The fine line of critiquing Muslims
April 19th, 2008We know everyone has flaws. I’d rather not start off a rant by saying this, because it’s so trite, so overdone.
As a highly opinionated person, I speak my mind. Sometimes it’s not the friendliest thing to say, but there’s a Freedom of Speech in this country and by golly, I’m going to use it while we still have it.
It’s funny, my last satirical piece, I was thinking that Right-wing Americans would probably cheer and say “cool! Zombieslayer hates Muslims.” Left-wing Americans would probably say “oh no! Zombieslayer’s a bigot!”
Freedom of Speech, my friends. Use it or lose it.
Everyone does something stupid. It would be a bad world when people are afraid to call someone on it. So I do. When George W does something stupid, I say it. When Nancy Pelosi does something stupid, I say it. Well, I can’t all the time because those two are some of the dumbest people on the planet (and they’re running our country). 
As for Islam, yes, you’ve heard me say it before and I’m sick of saying it but I have to say it again because you never know when there will be a newbie who reads this blog - a religion is only as good or bad as its followers. The best thing that could happen for Islam are for moderate Muslims to openly mock the extremists. Do it in public, and do it loudly. Take those stupid things off women’s heads, allow women to have every Right that men have, and stop chopping off people’s heads you don’t like.
Of all the religions, Islam has the absolute worst track record for Women’s Rights.
Of all the religions, Islam has the most vile extremists.
Of all the religions, Islam is the most intolerant.
If I were a Muslim, this is what I’d be working on:
1) Equality for Women,
2) Birth control. The reality is overpopulation in Islamic countries is the root cause of all their problems. Denying birth control and forcing women at gunpoint to breed is making the problems far worse,
3) Immediately stopping female circumcision. That practice is abhorrent and the sooner it is outlawed worldwide the better,
4) Free Speech. Yes, that means offensive speech too. And if one’s delicate sensibilities are offended, tough shit!
5) A truly Free Press. This is crucial to change. Open up the press, including criticism of clerics and government bodies.
Until this happens, Islam will continue to be seen as an ass backwards religion. There are many, many moderate, intelligent, and fascinating Muslims out there. I have befriended many, and I can tell you first hand that they’re fun as heck to party with. But they need to be more vocal about change or else all the rest of the world will see are the loud, backwards idiots that make Islam look like a religion of nutjobs.
By the way, you might want to watch this video. By all means, let me know if you know any Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Pagan, Atheist, or Taoist groups that are this scary. Keep in mind, this is mainstream in some Muslim nations.
While I agree with your sentiment, I have to push the line on this one:
1) Equality for Women. Define equality and define which women? All Muslim women are not in the same circumstances. Do you mean here in the US or do you mean somewhere like Saudi Arabia? Also, who gets to define equality for those women? You? What if their opinion of equality is different than what you think it should be? There are differing opinions on what equality means for women, even here in the US. This is a very vague and open statement. I think I know what you mean, but you’ve got to be much more specific.
2) Birth control. This could go for a lot of Christians as well who think birth control is against God’s commandment to be fruitful and multiply. But yes, access to health care and social services for women is SORELY lacking in the Muslim world.
3) Immediately stopping female circumcision. To be fair, this is not a Muslim practice, it’s an African tribal practice that has been absorbed into tribal cultures. The issue here is really education. If women and men who followed teachers who preach FGM is Islamic could read for themselves that nowhere in Muslim teachings does this exist, maybe it would change. Simply telling people to stop, without realizing the cultural context that it occurs. They’re taught it’s a Muslim practice and suffer SEVERE ostraciziation if they do not comply. That may sound trivial. But in parts of the world where women are financially dependent on men, being ostracized (unmarriagable) is a death sentence. This is really an educational and economic issue.
4) Free Speech. Absolutely. As Irshad Manji says so often - being offended is NOT the same as being oppressed. That said, again, in many areas there are extreme pressures to follow the herd, which can be economically disasterous for many women.
5) A truly Free Press. Absolutely. No argument there.
I would add:
6) Economic support for women’s businesses in the form of microloans. Many of these problems stem from womens’ economic dependence on men.
7) Education beyond mere literacy so people are able to learn for themselves what is and what is not religiously mandated of them.
As for “those stupid things” on women’s heads. There are many women who do actively choose to wear the hijab. I’ve written many, many papers on the hijab as a lightningrod for empty criticism of Islam. We here in the West tend to focus too much on that issue. Sure, women should be able to determine what form of “modest dress” they wish to wear. But if that decision really is theirs, and it is to wear the hijab, be respectful of that. It is, after all, an expression of religious faith that is protected under the first ammendment.
Laura - Excellent reply!
The reason I go off on the hijab is because, ok, forgive the stereotype, but this is what I’ve experienced - Muslim women who refuse to wear it are more “fun” and open-minded.
