Atheist Maryam Namazie banned, unbanned from speaking

[onager]

The exiled Iranian atheist Maryam Namazie was recently invited to speak at Warwick University in the UK.

Then she got un-invited, apparently because someone was afraid she would say Bad Things about Islam.

The cyber-verse blew up, with Namazie being supported by Salman Rushdie, Jerry Coyne and many others.

Richard Dawkins tweeted: "She’s a hero to all a university stands for. But cowardly useful idiots of Warwick have banned @MaryamNamazie.”

Apparently the university then changed its mind again and re-invited her.

And lo! Along comes The Guardian's very own Useful Idiot, David Shariatmadari. To explain with 50 or so rhetorical questions why Namazie wasn't REALLY banned ("The govt. didn't ban her&quot . And those poor, put-upon Muslims really are Special Snowflakes who need extraordinary protection from criticism:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/01/university-of-warwick-maryam-namazie-activist

Which drew a response from one woman commenter that made me want to stand up and cheer. She lives in the UK but her comments just MIGHT be applicable to a few other English-speaking countries:

I am on the Left and I am sick of excuses being made for knuckle-dragging clericofascists just because they are Muslim. A clericofascist is a clericofascist. They need to be challenged. I had hoped that, in this country, we were finally winning the battles on women's and LGBTQ rights; that religious privilege was being kicked into touch. Now we are having to refight some of these battles because some misguided folk are buying into a bogus victim narrative about oppressive misogynistic religion.

[Binkie The Clown]

1. Oppressive mysogynists are oppressive mysogynists even if that's their religion.

A religion that does not respect basic human rights does not, itself, deserve to be respected.

[bvf]

3. Yep, it seems to be a defining criterion in a lot of cases.

And in the catholic realm, some are still whooping it up and backslapping Pope Frank for his one-time (Act now and avoid the rush!) forbearance in allowing women who've had abortions to be "forgiven." (And of course, only a man can offer such.)

Love that comment, btw. Good on her!

[beam me up scottie]

2. What an outstanding response!

I am on the Left and I am sick of excuses being made for knuckle-dragging clericofascists just because they are Muslim. A clericofascist is a clericofascist. They need to be challenged. I had hoped that, in this country, we were finally winning the battles on women's and LGBTQ rights; that religious privilege was being kicked into touch. Now we are having to refight some of these battles because some misguided folk are buying into a bogus victim narrative about oppressive misogynistic religion.

[Behind the Aegis]

7. I agree.

Of course, there are those who go after Maher not just for being an atheist, but being a "Zionist" (wink, wink). Funny, ain't it? Screeching about prejudice against people because of their religion, then attacking someone because of their ethno-religious background. This week I learned I "hate" the Pope because I think he is a homophobe. I was "corrected" because I "only focus on the negative" and "refuse to acknowledge the positive, liberal stances." I am "impatient." I (and other gay people) need to "get over y(our)selves" and "y(our) hatred of Catholics." I was also reminded that his gay friend doesn't think he is a homophobe, so I must be wrong.

This is also being discussed in GD in two different threads: here and here. Some of the excuses are so formulaic it makes one wonder from what site they culled their responses.

The one area I disagree with Maher is when he said Islamophobia is a useless, made-up term. While it certainly gets misused, like any bigotry, it is real and there are those who do hate Muslims. Some can call it a "misnomer" and that's fine, but I find it to be the same disingenuous argument of those who claim homophobia is "fear of sameness" or "fear of homosexuals" and they aren't afraid of gays, so they aren't homophobes. The granddaddy of them all, the "anti-Semitism is really prejudice against Semites, like Arabs and Palestinians." The irony is the ones who usually say that shit are the same ones calling everyone Islamophobes.

[Lordquinton]

8. This is a very good comparison

For example, i can call out gay men for acting misogynistic and abusive to their female friends without being homophobic. I can call out gay white men on tacism about the whole sassy black lady trope without being homophobic. I can call out all homosexuals about their hatred against bisexuals without being homophobic.

But if i just call them out for loving the same gender, then I'm being homophobic, even if i claim to love them anyways.

[Behind the Aegis]

9. One slight problem with your comparision...

I can call out all homosexuals about their hatred against bisexuals without being homophobic.

Not all GL people are biphobic.

