Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks.....

This is easily one of the best article I've ever read on the subject of Islam and the West, I can't recommend it highly enough. And it's on Huffington Post of all places. It's rather long so I'll just link it. I will also make a not so bold prediction, this article will be linked to death in the blogosphere by tomorrow morning (I hate the word "blogosphere" by the way, this is the first time I've used it, but only out of necessity).....

Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks- by Sam Harris (Huff Po)

Here's a brilliant comparison between the recently busted Mormon cult and Islam...

......A point of comparison: The controversy of over Fitna was immediately followed by ubiquitous media coverage of a scandal involving the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). In Texas, police raided an FLDS compound and took hundreds of women and underage girls into custody to spare them the continued, sacramental predations of their menfolk. While mainstream Mormonism is now granted the deference accorded to all major religions in the United States, its fundamentalist branch, with its commitment to polygamy, spousal abuse, forced marriage, child brides (and, therefore, child rape) is often portrayed in the press as a depraved cult. But one could easily argue that Islam, considered both in the aggregate and in terms of its most negative instances, is far more despicable than fundamentalist Mormonism. The Muslim world can match the FLDS sin for sin--Muslims commonly practice polygamy, forced-marriage (often between underage girls and older men), and wife-beating--but add to these indiscretions the surpassing evils of honor killing, female "circumcision," widespread support for terrorism, a pornographic fascination with videos showing the butchery of infidels and apostates, a vibrant form of anti-semitism that is explicitly genocidal in its aspirations, and an aptitude for producing children's books and television programs which exalt suicide-bombing and depict Jews as "apes and pigs."

Any honest comparison between these two faiths reveals a bizarre double standard in our treatment of religion. We can openly celebrate the marginalization of FLDS men and the rescue of their women and children. But, leaving aside the practical and political impossibility of doing so, could we even allow ourselves to contemplate liberating the women and children of traditional Islam?

Read it all....

ZIP

Comments

[atheling]

I'm amazed that it was published at the HuffPo.

Some of the comments were depressing, however.

[Strul Zigelboim]

Mormonism and Mohammedism are also similar in that they are both founded on a "sacred" book singlehandedly composed by a self-appointed "prophet". What defines cults is that they are always initiated by deranged, but highly manipulative individuals (a more recent example would be L. Ron Hubbard), whereas authentic religions are founded on collective traditions and a plurality of texts (Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism). In the nineteenth century, people laughed at Joseph Smith and ran him out of town; now the "religion" he concocted has thirteen million adherents. Likewise, in the seventh century, the Jews of the Arabian peninsula laughed at the deluded ravings of a certain self-proclaimed "prophet" (until he exterminated them all, of course).

[Merrimac]

ZIP, I was just about to email you this article, too! It is astonishing that it appeared at Huffo but I tell you, I believe there is a sea change going on: I think a lot of people in the media realize that everybody's freedoms really are under threat and that, if repression wins out, there's going to be a lot more other than Islam that writers aren't going to be allowed to write about. Of course, sinking readership numbers have a great influence, too, especially if it's that writer's job that's out the window!

[Elric66]

How did it slip by Huff?

[JDAM]

You can tell this article has no business being on Huff Po by the reader comments. Huffington is even more insane than Kos.

[Elric66]

They certainly didnt like it. LOL