempts at humor the other day. Shame on you, Corndog, you know this is no place for hate.
Topics: Islam
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:58 am on Friday, September 7, 2007
19 Responses to “Islamophobia”
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September 7th, 2007 at 11:00 am
Yep, YouTube is turning into a major hatefest. There’s good stuff there, but any idiot with a camera and software can produce short videos….and their political and/or religious affiliations are immaterial to the category of “idiot”. [Insert suitable noun here] bashing is rampant, and most of it is simply ranting on and on, with no original thoughts or insight, let alone satire.
But I will note that the majority of hate filled messages (that I’ve seen) are generally anti-American, anti-semitic, or just anti-Western in nature. Obviously (as MEMRI points out), this is not exlcusively so.
This is not an excuse for Muslim bashing; borrowing that tactic is not a good idea. But we do need to keep in mind that bashing, smearing, and so on is their tactic of choice. It shouldn’t be ours.
September 7th, 2007 at 11:04 am
“this site’s Kumbayah-trilling lefty troll Corndog”
Earlier this week I was taking the corndog act on the road over to some lefty sites. They accused me of being a freeper troll. Whatever that is, it sounds back, so I came back over here, where they just accuse me of being a humorless islamofascist traitor.
September 7th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Personally, I am more and more inclined to bash & smear.
Not Islam per se, but these purveyors of hate in the “name of” Islam.
As is abundantly clear, these individuals don’t seek understanding of the kuffar and integration into his culture but only the destruction of that culture.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2402973.ece
September 7th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Oops, I meant:
“Whatever that is, it sounds bad”
September 7th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
It’s hard not to slip into Islamophobia with all that’s going on in this country and the world, and the relative silence and invisibility of moderate Muslims. I never thought I would have a problem with something like that, because I always believed in live and let live. And I still don’t believe in blanket condemnations, but it’s getting harder and harder to trust them.
September 7th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
I don’t like religion. I savage the one I was raised in; why can’t I savage any of the others? The fact that good people sometimes believe nonsense doesn’t elevate the nonsense to something admirable.
September 7th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
It’s hard not to slip into Islamophobia with all that’s going on in this country and the world, and the relative silence and invisibility of moderate Muslims.
It’s very easy, Rebecca. I’ve had to rewrite more than a few comments because of that.
I savage the one I was raised in; why can’t I savage any of the others?
“Savage”, S.W.? Well, first of all, under the First Amendment, you can say whatever you want to. How intelligent or stupid you might sound is immaterial. And, I might note, there’s nothing in any laws that I am aware of that says people must listen to you.
However….do you “savage” religions by tearing apart their doctrine, pointing out their (inevitable) hypocrisies, and corruptions, while recognizing that not all parts (or members) of a religion are necessarily bad? Or do you just drop your pants, squat, and c**p all over them in a fashion similar what MEMRI points out?
As Rebecca points out, there’s a fine line between blanket condemnation and rational discussion. I can generally tell difference when the signal gets lost in the noise.
September 7th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Earlier this week I was taking the corndog act on the road over to some lefty sites. They accused me of being a freeper troll. Whatever that is, it sounds back, so I came back over here, where they just accuse me of being a humorless islamofascist traitor.
It’s good to know that you’re equal opprotunity, corndog.
September 7th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Web Reconnaissance for 09/07/2007
A short recon of whats out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.
September 7th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Well and truly said, Crittenden.
RebeccaH, about your use of the term “Islamophobia”: Why did you use it? What does it mean to you?
I’m asking because I’ve noticed how certain terms come to be used, and how such terms can be used to focus attention. Islamophobia is a term used by Muslims to guilt-trip innocent and honest infidels, those of us for whom justice is important. We don’t like to be unjust to another individual by thinking of an individual as nothing more than a member of a group. The term puts any criticism into a category of unjust irrationality.
Where we might consider the term to broadly mean “fear of Islam”, but even that doesn’t really define the concept. Do you fear Islam? From what you said, I think you mean that you struggle not to mistrust all individual Muslims simply on the basis of his or her religion. Is that what Muslims mean when they cry “Islamophobia”?
September 7th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Good point, salty. “Islamophobia” is just more guilt manipulation by CAIR and their ilk.
FWIW, I imagine islamic terrorists and their active supporters whenever I I find myself broadbrushing Muslims. It helps to focus my targeting.
September 7th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
I don’t know what else to call it. I am indifferent to the religion itself, but the actions of some of the religion’s practitioners have made me mistrust and, yes, fear them in some circumstances. I find myself growing uncomfortable when I see one board the plane I’m on, and at the same time, I know how unfair that is.
This isn’t something I’m particularly proud of. I like to think there are Muslims who want to denounce the ignorance and violence of Islamic fundamentalists, and that they’re largely being marginalized and ignored by ideologues in the MSM, or pressured into silence by the dangerous radical minority. But this isn’t at all clear.
Maybe before I depart this mortal coil I’ll be able to go back to seeing them as just fellow citizens. I hope so.
September 7th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
No corndog you aren’t a traitor, you are just a jerk.
