Ask a Muslim: No, Dear Reader, Sex-Obsession Isn’t Confined to Muslim Nations

[cbayer]

http://religiondispatches.org/ask-a-muslim-no-dear-reader-sex-obsession-isnt-confined-to-muslim-nations/

BY HAROON MOGHUL APRIL 17, 2015

RD recently received the following email from reader HK, in reference to my recent post, “Dear Reader, I’m Assuming You Don’t Know Any Muslims”:

I am writing to offer a suggestion for an RD piece (or series?) that would be extremely useful to me, and I suspect to many other RD readers:

Please discuss some of the problematic aspects of the Koran, and of Islam.

For example:

why are there no majority-Muslim countries that are democracies, or that recognize civil liberties?

why are majority-Muslim countries so concerned with matters like sex (and particularly adultery), which are, after all, about private behavior?

why is Islam science-phobic? And what does that tell us about Islam and Muslims? With all the Muslims in the world, how many have been awarded prestigious prizes in science?

what about that verse in the Koran that advises readers to lie, if necessary, to protect Islam?

what about dhimmitude and the Koran verses that impose taxes on non-Muslims?

These are only some of the most obvious questions. No doubt there are many others.

I can understand how RD might be reluctant to do a piece (? series?) dealing with these matters. But I think such a piece would help educate lots of folks, including me (and obviously I have a negative view of Islam), and would say something about the courage and intellectual integrity of RD and its writers and editors.

Thank you.

Dear Reader,

Thanks for writing in.

First, the majority of the world’s Muslims live in democracies. That includes Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mali, Tunisia, Nigeria, etc., most of which are Muslim-majority. Are these perfect? Of course not. But they are democracies, and they aspire to democracy.

Many of the countries that aren’t democracies have attempted democratic transitions, and have been actively or indirectly blocked by our country. Which is a democracy. So, why does our democracy actively hinder the development of democracy?

more at link

[safeinOhio]

1. Hit the nail on the head

"Assuming You Don’t Know Any Muslims”.

[cbayer]

2. And that's the truth.

Here's a link to that particular article.

http://religiondispatches.org/dear-reader-im-assuming-you-dont-know-any-muslims/

[trotsky]

3. What an odd piece.

Almost as if someone had lobbed themselves up some lovely softball questions to answer.

Odd though that he still avoids answering a few of them, or does a little "don't look over there, look here" sleight of hand.

Muslim-majority societies that aren't democracies? Oh, that's the fault of the US. Certainly our record is not clean on the global stage when it comes to promoting democracy, but we're hardly to blame for everything.

Protecting minority rights? Interesting there was no discussion of the world's largest Muslim-majority democracy and its constitution:

http://www.minorityrights.org/4524/malaysia/malaysia-overview.html

Human rights tend to be interpreted through the lens of these constitutional provisions, resulting in non-Muslim and non-Malay minorities and indigenous populations in Sabah, Sarawak and peninsular Malaysia experiencing restrictions and disadvantages in areas such as religion, language, employment, education and land rights. Many aspects of the various affirmative action programmes and favouritism based on religious, ethnic or linguistic background may also be discriminatory in international law. The Constitution itself may be discriminatory and violate freedom of religion, as it defines all Malays as necessarily being Muslims and speaking the Malay language.

In practice, a number of state policies clearly seek to discourage non-Muslim religious activity and promote conversion to Islam, particularly of indigenous peoples. This has at times taken the form of denying permits to build churches and temples, or a refusal to make burial land available to non-Muslims. Conversions to Islam can also take place by force of law; if a non-Muslim marries a Muslim, the former must convert.

I don't think things is nearly as black-and-white as Moghul or the anonymous question-asker are making them out to be.

[MellowDem]

4. But it is a big part of Islam...

And seems confined to patriarchal, bigoted religions. Hmm, coincidence?