What happened yesterday was truly awful, and it got me thinking about Islamic question, once again.
I believe that one of the reasons the left is on the decline in favour of right-wing, reactionary populism is its cognitive dissonance, hypocrisy and double standards regarding Islam. It’s like they have their fingers in their ears shouting ‘not all muslims’ etc.
The fact of the matter is that whilst not all Muslims are terrorists, the majority, even in The West, hold disproportinately backward, ultraconservative beliefs regarding women’s rights, homosexuality, freedom of religion, freedom of speech etc.
There are numerous opinion polls evidencing this (
www.thereligionofpeace.com). Yes some of them may have sample bias or other such poor methodological design, and yes I do acknowledge ‘thereligionofpeace’ has a vested interest in portraying Islam in a negative light. But I’m going to take a gamble and assume they show a valid, meaningful picture of contemporary Islamic belief.
Now I want to get one thing straight. I know from experience that there are (albeit a minority) some genuinely liberal Muslims out there who do not believe in things like killing apostates and nonbelievers, executing gays, spreading global jihad etc. But it’s important to acknowledge that unlike Christianity, where The Bible is open to interpretation and you can theologically argue for progressive causes like gay rights, Muslims believe that the qu’ran is the direct word of Allah. Thus, under the core principles of Islam, the qu’ran is not as open to interpretation. I believe that this is the reason why Islam is and has produced so many extremist movements.
It’s time that people like myself with genuinely progressive and left-wing values such as wealth redistribution, the welfare state, gay rights, women’s rights, freedom of speech, personal liberty etc., take into account that Islam and the ideology of Islamism does not support such causes. I believe that the reason the left are so hypocritical of Islam compared to Christianity is that the majority of Muslims in the West are ethnic minorities and of a low socioeconomic position. So, from an intersectional point of view, the left automatically feel altruistic, and the need to defend their rights, even when they preach beliefs that are contradictory to their own.
This is part of a well known, bigger issue often characterised as the ‘regressive left’, or rather that the authoritarian left has taken a hold. Greater emphasis is being placed on identity politics as opposed to class politics, and this leaves traditional supporters of left-wing causes disenfranchised.
The fact that leftists against this authoritarianism are not stepping up to the mark mean that those on the right and far right (quite legitimately) criticise regressivism, but then use it for their own purposes, to push their own sick agenda. The alt-right and Donald Trump are prime examples of this! Third-wave feminism, made-up gender identities and the ‘all white people are racist’ narritive are other examples of how the left have gone too far.
I’m not so concerned about terrorism - I’m more concerned about the growing influence and adherence to Islam in Western countries. Birth rates in Muslim families are much higher than the native population, and Islam is projected to become the world’s largest religion in years to come.
The issue of Islamic extermism and Islamic belief is a very sensitive, subjective and nuanced area of concern. It’s very easy to label all Muslims terrorists and invoke fear in people. However, I believe rational conversations need to be had to ensure that western liberal democracy remains intact. We must whole-heartedly reject any form of legal pluralism regarding Sharia Law and Islam in general.
Islam can go one of three ways. It can gain even stronger influence and cause more divisions within our society. It can become reformed and in line with Western values. Or Muslims in the West can leave Islam in favour of secularism, with the aid of support networks and charities which help people escape the harrowing financial and emotional constraints experienced by closeted ex-Muslims.
I’ll leave you with a quote which I think is most relevant in the current climate.