September 8th, 2007 at 2:23 am
Jules,
Thanks so much for posting this, especially the link to MEMRI. They were thoughtful enough to list the urls of the videos they were so up in arms (pardon the phrase) about.
I have not laughed so hard in years! I watched them over and over!
The truly funny thing is, a guy named Maplethorpe dunks a crucifix in piss, and our own National Endowment for the Arts not only defends him, but heaps money on him to continue his “groundbreaking art and message.” But if you do that to the *prophet*–or the koran–or a cartoon–well, _that’s_ offensive and oppressive of their just and holy religion and they must petition to stop it!
Anyway, thanks for the much-needed laugh.
–Chuck
September 8th, 2007 at 11:41 am
It’s worth noting that some of the more “moderate” Muslims in the world might be keeping their heads down low and their mouths shut due to “Islamophobia”.
Imagine being a Muslim living near one of the (apparently proliferating) radical mosques, especially gaining a toehold in some of Britain’s northern cities.
Where “the sisters” (aka the dumb women things who have limited rights of inheritance, whose voice is less than half that of a man’s and who are supposed to make your tea and have your babies) …the sisters choose to remain completely covered.
Imagine being “a sister” in one of those regions. My God, uncover, and your brothers and your uncles and even your own father might have to see fit to slaughter you to protect the family’s honoUr.
You, as a Muslim, would have a certain Islamophobia yourself.
But, generally, grand all encompassing terms like “I-phobia” and “Homophobia” (fear of man !?) don’t serve the dialogue.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:17 am
But, generally, grand all encompassing terms like “I-phobia” and “Homophobia” (fear of man !?) don’t serve the dialogue.
That depends on what goal one is servicing, doesn’t it? I don’t think the goal is dialogue. I think it is a device used to stop dialogue.
RebeccaH said: I don’t know what else to call it. I am indifferent to the religion itself, but the actions of some of the religion’s practitioners have made me mistrust and, yes, fear them in some circumstances. I find myself growing uncomfortable when I see one board the plane I’m on, and at the same time, I know how unfair that is.
Is it unfair? Is your mistrust, and even your fear, irrational? Have we not all been given reason to mistrust and fear Muslims? If those vast majorities of Muslims had stood up and unequivocally disavowed bin Laden and AQ, made a flat statement against Islamic terror all over the world, and stood up for this country, would you feel the same way? It isn’t the acts of terrorists that have made me come to a general mistrust of Muslims in this country, but their own actions–and lack of actions.
RebeccaH said:
I don’t think pride ought to enter into it. You have come to a rational conclusion based on available information. Those who yell “Islamophobia” count on your moral discomfort at drawing such a conclusion, and do what they can to make anyone coming to that conclusion feel like they’ve done something wrong–or unfair.
WE aren’t the ones defining individuals by their religion. Until we see American Muslims stand up for this country and against the barbarity being perpetrated in their name, we have no choice but to stay alert in the company of Muslims. If they allow terrorists, and those who preach terrorism to hide in the plain site of their society, what choice have they left us but to watch what they do? What other course has been left to us?
Islamophobia implies more than just fear of Islam. A phobia connotes an irrational, baseless, fear. Our growing mistrust and fear of certain circumstances are decidedly not irrational or baseless. I guess my point is that we ought not to allow that term into honest discussions about Islam and the followers of Islam. In using it, we allow the enemy to control the discussion and focus our attention on a false moral idea. It is precisely the moral ground we own that must be protected, rather than allow a group of people who have no idea of the conceptions of liberty or individualism, or the rights based on these concepts, to use our moral rectitude and innocence against us.
These people are barbarians, but they aren’t stupid. And, unfortunately, even the crudest propaganda is works with some. While I’ve been aware of most of the propaganda, I think it is time to make myself aware of what exactly the enemy is counting on, and explicitly define the methods they are using.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:20 am
Ack! What happened to RebeccaH’s second paragraph?
Jules, we could really use Preview.
September 9th, 2007 at 10:25 am
“Those who yell “Islamophobia” count on your moral discomfort at drawing such a conclusion, and do what they can to make anyone coming to that conclusion feel like they’ve done something wrong–or unfair.”
That’s true.
CAIR (council on American Islamic relations) and other so called charitable Islamic organizations may well (still) be in the business of raising money for jihadists under the pretense of charity.
Raising the flag of Islamophobia is probably their most common device or tool.
It makes inroads into a society weakened by notions of political correctness and an eagerness to please, aka an eagerness not to offend.
Inducing fear or “phobia” is, actually, the point.
However, it’s perfectly alright to acknowledge that you may well have been Islam neutral or even Islam ignorant prior to events of the last 6 years (actually extending back several decades) but no longer feel that way.
September 9th, 2007 at 10:50 am
“…aware of what exactly the enemy is counting on”
1. Allah’s sanction & approval for the jihad that (therefore) cannot fail
(A bit of a tough sell, however, that Allah would approve the Koran’s version of Himself.)
2. The depravity & corruption of “western” culture making its underbelly soft and vulnerable and, therefore, susceptible for the long haul agenda of just & righteous Islam occupying every corner of the Earth…