Similarly, a gay man can call out a woman for referring to an alleged gay politician with homophobic parlance without being sexist. A lesbian can call out an African-American calling gay men "fucking faggots" without being a racist.

[Lordquinton]

14. All in context reffered to both male and female

Upon review it was poorly worded.

[beam me up scottie]

10. Yep, whenever you see the term "new atheists" it's a dog whistle for the anti-atheists.

New atheists™ are those who are too uppity to know their place, they don't hold hands and sing kumbaya with religious bigots and they are very outspoken.

I have evolved from an atheist into an anti-theist because of men like Dawkins and Carl Sagan - who if he were still alive would also be considered a New Atheist.

Maher is wrong, Islamophobia exists although a better word would probably be Muslimphobia - fear and/or hatred of Muslims which is no different than any other kind of bigotry.

Saying someone is bigoted because they hate Islam or any other religion is absurd, it is intolerance of people that is bigotry, not intolerance of religious ideology.


And don't even get me started on the pope, I cannot understand how people can hate Kim Davis but love the pope since both of them don't think that lgbt people deserve the same human rights as heteros.

One did her best to prevent them from getting married in Kentucky and the other does his best to prevent them from getting married everywhere - and he also doesn't think you should raise children.

Is it because he smiles when he says the things that he does? Is that supposed to make his homophobia and misogyny acceptable?

I think it makes him that much more dangerous, it is easy to accept and defend bigotry when the person selling it is respected and admired.

[Behind the Aegis]

11. The thing with the Pope was really upsetting.

It all seemed to be hinged on David and her lawyer "lying" as if it somehow vindicated him from his own homophobia?!

Saying someone is bigoted because they hate Islam or any other religion is absurd, it is intolerance of people that is bigotry, not intolerance of religious ideology.

Bingo! That includes any form of philosophy or ideas. It is when the attacks are against the adherents and stereotypes are applied to the entire group. Now, I do believe their can be some biases or prejudiced things against philosophies, but those are ideas, so...

[beam me up scottie]

12. And it's really unfair because there are so few lgbt people here who dare speak up anymore.

When I came back to DU I was shocked by how many people were fawning over the new pope and it's only gotten worse since he's doubled down on the homophobia and misogyny.

Now we'll never hear the end of it because he's been VINDICATED, see. He really IS a progressive and not homophobic at all because even though he met with Davis no one knows what was discussed.

Or something.

[Behind the Aegis]

13. Many learned "our place" the last time.

There are still a few of us 'loud-mouthed militants', but we are fewer than before. We point out the homophobia in the remarks of the Pope, were are anti-Catholic bigots. We point out the homophobia from a person who is African-American were are a "nest of racist vipers". We point out the homophobia being used against a Republican, we are neo-cons.

Now we'll never hear the end of it because he's been VINDICATED, see. He really IS a progressive and not homophobic at all because even though he met with Davis no one knows what was discussed.

You forgot...

HE HAS A GAY FRIEND!

That absolves everything!

[beam me up scottie]

15. Right? Do people really not realize how that sounds???

I have a black/hispanic/Jewish/atheist/gay/etc friend and they like me so I can't be a bigot!!!

[Behind the Aegis]

16. What is 'crazy' is when someone rails against that phrase for one group...

...then does the same for another group!



Or, the newest variation, "I can't be "X" because I am/related to "X"!" Some even have to dig way on back into their history to find an "X", but damned if they can't find one to absolve them of their X-ism/phobia.

[beam me up scottie]

17. Yes! Or I have ________ in my extended family. Therefore I am _________.

And of course anyone can say they're anything on DU.

I am always amazed by how many people suddenly claim they're minorities or "activists" after they've been criticized for being insensitive and/or offensive.

[Behind the Aegis]

18. Summed up perfectly in this meme...

[beam me up scottie]

19. !

[Curmudgeoness]

4. Well, we can't have university students exposed to unconventional ideas.

That would be a, um, sin.

[Jim Lane]

5. I love "clericofascists"

In response the use, mainly by the right wing, of "Islamofascist", I've sometimes used "Christofascist" to refer to those who denounce the alleged use of Sharia law but who really want to turn the United States into a Christian theocracy.

"Clericofascist" is a great way to point out the underlying similarity.

[progressoid]

6. Excellent

I'm cheering through the internet.