Islamophobia is a fabrication
30th March 2009
I’ve been considering a request from a post-graduate student who wants to do a thesis on Islamophobia in Australia. She writes: “I am researching the topic Islamophobia, and I am trying to prove whether Islamophobia is based on religion fear or cultural fear of Islam.”
What about proving that Islamophobia exists at all? That would be the logical, ethical and scholarly starting point. But it appears the outcome has already been decided. This would fit the prevailing orthodoxy in academia that the default position for Muslims in Australia is victim. The jargon, “Islamophobia” is part of this ideological construct. Literally, it means fear of Muslims.
Let us rather say that “Islamophobia” isn’t as widespread as it ought to be. Islam is an oppressive totalitarian ideology with which no co-existence is possible; to fear such a system is utterly rational.
March 30th, 2009 at 12:52
“Islam is an oppressive totalitarian ideology with which no co-existence is possible”
I’d really like to see you back that statement up. And before you make the attempt, let’s remember that Islam is a religion, not a political party.
March 30th, 2009 at 17:29
Back it up? Read the Koran, which you obviously haven’t done. Unlike a Muslim, I won’t insist that you to learn Arabic; there are decent English translations available that don’t whitewash the naughty bits. If you don’t want to go to all that effort, look at http://www.jihadwatch.org/islam101/ and learn the truth.
You appear to be under the misapprehension that “religion” and “political party” are mutually exclusive. And I didn’t say it was a political party; I said it was an ideology, which it clearly is. Words have meanings. There are dictionaries on the Internet, if you need one.
March 31st, 2009 at 04:56
Thanks for the advice. I have read the Koran and, unlike you, I read it with unprejudiced eyes. Since you seem to style yourself such an expert on the matter, why don’t you read the Koran again? This time, try to pay attention to what the book actually says rather than your own culturally-determined interpretation of it. Islam is not, in and of itself, a violent religion. Some of its adherents may think otherwise, but that is not the fault of the belief system. Just as Christianity cannot be blamed for ‘Christians’ who beat gay people to death, Islam cannot be blamed for ‘Muslims’ who commit violent acts in the name of their faith.
Reading a religious text with a closed mind isn’t doing you any favors.
March 31st, 2009 at 07:47
You appear to be a classic case of having a mind so open that the brain falls out.
Any religion that divides reality into a “House of Submission” and a “House of War” is by its nature oppressive and potentially violent.
The distinction that you fail to make is that beating gay people to death isn’t a part of the Christian belief system, whereas committing violent acts in the name of their faith *is* a part of the Muslim belief system. Christ never attacked a city, slaughtering the male inhabitants and selling the women and children into slavery, as Muhammad, “the perfect man”, did on more than one occasion.
Whether or not Islam is “in and of itself” violent is irrelevant; it has no aversion to violence, and advocates it when it is advantageous — something that cannot truthfully be said about Christianity.
My people have been fighting Islamic oppression — yes, and violence — for the last 1400 years. So I am not impressed by your reference to “unprejudiced eyes”.
March 31st, 2009 at 21:37
‘it has no aversion to violence, and advocates it when it is advantageous — something that cannot truthfully be said about Christianity.’
Samuel 15
Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. 2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”
Numbers 31
The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”
3 So Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites and to carry out the LORD’s vengeance on them. 4 Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.” 5 So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. 6 Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.
7 They fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every man. 8 Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. 9 The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. 10 They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps. 11 They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals, 12 and brought the captives, spoils and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho
Deuteronomy 16
If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), 8 do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. 9 You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. 10 Stone him to death, because he tried to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.
April 1st, 2009 at 03:48
Uh, that’s Judaism, not Christianity. I suppose I ought not to be surprised that you are as ignorant of those as you are of Islam, but I am disappointed.
April 1st, 2009 at 20:32
So you’re saying that you can exclude the entirety of the Old Testament from your arguments, despite the fact that it’s included in every Christian version of the Bible. Wow. How terribly convenient for you.
It astounds me (but doesn’t, unfortunately, surprise me) that I, an avowed agnostic-bordering-on-atheist, possess a more thorough knowledge and better understanding of a religion to which you claim to be an adherent. I say ‘claim’ because you obviously didn’t get the messages that Jesus was sending. I can see your confusion, though. When Jesus talked about peace and tolerance and acceptance, you thought he meant hatred and fear and closed-mindedness. It’s an easy mistake to make.
April 1st, 2009 at 20:40
Convenience isn’t the issue. The Christian message is contained in the New Testament, not the Old. If you knew anything about Christianity, you would know that.
You, an agnostic-bordering-on-atheist, know nothing and understand nothing — no doubt because of your “prejudiced eyes”. You are the one accusing Christians of “hatred and fear and closed-mindedness”, not me. The only confusion here is yours; the problem is not what you know, but the fact that most of what you know ain’t so. Read a book. It won’t kill you. To be precise, read “An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith” by St John of Damascus. He knew more about both Christianity and Islam than you, sorry to say, ever will. But you might pick up a hint or two. Maybe.
April 3rd, 2009 at 22:05
Read a book. Good advice. I think I’ll do so, starting with the Bible. You know – the scripture. If the ‘Christian message’ is contained in the New Testament and not the Old Testament, why is the Old Testament included in the scripture? Don’t bother to answer – I already know why, and I know you’re going to say otherwise. I know that you think you know more about Christianity than EVERY OTHER CHRISTIAN ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH. I also know that you think you know more about Christ’s message than Christ did. Christ BELIEVED in the Old Testament, you moron, and he lived by it.
And yes – I do wholeheartedly accuse Christians of “hatred and fear and closed-mindedness”. I direct your attention to the Crusades, the Inquisition and the Salem Witch Hunts.
You, however, I accuse of not even being a Christian. You can’t even identify Christian scripture – how could you possibly be a Christian? You choose to call yourself Christian (much like Torquemada did), yet you fail to understand the least of Christ’s teachings. And you certainly don’t choose to live according to them.
And if you’d really like to get to know your God better, dipshit, READ THE FUCKING BIBLE. Stop reading what someone else thinks about it, stop listening to what other people think of it – JUST READ THE FUCKING BOOK ALREADY. God does NOT need an interpreter. His message is spelled out, clearly, right there in black and white. Just read it, already.
And draw your own conclusions about it. That’s what Jesus did. And that’s what he taught. You just refuse to pay attention.