Islamism and the Left

[HAnnA MArin County]

I think most on the left (in the United States and Western world, at least) always defend Islam because it is a minority religion here, and so they probably feel as though Islam (and other minority religions, for that matter) are under constant attack and oppressed by the Christian majority. I think (at least here in the U.S.) they see these religious right-wing evangelical "Christian" Republicans justifying their bigotry under the guise of The Bible/"my religious freedom," and they probably feel that Muslims, along with other minority religions and other minorities (racial/ethnic minorities, women, gays, etc.) are targets of their bigotry. They probably feel the need to always defend Islam when ultraconservative states in the Bible Belt like Oklahoma pass laws and statutes condemning Sharia Law and when crazy "Christian" leaders are organizing mass burnings of The Quran. They probably also sympathize with Muslims who were (and still are) threatened and ostracized and smeared and stereotyped as terrorists and Jihadists following September 11. To them, Muslims are always the victims and never can be the perpetrators of injustice, intolerance, bigotry, hate, etc.

I think what they're missing, though, is that Islam is also just as oppressive elsewhere in the world as Christianity is here. I think what gives these leftists a bad name is how they always seek to defend Islam even when it is criticized for the same humanitarian/civil rights oppressions against minorities in the Eastern world and barbaric acts such as when Muslim women are having acid thrown in their face and are stoned to death for being promiscuous, having affairs, etc., and where homosexuality is a crime and gays are hanged and put to death. Until the left can equally condemn Islam as they do Christianity for the same crimes against humanity, the more they're going to look like hypocrites and not be taken seriously when they criticize Christians for their bigotry.