Steve said:
When we think about why building a Muslim community center there may be
regarded as objectionable (even though it ought not be prohibited) is that
there doesn't seem to be moderate Islam of the sort where there are Muslim
leaders willing to come out and say that Salmon Rushdie and apostates in
general ought not be killed or to stop apologizing for those threatening the
lives of cartoonists. Most Muslim's understanding of Islam is actually a very
real and present danger to religious freedom.
dmb says:
Well, as I understand it, the man behind the cultural center project is just
the kind of moderate Islamic leader you're asking for. Harris has a point about
the even-handedness. It bugs the hell out of me when the media is even-handed
about very uneven things. But I think what motivates some people to assert that
there are Christian extremists too is a desire to point out that you can't
judge the whole thing by its worst advocates. When you say that the Osama's
gang is like a chapter of our KKK, you hope that people get the idea that they
are reviled even among other Muslims and that they are a tiny fraction of
Islam. Are MOST Muslims actually a very real danger to religious freedom? I
seriously doubt that. Do I think most Islamic nations are practically psychotic
when it comes to repressing women? Yea, but that's not a clear and present
danger to me. It's a nightmare for half a billion human beings, but I'm not an
Islamic woman.
Also, Matt made a good point. The Islamic cultural center in New York will
serve American Muslims, not impoverished Egyptians or Afghan war lords. One is
not "disposed to bombing buildings, just so long as we take care of the other
"local" bits surrounding (food to eat, good education, etc.)."
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