Point of Inquiry: Islam needs to be vigorously criticized

[mralstoner]

Faisal Saeed Al Mutar is an Iraqi refugee, and founder of the Global Secular Humanist Movement.

Skip to 15 mins if you just want to hear about Islam, Ben Affleck and so on.

Faisal has a clear-eyed view of Islam. He says the doctrine/ideology of Islam is the problem (jihad, martyrdom, the violent example of Mohammed) and must be reformed somehow. Moderate Islam (denial and ignoring the violent verses) will not solve the problem.

Killing ISIS will not make the ideology go away, it will just reappear in some other group. Rather, this is ideological warfare.

Faisal makes the important point (that Ben Affleck can't see) that criticising the doctrine of Islam is not the same as criticising all Muslims.

Surviving Saddam and Confronting Islam, with Faisal Saeed Al Mutar
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/surviving_..._al_mutar/

As the threat posed by radical Islamists like those of ISIS grows in popular awareness, Islam itself becomes more of a target for criticism; some of it fair, and some of it based in ignorance or bigotry. Can efforts to defend Islam and Muslims from discrimination and racism go too far, and keep us from having an honest discussion about something of such critical importance?

This week, Point of Inquiry welcomes Faisal Saeed Al Mutar, an Iraqi refugee turned activist, and founder of the Global Secular Humanist Movement. Al Mutar talks about growing up in Iraq under the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, and his belief that Islam needs to be more vigorously criticized, and that its adherents must be held to a higher moral standard.

[Spooky]

Wiping ISIS out would only create martyrs. Yes, Islam should be criticized. But very carefully.

[robvalue]

If the religious leaders just one day decided they are editing the books and taking out all the horrible shit (admittedly not much would be left) do you think the sheep would follow and accept this? The leaders could all claim divine revelation, of course. Until those books are softened or disposed of, people will continue to use them to justify immoral acts, on a small or large scale.

[Spooky]

If the religious leaders just one day decided they are editing the books and taking out all the horrible shit (admittedly not much would be left) do you think the sheep would follow and accept this? The leaders could all claim divine revelation, of course. Until those books are softened or disposed of, people will continue to use them to justify immoral acts, on a small or large scale.

Hate and anger are powerful drugs just as addictive as any chemical. If you take all the fun out of it nobody would join. They'll find something new, or just make up something else.

[robvalue]

I think the world is making it too easy for them, with these DIY slaughter manuals being socially accepted. It's like leaving a loaded gun on the floor.

At least without that, they'd have a harder time justifying their shit and brainwashing people. Hopefully, anyway.

[Thumpalumpacus]

If the religious leaders just one day decided they are editing the books and taking out all the horrible shit (admittedly not much would be left) do you think the sheep would follow and accept this? The leaders could all claim divine revelation, of course. Until those books are softened or disposed of, people will continue to use them to justify immoral acts, on a small or large scale.

I think the world is making it too easy for them, with these DIY slaughter manuals being socially accepted. It's like leaving a loaded gun on the floor.

At least without that, they'd have a harder time justifying their shit and brainwashing people. Hopefully, anyway.

The thing is, the extremists would mark the editors for retribution, and that sure knowledge silences some.

[robvalue]

Yes true. I guess in the Internet age it's not nearly so easy to make changes stick as well, so we'd probably just end up with different versions. But that would be good, the "moderates" could worship their murder-lite book while the nutcases keep the full massacre one.

I know, I know. But I can dream. My brain is desperately trying to come up with a way to get rid of these hateful books for the benefit of human kind.

But I think it's realistically about promoting critical thinking and discouraging indoctrination. That should do the trick given enough time.

[dyresand]

If they can't take the criticism they need to take a hard look at their beliefs and see what they are going is wrong and stop it.

[mralstoner]

If they can't take the criticism they need to take a hard look at their beliefs and see what they are going is wrong and stop it.

If Muslims took a "hard look" at their beliefs, they would find the prophet Mohammed beheaded poets who criticised him. Subsequently, Islam takes blasphemy and criticism very seriously, and you could literally lose your head over it.

Muhammad’s Dead Poets Society
The assassinations of satirical poets in early Islam

http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/A..._poets.htm


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Muhammad_12.jpg

The point is not to avoid criticism, but to understand that it's pointless to take a "hard look" into Islam, because Islam is bad the bone.

[The Grand Nudger]

If the religious leaders just one day decided they are editing the books and taking out all the horrible shit (admittedly not much would be left) do you think the sheep would follow and accept this? The leaders could all claim divine revelation, of course. Until those books are softened or disposed of, people will continue to use them to justify immoral acts, on a small or large scale.

In defense of islam, or any religion...really (take screenshots motherfuckers)....

If we got rid of all the fantasy fiction in the god genre scores of people would be pointing at The Catcher In The Rye or some other silly shit for an explanation of why they do what they do. That's what we're talking about here, people using heinously abtuse shit to justify whatever it is that's on their mind. Maybe I'm a cynic...but I don't think that the title or contents of a book matter all that much. They're interchangeable for this purpose - as there are -NO- requirements for this purpose. People can;t always be trusted with a story - that's where we're at...just to knock a few pegs off any notion of civility or refinement.....