A Simple Rule

[Thumpalumpacus]

This is beside the point, as my OP asked whether or not it's true rather than how we should be treating moderates. Perhaps you agree but think it's best to keep quiet about that lest we drive more into the fundy camp? Or perhaps you disagree in which case please elaborate. Either way, beside the point.

I'm not advocating a course of action, but rather, pointing out a possible result of adopting this position of yours. But since you asked, I think extremists should be singled out for criticism, not moderates.

Ignoring that, are you suggesting that discussing how "moderates" water down their religion with foreign elements like modernity and personal conscience (frankly, this seems to be doing nothing more than pointing out the definition of a moderate) actually drives them to become fundamentalists?

No, that isn't what I said. Please don't twist my words.

Labeling them "not a true X" will likely drive some of them to the extreme, in my opinion.

Do you know of even anecdotal accounts of this happening? Statistical evidence and peer reviewed studies would be ideal.

I'm expressing an opinion, as you should clearly have understood once you read the words "seems to me" . As such, asking for a citation appears to be deliberately obtuse on your part.

The issue there is linguistic; people are using "racist" when they mean "bigot".

No, actually there are some on the left who seriously suggest that criticism of Islam is rooted in racism.

Well, the fact is that the vast majority of Muslims are non-white. Perhaps some folks are racist and Islamophobic; perhaps some on the left are confusing correlation and causation.

Just some of them or all?

I'm pretty sure I used the word "some" in my point there. Let me go look -- yep, I sure did. There, you've got your answer.