Opinionista has a fantastic post, reminiscent of Greta Christina’s reasons atheists are angry: “Over It” – The rant of an angry, Agnostic, British, Indo-Pakistani woman of Muslim heritage.
I am over the complete ignorance by Muslims and non Muslims (particularly UK politicians and media) alike of the fact that “Muslim communities” contain non religious, spiritual people like me, as well as Atheist people and Agnostic people.
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I am over UK politicians thinking that they will find out what I want by speaking to only bearded self appointed “community leaders”, headscarf donning women (defined only by their modesty or “Muslimness”) or the Sayeeda Warsis of the world who are homophobic, misogynistic and anti-equality. I am not defined by the faith I was born into, nor am I represented by demagogues who wish to win support for their incompetent party leader.
I am over being told that my views are Islamophobic, particularly when I come from a Muslim family, have a Muslim name and am profiled at the airport every time I fly because of it, regardless of the fact that I’m Agnostic.
I am over being told that my views are offensive. I’m offended by my community’s homophobia, misogyny and racism. This doesn’t mean that I have the right to start burning effigies or chanting “death to ______” or blowing stuff up. Yet people like ME are the ones being called “militant” secularists. When’s the last time a secularist blew stuff up? Secularists do not stunt critique by bursting into Mosques and telling DIY Imams to “be quiet because you’re offending me”. Even if we desperately wish that they would stop spewing their hate.
Read the whole thing!
Damn! I appreciate the Opinionista’s denouncements (and reminders). I’ll have to read her more often.
Oh, fantastic. Thanks so much for drawing our attention to this.
Excellent stuff. Highly recommended.
Excellent. There’s a book I think you (and Eric MacDonald) would find very interesting: ‘The Democratic Contradictions of Multiculturalism’by Jens-Martin Eriksen and Frederik Stjernfelt (both Danes), which addresses – cogently and fairly, I think, after an admittedly very brief perusal (it arrived this morning) – the issues which this writer, you and Eric have been addressing with respect to Islam. It seems to make the necessary distinction between Islam as an institution, or as a rather anarchic bundle of institutions, and the individuals who are Muslim or come from a Muslim background; it examines Islam and sharia law in connexion with the political situation in various countries (in particular, Malaysia), as well as the controversy over the Danish cartoons. It is published by the Telos Press. The issue of that useful accusation – ‘Islamophobia’ – is also addressed.
This poor women is up against the politicians, the academics, the MSM, the business community, the oil lobbies, “anti-racist” groups, the do-gooders, white guilt, as well as many members of her own community.
Great stuff and thank you. I hadn’t read her before.