7th January 2011
“In seemingly every area of cultural contact, however open and welcoming, Muslims choose to distance themselves from the generality on the basis of 'their religion'. Unless they themselves are prepared to question the arcane prejudices that lie at the root of 'their religion' they will continue to feel like aliens in normal society by their own choice.”
Dominic Kirkham
January 7th, 2011 at 12:47
Islam has only recently emerged into the modern era. Until Arab oil made the middle east rich it was still an essentially neolithic region with neolithic mores and expectations. When you look at countries like Somalia even today you will understand the vast cultural gulf between the roots of Islam and the enlightened west. Christianity at least had the chance evolve up with modernisation even if it trails it by some margin. Islam has not had that opportunity. It’s a complete fish out of water outside of its native environment.
January 7th, 2011 at 15:10
Maybe, but even with the opportunity, it shuns it. It declares jihad on it. Instead they segregate themselved into vile pustules of hate.
January 7th, 2011 at 17:11
The Heretic,
But wasn’t modernity shunned and hated and even rebelled against in the past in now-Western societies? The Arab/Islamic world is just a few centuries behind the curve I think (errr… I hope).
January 7th, 2011 at 18:21
Oh, come on, do we not take Islam seriously enough not to put ‘their religion’ in quote marks?
January 7th, 2011 at 20:42
I don’t think they are sarcasm quotes, they are intentional direct speech quotes.
January 7th, 2011 at 21:23
Yeah, sorry, humour was never my strong point. Those quotation marks do seem pejorative though.
Mc, are you suggesting we should be intellectually lenient on Islamic ideas because those ideas have always, until recently, been sheltered from criticism?
January 8th, 2011 at 9:44
No, I’m offering an explanation not an excuse. Islam needs to be exposed to criticism and ridicule precisely because it has escaped them up to now. It needs to learn and quickly that it does not merit protection from free speech. We need to drag it kicking and screaming into the 21st century.