Yes, there are exceptions, but I like women who aren’t afraid to speak their mind.
Ok, equality. That’s such a vague term, agreed. What does it mean to me? It’s one sentence - women are free to do the same things men are free to do. That’s it.
Birth control - I was going to say there aren’t Christian extremists then thought of Operation Rescue and the abortion clinic bombers. Ok, never mind.
Female circumcision - true, but of the major religions, Islam is the only one that enforces it (and to fight is = death)
Economic support - Good one.
Education - Another good one.
I just watch the video, it’s scary, even though we already know what it is all about;
My muslim friends say: ” this is not Islam, we don’t care, because it is not our religion, it is terrorism, it is not out problem but he problem of everyone else in the world”;
They make a lot of children because when you are born muslim you cannot convert, they want the world to be muslim, it’s why so many children.
Can’t believe my mom writes to you before she writes to me but that’s irrelevant… she’s right in everything she says, they want to have that many children to take over the world…
My grain of salt is this… I hate extremists in general, not just the muslims (particularly the muslims) but all extremists (even the Christian ones who say we’ll all go to Hell, they’re not any better); Islam is a backward religion and society, they are about 400 years behind Christianity (because let’s face it, although Christ was born in 0 AD the religion did not kick off until Emperor Contanstine I made imposed it in the 4th Century)as such look at what the Christians were doing in the 17th century old Europe (and until 1944)? Any better than today’s muslims, I don’t think so… I’m not approving one bit of what islam is today they’re inexcusable but just implying that it’s a phase and they’ll grow out of it in the next two or three centuries, but we have to fight it till then, even if it’s an old wrinkly French actress voicing her opinion.
… or an above average smart American man to voice his humble opinion.
Kitem - It scares me that a religion doesn’t allow you to convert to another. In this country, we call that “a cult.”
Helen - I hate violent extremists. We allow people here to have extreme opinions, no matter how obnoxious and annoying they are. You’re even allowed to hate. You just can’t single out a person’s name, because that is seen as a personal threat and the person named can defend himself or herself.
The reason why I single out Muslims is that they’re doing violence today. Yes, Christians have plenty of blood on their hands in the past, but recently have been for the most part peaceful. Every religion, every culture, every people have blood on their hands in their history, but I single out Islam because it’s the most extreme today.
What I’d want more than anything is for moderate and progressive Muslims to enact change from within. I’m hoping it’s faster than two or three centuries, but as you know from history, change takes awhile.
The Koran has too many references to killing infidels to make me believe in “moderate” Muslims. Anyone who isn’t Muslim is an infidel. Therefore, we ALL deserve to die horrible deaths.
Until all “moderate” Muslims start publicly renouncing this belief, I’ll refuse to believe that Islam is a “religion of peace”.
Freedom of religion ENDS where threats to life prevail!
ZPG should be practiced by EVERYONE in the world, including the renegade Mormons practicing polygamy in this country!
Tshsmom - I’ve always believed that too many people for too few resources is the cause for almost every war. Moderates of any faith dump all the dogma and other crap associated with a religion. I think moderate Muslims take that killing infidels stuff with a grain of salt.
However, it needs to be known that there are references to killing infidels in the Koran. Calling Islam the religion of peace is like saying China has the world’s best human rights records and makes the safest toys. It’s a downright lie.
“Muslim women who refuse to wear it are more “fun” and open-minded.”
Because all Muslim women are here for your entertainment, right?
Courtney -
Actually, easier to get along with would have been a better way of putting it.
I want to add, also, that any religion taken as literal interpretation of a thousands year old scripture (whether you believe it’s been edited by human hands or not) is backwards because you’re applying rules from millenia ago to today’s world. You can only re-interpret so much before you hit a brick wall and either have to stay behind it, or climb it to see what else is out there.
Most Muslims will tell you that the Qur’an is the perfect, literal word of god and exists today in the exact form in which it was revealed to Muhammad. That is a core belief for much of Islam and that is where the problem lies. The inability to question. Most christians gave that up a long time ago (though there are still some crazies out there who believe the world is flat and that Eve was duped by a talking snake).
We’re at the historical point of transition right now. 1300 years after Christianity was founded, Christians had conquered much of the world and wanted to force their religion down everyone’s throat. Then came the renaissance, free thinking, and questionning. Islam is the youngest of the major religions and it has yet to reach that point, I think.
You rock Laura!
I am a deeply religious man, but I take dogma and immediately throw it right out the window. Religious scripts have had man’s (and woman’s) hands on them and are far from perfect. Languages have changed, and concepts have changed. Just look at how much Americans fight over the 2nd Amendment’s interpretation and that was only 200+ years ago, whereas you’re talking over a 1000 years ago with Islam and 700 years longer with Christianity (and severe empire changes since then).
