Well, I know the answer to that question on one level: there are books about it (Glazov, Horowitz, et al). There's reflexive anti-Americanism, identification with the perceived "underdog" (woops, sorry for the canine reference...); with the "victims" of colonialism/imperialism; with post-modern moral relativism (all religions are the same, all equally good, or evil); with the belief that Jihadis have reasonable grievances at US policies in the middle east, or "occupation" of Muslim countries; and so on.
Many on the right think that there's something congenital about it, and call them all "leftards"...
But still, but still...
There's so much in Islam that's abhorrent to mainstream liberal beliefs and there's such a belief amongst liberals themselves that they have "evidence-based" outlooks, that one wonders still: why aren't there more free thinking liberal-leftists that take to task the clearly egregious aspects of Islam, its supremacist nature, its homophobic and misogynist doctrines?
I looked around by Google search and found little. Putting "leftist [or liberal] anti-jihad blogs" only returns those (right of centre) blogs that take liberals/leftists to task for not taking Islamic Jihad to task.
I went to the Sydney Morning Herald -- a liberal paper in my home town of Sydney -- and put "Islam" in their Search. What I found was only pro-Islamic articles, Islam as the "religion of peace" and so on. The top of the list is "Gentle Path to Islam" (Oh dear..), an article on the Ibadi sect in Oman, which admittedly appears more moderate than what one might call "flat-earth Muslims". But another quick Google search reveals that there are, at most, just 2 million Ibadi Muslims -- which makes them about 0.13% of the Muslim population. And they're even treated as a heretical sect themselves by Sunni Muslims (70-80% of Muslims). So, there's not much comfort to be gained there.
Then I remembered: Sam Harris. He's a liberal, for sure. But has also been very sound and robust on Islam. I remember a talk to the TED conference in which he said something along the lines of "anyone who believes that Islam is the religion of peace, is deluded".
On his blog he has a recent post "Islam and the future of Liberalism". It's a great read.
I think this issue of why there aren't more liberal/left critics of Islam is important because if the only ones that are critiquing Islam are on the right of the political spectrum, then we lose half the population that could be, that should be, countering Islamic supremacism. More: the right-of-centre blogs can readily be dismissed -- as they regularly are -- by the MSM as being "far-right blogs", which immediately signals to liberals to stop reading, to take no notice.
I consider this little blog to be a liberal/leftist one. My sister says "you've become so conservative". Maybe so. But if I measure my views about social and political issues, there's no doubt I'd be considered "liberal" in the American context. Yet I'll critique the Jihad and aspects of Islam, as I have here.
We need liberal [and secular] bloggers writing critically about Islam and its most egregious elements. Only then can those rightly concerned about the growing influence of Islamic sharia, of Islamism and all its horrid practices, only then can we make bigger inroads into the broader population.
If we don't, we're only walking with half a leg. Like a punished thief in Islam.
Many on the right think that there's something congenital about it, and call them all "leftards"...
But still, but still...
There's so much in Islam that's abhorrent to mainstream liberal beliefs and there's such a belief amongst liberals themselves that they have "evidence-based" outlooks, that one wonders still: why aren't there more free thinking liberal-leftists that take to task the clearly egregious aspects of Islam, its supremacist nature, its homophobic and misogynist doctrines?
I looked around by Google search and found little. Putting "leftist [or liberal] anti-jihad blogs" only returns those (right of centre) blogs that take liberals/leftists to task for not taking Islamic Jihad to task.
I went to the Sydney Morning Herald -- a liberal paper in my home town of Sydney -- and put "Islam" in their Search. What I found was only pro-Islamic articles, Islam as the "religion of peace" and so on. The top of the list is "Gentle Path to Islam" (Oh dear..), an article on the Ibadi sect in Oman, which admittedly appears more moderate than what one might call "flat-earth Muslims". But another quick Google search reveals that there are, at most, just 2 million Ibadi Muslims -- which makes them about 0.13% of the Muslim population. And they're even treated as a heretical sect themselves by Sunni Muslims (70-80% of Muslims). So, there's not much comfort to be gained there.
Then I remembered: Sam Harris. He's a liberal, for sure. But has also been very sound and robust on Islam. I remember a talk to the TED conference in which he said something along the lines of "anyone who believes that Islam is the religion of peace, is deluded".
On his blog he has a recent post "Islam and the future of Liberalism". It's a great read.
I think this issue of why there aren't more liberal/left critics of Islam is important because if the only ones that are critiquing Islam are on the right of the political spectrum, then we lose half the population that could be, that should be, countering Islamic supremacism. More: the right-of-centre blogs can readily be dismissed -- as they regularly are -- by the MSM as being "far-right blogs", which immediately signals to liberals to stop reading, to take no notice.
I consider this little blog to be a liberal/leftist one. My sister says "you've become so conservative". Maybe so. But if I measure my views about social and political issues, there's no doubt I'd be considered "liberal" in the American context. Yet I'll critique the Jihad and aspects of Islam, as I have here.
We need liberal [and secular] bloggers writing critically about Islam and its most egregious elements. Only then can those rightly concerned about the growing influence of Islamic sharia, of Islamism and all its horrid practices, only then can we make bigger inroads into the broader population.
If we don't, we're only walking with half a leg. Like a punished thief in Islam.
