Seemingly few and far between these days, there do exist Muslims who are not Terrorist sympathizers or apologists. This might seem like a fairly obvious statement, but try finding one. Fortunately, there are some Muslims who not only understand that Islam has issues, but don’t have any problems saying so… in the New York Times… and go figure… it’s a woman.
[A]llow me to observe key differences between the debate over Islam in Western Europe and North America. In Western Europe, the entry point for this debate is the hijab – the headscarf that many Muslim women wear as a signal of modesty. By contrast, the entry point in North America is terrorism.
Some might say that difference is understandable. After all, Sept. 11 happened on American soil. But March 11 happened on European ground, yet the hijab remains the starting point for Europeans. Meanwhile, it makes barely a ripple in North America.
This difference speaks to a larger gulf in attitudes toward religion. To a lot of Europeans, still steeped in memories of the Catholic Church’s intellectual repression, religion is an irrational force. So women who cover themselves are foolish at best and dangerous otherwise.
Not so in North America. Because it has long been a society of immigrants seeking religious tolerance, religion itself is not seen as irrational – even if what some people do with it might be, as in the case of terrorism. Which means Muslims in North America tend to be judged less by what we wear than by what we do – or don’t do, like speaking out against Islamist violence.
Ding, ding, ding… we have a winner! Read the whole thing.
Excellent article.
But what were you doing reading a liberal rag?
Morbid curiosity.