Yes, I think most Christians have re-examined everything. Fundamentalistics of any sort scare me, and ’tis true, Islam hasn’t reached that point yet.
Wow, Laura - and I thought I overthought everything.
Well ZS, you chewed off a big chunk of throbbing gristle here, and for the most part (Courtney’s ridiculous accusation excluded) it looks like you survived. Kudos all around!
You may also want to check out Submission, Part One, the film Theo Van Gogh was murdered for and which prompted the current backlash against Muslims in Holland. It’s quite powerful. This is also the reason Ayaan Hirsi Ali is under 24 hour police protection.
Badman: Overthinking? No. I’m just thinking. Something we’ve forgotten how to do in the U.S.
badman, I was teasing. Hence the winking smiley.
1) Equality for Women - This is an Arab issue, not a Muslim issue.
Malaysia, Indonesia, and to an extent Pakistan (Already has had a Female prime minister), and Iran all have equal rights for Women.
2) Birth control. The reality is overpopulation in Islamic countries is the root cause of all their problems. Denying birth control and forcing women at gunpoint to breed is making the problems far worse
Also needed more in Africa and India, how is this a Muslim problem?
3) Immediately stopping female circumcision. That practice is abhorrent and the sooner it is outlawed worldwide the better
African tribal custom, unrelated to Islam
4) Free Speech. Yes, that means offensive speech too. And if one’s delicate sensibilities are offended, tough shit!
In non-Muslim countries, of course (ever try questioning the holocaust, lat guy that did that here in Canada is in prison). Muslims should not be dictating how others run their countries, but neither should outsiders be dictating how Muslim countries set up their free speech laws where religion is a part of life.
5) A truly Free Press. This is crucial to change. Open up the press, including criticism of clerics and government bodies.
Agreed, although many Iraqi’s were deeply offended when American brought pornographic magazines.
I’m surprised someone of your apparent intelligence is relying on Geert Wilders for you information about Muslims.
Zombie: SOmething else occurred to me to that I thought you’d find ironic. Did you know you’re using a politically correct term when you say “Female Circumcision”? That is the term coined to make the practices sound more palatable. Most opponents prefer Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Raemius: Good points all. I’m glad to see a perspective of a Muslim here. It seems to me that these issues often get stripped of details and when they’re not boiled to bullet points they’re considered “over-thought”… I’m curious what you think about a recent post I made, because, again, no Muslim input… of course - not to imply that you are the official spokesman
Badman - I will always survive. After all, I am The Zombieslayer.
Laura - That was really painful to watch. Thanks for posting it though.
Courtney - I don’t think he’s learned irony yet.
Raemius - Thanks for replying. And yes, overpopulation is a HUGE problem in Africa and India as well, especially India. Contrary to popular opinion, the most overpopulated country in the world is not China, it’s India.
Agreed about the double standards of Free Speech in “Western” countries. That’s one thing America’s good at. Yes, you can question the Nazi Holocaust. By the way, I always specify Nazi Holocaust because there have been so many in history that to call one holocaust “The Holocaust” smacks of the worst kind of ethnocentrism.
Laura - Heh. Good catch. I will refer to it from now on as the non-politically correct term.
I’m highly critical of my own people and some of their so called ‘Islamic’ practices. But I strongly believe that changes need to come from within the Islamic world, and cannot be forced upon them.
Raemius - Agreed. That was one of the “prime directives” in Star Trek - self-determination of all life forms. It applies to peoples as well.
But of course I always reserve the right to criticize (and of course satirize).
Well, each term is political because it endorses a particular bias toward the practice. One is politically correct in terms of sanitizing the practice and the other is politically correct in terms of denouncing it. If you want to be completely bias-free, you’re stuck with the medical terminology of cliterodectomy, excision, and infibulation.
Laura - True dat.
If I wanted to be technical, I’d say cliterodectomy.
But let’s be real. You cut off the clit, you can only attain orgasm from vaginal sex.
That’s bullshit, and this is why it’s bullshit - I’m proud of my abilities to please a woman intellectually, sexually, emotionally, humorously, etc. You limit my abilities and you’ll get on my bad side. Political correctness limits my abilities at humor. Cliterodectomy limits my abilities sexually. It’s a disgusting practice not only for the woman, but for the woman or man who’s trying to please her sexually.
Oh, by the way Laura, I’m not saying what you said was bullshit, I’m saying the people who are cutting off a clitoris are full of bullshit. I’ve had a lot to drink so my words are probably not what they should be.
Yeah, I got that. Some cultures practice way more than cliterodectomy though. Excision is the removal of the inner labia (in addition to cliterodectomy), and Infibulation is cliterodectomy + excision + sewing the outer labia over the vaginal opening leaving a small hole for urine and mestruation - to ensure the woman can’t ahve sex. Some cultures even RE-sew women between children.