Malaysia is an example of what passes for a an area with a moderate Islamic population. It's slight majority Muslim, but has separate rules for Muslims and non-Muslims. Non-Muslims are not bound by Islamic law -- at least they aren't supposed to be. And it's not a rogue state, or a nasty dictatorship. No one is particularly worried about radical Islamic terrorism coming from Malaysia. Yet even in that country you can see the oppressive nature of Islamic religion, when it insinuates itself into government functions, as it is prone to do.
A Hindu child was forcibly converted to Islam in an orphanage at age 7, and given an Islamic name. That's bad enough. What's worse is that this child is now a woman of 28 and still suffering from that action.
She lives with her husband, S. Sockalingam, whom she married in a traditional Hindu ceremony, but they are unable to register their union because, officially, they belong to different religions.A court blocked her attempts to change her name and get legal recognition for her marriage. Religious oppression backed by government power -- that's all too often the way of Islam.
Malaysian Muslims are not permitted to marry someone of another faith, unless the spouse converts to Islam. She is also unable to name her husband as the father of their two children on their birth certificates.
A word that is thrown around quite a bit, especially on the useful idiot left, is "Islamophobia." Islamophobia is a made-up term that smears people who object to Islam as bigots with an irrational dislike of the Islamic religion and its adherents. But dislike of Islam is perfectly rational. It is based on both the teachings of the religion itself, the actions of Muslims, and observation of states where Islam is the dominant religion. The oppressive nature of Islam in even countries such as Malaysia is yet another of the endless examples of why it is quite rational to dislike Islam.
You hit the nail on the head. I've been hearing this term "Islamophobia" for a few years now, and have always despised it. It is a convenient way to smear those who realize the danger Islam (not Islamism or Islamic fundamentalism) poses to civilization.
ReplyDeleteHeck, at my university there's a center that promotes unity between all people, and advocates we stand up against "Islamophobia" (bold, capitals). I just find it pathetic.
While not arguing for Islam (I don't respect it), I don't really see how you can meaningfully contrast it with Christianity. I think that Christianity is inherently about as oppressive and intolerant as Islam -- I don't think that Islam is particularly oppressive.
ReplyDeleteThe reason that you can't point to many* Christian countries and make similar examples to Malaysia is because most Christian (European) countries have gone through the Enlightenment (the US constitution is one of the great statements of Enlightenment thinking), which (I claim) as a liberalisation (in a social sense) of those countries.
* as a counter-example, I would say that apartheid and Jim Crow were examples of (predominantly) Christian countries doing similar things.
"While not arguing for Islam (I don't respect it), I don't really see how you can meaningfully contrast it with Christianity. I think that Christianity is inherently about as oppressive and intolerant as Islam -- I don't think that Islam is particularly oppressive."
ReplyDeleteI think the evidence strongly indicates otherwise. In my opinion you are confusing Christian doctrine, which is indeed oppressive in many respects, with the actual practice of Christianity, which is far more moderate and includes a strong liberal element. If this were say 1500, you'd have a point about Christianity. It was just as oppressive as Islam, if not more so.
"The reason that you can't point to many* Christian countries and make similar examples to Malaysia is because most Christian (European) countries have gone through the Enlightenment (the US constitution is one of the great statements of Enlightenment thinking), which (I claim) as a liberalisation (in a social sense) of those countries."
Yes, which makes Christianity and Islam, as currently practiced, far different. There is also a tradition and practice of separation between church & state with Christianity, where there was a constant struggle between ruling secular authorities and the church. The church lost that battle. There has been no such equivalent battle within Islam. Islam's pretensions to political authority are still very much a part of the religion. Religion that oppresses its voluntary adherents is one thing. Religion which has its oppression backed up by the force of government, as in places like Iran and Saudi Arabia, is far worse.
"as a counter-example, I would say that apartheid and Jim Crow were examples of (predominantly) Christian countries doing similar things."
Christianity was used as a partial justification for such things, but it was not the main motivating force.