"the cultural-leftist theory that militant Islam is merely an expression of authentic culture and thus beyond the judgment of oppressive-minded Westerners."
Huh? I realize accusing the secularists of being soft on "militant Islam" (which I define as people who blow up commercial airplanes and subway cars, not the sliver of 1.2 billion Muslims that think women shouldn't drive) is a fashionable platitude among the right wingers and the Hilary Democrats, but I have never met a secularist who is softer on jihadists than s/he is on all those poor, persecuted Christians and Jews living in America.
It's probably worth noting that the accusation that secularists are multi-culti defenders of terrorism (which is for all intents and purposes a synonym for "militant Islam") is a line right out of Karl Rove's notes on how to alienate the Real Left. And it's certainly the same BS that The Hitch has been blathering about for years. I feel compelled to ask the author of this article: Why criticize a man whose argument you've co-opted to paint secularists and defenders of terrorism under the banner of cultural sensitivity?
The Hitch has used the same argument, implying that if I advocate for religious tolerance (which all true secularists do, since it's in their interest as the world's ideological minority) then I somehow support genital mutilation and the overthrow of the West. I call bullshit.
"the cultural-leftist theory that militant Islam is merely an expression of authentic culture and thus beyond the judgment of oppressive-minded Westerners."
Huh? I realize accusing the secularists of being soft on "militant Islam" (which I define as people who blow up commercial airplanes and subway cars, not the sliver of 1.2 billion Muslims that think women shouldn't drive) is a fashionable platitude among the right wingers and the Hilary Democrats, but I have never met a secularist who is softer on jihadists than s/he is on all those poor, persecuted Christians and Jews living in America.
It's probably worth noting that the accusation that secularists are multi-culti defenders of terrorism (which is for all intents and purposes a synonym for "militant Islam") is a line right out of Karl Rove's notes on how to alienate the Real Left. And it's certainly the same BS that The Hitch has been blathering about for years. I feel compelled to ask the author of this article: Why criticize a man whose argument you've co-opted to paint secularists and defenders of terrorism under the banner of cultural sensitivity?
The Hitch has used the same argument, implying that if I advocate for religious tolerance (which all true secularists do, since it's in their interest as the world's ideological minority) then I somehow support genital mutilation and the overthrow of the West. I call bullshit.