Why do Atheists defend Islam?

[abaris]

That's part of the reason that Obama refuses to call terrorists Islamic, because it will logically put the spotlight on Muslim immigration. But Obama identifies with brown people and Muslims, and doesn't want to stop Muslim immigration, no matter what the cost to national security.

Wow, if stupidity would hurt, we would hear you scream all the way from Australia to Europe. Anyway, must be really scary to be you. But there's a remedy, you know. It's called education. And by that I don't mean hero worshipping every wayward rightwinger.

[mralstoner]

Wow, if stupidity would hurt, we would hear you scream all the way from Australia to Europe. Anyway, must be really scary to be you. But there's a remedy, you know. It's called education. And by that I don't mean hero worshipping every wayward rightwinger.

If you're an atheist, then congratulations, you just demonstrated the point of this subject thread.

[Losty]

I openly criticize Islam and defend Muslims, and I am not ashamed of either.

[Bob Kelso]

Eh?

Fuck Islam right in it's Abrahamic ass. Fuck the Muslims that perpetrate horrific acts in it's name, and fuck the twats that enable them.

Nice peaceful Muslims that don't fuck with people on the other hand? They're alright, even if they believe some really stupid things.

Any questions?

Edit: Feel free to exchange "Islam" and "Muslim" with "Christianity/Christians", and "Judaism/Jews", because they're in the same boat.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

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Why is it that when one criticizes Islam, and criticizes the extremists of Islam and points to their religion as being, in part, responsible for such behavior, that it is Atheists who will come in rushing to defend the religion? ...

Inb4 you're a racist islamaphobe bigot, Islam isn't a race, it's an ideology.

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That's probably the reason right there: Islam is an ideology, yet most people don't know that, they just see you being critical and they conclude that you must be a hater, a trouble maker, the problem not the solution.

Most people have no clue about the doctrine and history of Islam, and the barbaric example of Mohammed. It's beyond their comprehension that a religion could offer paradise for being killed/martyred while fighting to defend/expand the religion. All they see is you being "hateful".

And that gets to another deep reason why people defend Islam, because if we admit that Islam is not a religion of peace, then we have to admit that Muslim immigration is a catastrophic mistake, which brings the whole edifice of Western sanity crashing down. It reveals that the Western world, at its heart, is completely insane, and there's nobody in the driver's seat. Rather, we're driving headlong over a cliff. And that's just too crazy for people to contemplate.

That's part of the reason that Obama refuses to call terrorists Islamic, because it will logically put the spotlight on Muslim immigration. But Obama identifies with brown people and Muslims, and doesn't want to stop Muslim immigration, no matter what the cost to national security.

Jesus, the zombie, says that he's going to throw everyone who doesn't believe in him into the fire.  When he returns he will torture everyone, kill all life, and destroy the Earth.  Is he a terrorist?

[Athene]

Why is it that when one criticizes Islam, and criticizes the extremists of Islam and points to their religion as being, in part, responsible for such behavior, that it is Atheists who will come in rushing to defend the religion? 

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Many Atheists will be the first to point out the ills of Christianity, what it is doing to American culture and who it is oppressing. However, when someone points to Islam and the oppression that happens under Sharia Law, or the behaviors of those who follow the religion, the statistics saying close to 80% of western Muslims support putting you in prison for drawing a picture, many Atheists will call you a racist, a bigot, an Islamaphobe, and basically just shut down the conversation by spouting those accusations rather than actually addressing, or even acknowledging the criticisms. There's a massive double standard in much of the Atheist community about this right now, and I think it's time Atheists start to address them.

Inb4 not all Muslims, that is an irrelevant statement. There are enough Muslims behaving this way to cause a real problem, and just downplaying it or ignoring it won't make these problems go away. Yes there are millions of Muslims that just want to be left alone to subjugate their women in peace. There are even moderates that speak out against Terrorists, some even political leaders. This much is true.

Let us take a look at a rather moderate Muslim country, Turkey. It's technically secular and has many of the freedoms western countries have, technically. However, if you drink on Ramadan, you're likely to get the snot beaten out of you, as one of my friends from Turkey was along with his friends. The country in recent years has also started to be more religious in its policies. Banning cigarettes, taking away rights for gays, etc. If this is the greatest country that Muslims are capable of creating, I'm not impressed. Only about 30% of the country voted for a more secular leader. The majority support Sharia Law. The 30% that don't are the people in cities, educated by English schools. 

