Why do Atheists defend Islam?

[God of Mr. Hanky]

Then again, not even Dawkins would ever call for rounding them up into concentration camps, as was done with the Japanese in the US. You give off that sort of weird impression.

Ah, the attempted shutting down of a conversation by calling someone a racist or similar. Wow, clap you trained seal, clap!

I've not really been if you are really an atheist, or if you are trolling us (I've seen some pretty weird trolls who come around with "why do atheists" bait questions, and will insist on ideas such as the planets are gods, or that Cthulu is real), but I for one am not one of those stupid and ideological liberals who will try and whitewash Islam.

I am a bit concerned that my country, to the drumbeat of Donald Trump and other such asshats, could become as radical as the religious if we aren't careful.

It requires an ideology for anyone to believe something which has no sound reasoning behind it, as is the idea that Islam is fundamentally peaceful and egalitarian. Needless to say, ideology and the rational thought of atheist should go together in the same head, but unfortunately there are a lot of people who are selling such irrationality while calling themselves atheists. Amazingly enough,the fact that those who believe they are atheists can think that irrationally means they can react that irrationally in a non-peaceful way as well.

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I'm aware of Middle-Eastern knowledge power, in the wake of the Byzantine Empire - however, I'm not aware of this having anything to do with Islam. It was there, but that itself doesn't make it a contributing factor to M.E. success at the time.

Well, the Golden Age of Islam was not in any way reduced by Islam therefore it's not necessarily a retardant. Since Islam is so hierarchical, it's arguable that it's the leaders that made the difference, empowered by the structure that the Caliphate provided. In that sense, Islam would be more than mildly contributory.

When it became apparent outside of the Xtian sphere that Xtians had serious interest in world domination, this was about the time that the Muslims got serious on their religion, at the expense of their culture. Unfortunately for them, they rejected math and science, along with their infidels, and it was all downhill from there. This is why I really doubt that Islam ever could have done that region any good.

The Crusades began during the Golden Age so there was a long time where muslims were 'serious about their religion' but not to the expense of their culture, technology or social sophistication. That the post-Abbasid leaders were less capable rulers is more likely to be the cause of the decline than Islam in & of itself and as I said before, Islam's influence seems dependent, in those terms, on the contemporary archetypal interpretations of qur'an/hadith.

Not a retardent? Ok, it galvanized Middle Eastern political power for the first two centuries (also, and this had nothing to do with Islam, the ME benefited from centuries of Byzantine culture). Here's how that worked: Non-Muslims are your enemies, take them all over the world and give them either Islam or the sword if they reject it - that's the Koran for you! Their influence began to expand, they rode into Israel, and the Pope got a bee in his bonnet over that. Then rejection of Western ways, directed by Muslim fundamentalist teachers. Still not a retardent?