.... Judaism is a non proselytising religion/ideology. It does not seek to impose itself on humanity. Islam is emphatically the opposite. It does, and its many followers do, believe it is the best way for humanity to live. Any religion with this world-view is going to encounter push-back, and certainly Christians attempting something similar in Muslim-majority countries would likely face the same antipathy.
Added to that, the extremes of Islam – even the mainstream if you include a global representation of the religion – are opposed to Western values of secular democracy. An alarming proportion of British Muslims support, for example, Sharia Law. It would be naive to think that this sort of polling data doesn’t affect public perceptions of British Muslims. A more inclusive society is a good thing, but that is premised on the assumption that everyone wants to be a part of it. The one Jewish state, in contrast, has embraced Western values.
.... In contrast, a great deal of anti-Islam feeling is not irrational. Obviously at the fringes there is stuff that crosses the line into conspiracy territory, and even casually speaking, there is some ‘Islamophobia’ – or anti-Muslim hatred that is a proxy for racism. And of course there is a huge difference between animosity towards individual Muslims rather than the ideas of Islam as a religion, or political Islam/Islamism.
But a significant proportion is not irrational or racist, and it has to be acknowledged. If whatever instrument is devised to combat this prejudice and hatred is not forensic in its scope rather than being a blunt instrument, Islamists will beat us with it. [Harry’s Place] Read more