This is all information from a friend that was born and raised in Turkey. He's agnostic, doesn't like the word atheist (yeah, one of those) and so this might be all hearsay and anecdotal, but I tend to take experiences of people from such countries with as much credibility as statistics and etc., especially one as levelheaded and logical about the issue as this guy.

Inb4 you're a racist islamaphobe bigot, Islam isn't a race, it's an ideology. Something you can convert to is not a race, and stating objective facts is not bigotry. Islamaphobia is a word made by fascists used by cowards to manipulate morons.

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Because they're afraid and don't want to be targeted by extremists. People may simply have too much pride to admit such a thing, so they'll pretend that their reluctance to give Islam the same treatment as they would Christianity is based on "something else".

[Excited Penguin]

I despise Islamist Ideology - that is, the idea that Islam should be politicised and not simply practiced as a religion in a non-abusive way. If there are muslims(as there are) who think imposing Islam on the rest of the world, regardless if they agree with it or not, is a good idea then I despise them and oppose them in every way. The muslims that I support are secular ones, those who value liberal values and don't think their religion should be forced upon others or that others should suffer because of the tenets of their religion.

How's that? Do we agree there, abaris?

[abaris]

Because they're afraid and don't want to be targeted by extremists. People may simply have too much pride to admit such a thing, so they'll pretend that their reluctance to give Islam the same treatment as they would Christianity is based on "something else".

Say what?

Targeted by extremists? I would just as soon wipe my ass with the Qran as I would with the bible or the Thora for that matter. Paper quality may be a bit lacking, but otherwise ....

You, like so many others, don't seem to understand the issue. It's not defending the religion, if someone defends the people. It's right there, before your nose. In this very OP. He interchanges Islam and muslim as if it was the same and gives it a derogatory meaning on the side. Maybe I'm a bit more sensible to the terminology, coming from a jewish family. But the groundwork, as far as words are concerned, is just the same as it was some 80 years ago. That's the problem. Not attacking or defending a religion. It's attacking a whole group of people, just because they all follow a religion that also harbors radicals.

It's also fundamentally stupid and speaks of a lacking ability to make distinctions, since we're talking about a multitude of ethnicities, cultures and religious differences within Islam.

[Excited Penguin]

Abaris, do you agree with what I previously wrote?

I think you're picking a non-existent fight here.

[Athene]

Because they're afraid and don't want to be targeted by extremists. People may simply have too much pride to admit such a thing, so they'll pretend that their reluctance to give Islam the same treatment as they would Christianity is based on "something else".

Say what?

Targeted by extremists? I would just as soon wipe my ass with the Qran as I would with the bible or the Thora for that matter. Paper quality may be a bit lacking, but otherwise ....

You, like so many others, don't seem to understand the issue. It's not defending the religion, if someone defends the people. It's right there, before your nose. In this very OP. He interchanges Islam and muslim as if it was the same and gives it a derogatory meaning on the side. Maybe I'm a bit more sensible to the terminology, coming from a jewish family. But the groundwork, as far as words are concerned, is just the same as it was some 80 years ago. That's the problem. Not attacking or defending a religion. It's attacking a whole group of people, just because they all follow a religion that also harbors radicals.

It's also fundamentally stupid and speaks of a lacking ability to make distinctions, since we're talking about a multitude of ethnicities, cultures and religious differences within Islam.

My post wasn't directed as you specifically, so I'm not sure certain why you seem personally offended.

I recognize  the distinction between Muslims and Islam. It's the same distinction that separates Christians from Christianity. So what? Many faiths are comprised of a multitude of ethnicities, cultures, and religious differences, including Christianity. When has that stopped certain atheists from ripping Christianity apart and criticizing that religion close to the point of ridicule? The exact same people will only give only a cursory critique of Islam. Justified or unjustified, the reason for holding back on identical criticism is often fear. They want to, but simply think better of it. 

It's unfair to label people as stupid or racist simply because they notice.