Monday 13 September 2010

The word 'Islamophobia' needs to be removed from our vocabulary.

Islamophobia is a word that needs to be eradicated: an insinuation that serves only to degrade the seriousness of the true meaning of racism. The key difference between judging people for their religion and judging people for their race is they cannot choose their race. Of course, some may turn around and say that people are born into their religion, and because of that they actually don't have a choice but, frankly, that simply proves the point people are normally trying to prove while being "Islamophobic" - that this is nothing but a method of mind-control.

Criticising Islam is just as reasonable as criticising Communism, Fascism, Liberalism, or any other political belief. It'is just as reasonable as discriminating against people who think the Earth is flat, or that it was created 6000 years ago, or who think they are Napoleon. It is not racism if you're disputing a pre-defined set of rules that people CHOOSE to live by.

Anybody who thinks that criticism of religion is wrong needs a wakeup call. When you start to turn critical discussion on something into a taboo, you're creating a wrap of fear around it, and that's dangerous. Fear of discussion on a way of living can only serve to isolate the people associated with it, and that's when problems occur. Freedom of speech is vital, especially amongst conflicting ethic and social groups. 

I'll turn around and say that I don't agree with the burka, I don't agree with halal meat, I think ramadan is a stupid waste of time, and sexual abstinence until marriage is crazy. I also think a ban on drinking alcohol is stupid and the way muslims treat women is abbhorent. That's my opinion and there is nothing racist about it. Muslims' judgements on westerners is also just as critical, the women are drunken whores that deserve to be raped, the men are filthy for eating a pork chop, and we're all inferior scum for not believing in the word of Allah. Again, nothing racist about that, just an opinion from a group that lives by very different rules.

At no point has a muslim's judgement on our way of living ever been called racist, so why are we called racist when we say negative things about their way of living? Different rules for different groups of people will only ever cause a fight. Islamophobia is not the racist thing that we've been led to believe it is. 

6 comments:

  1. i see exactly what you mean.
    its just difficult for me, because my bestfriend is muslim, so i never wanna talk to her about it and have her get mad. . .

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  2. Some of my best friends are muslim.

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  3. Insightful post, gave me some thinking material!

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    ReplyDelete