Islamophobia: an Oxymoron to Intimidate the Critics of Islam There Are Currently No Translations for This Content
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About Atheist Republic Home Forums Blogs News Op‐Ed Gallery Podcast Resources Store About Volunteer Donate Contact Home » Blogs » Armin Navabi's blog YOUR GOD IS TOO SMALL View this blog in another language! Islamophobia: An Oxymoron to Intimidate the Critics of Islam There are currently no translations for this content Search the Site... TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2013 ‐ 8:12PM Log in or create an account to join the discussions on the Atheist Republic forums. Create new account Username Sign In Islamophobia is a term used by certain groups of Muslim apologists in order to protect Muslims from scrutiny. However, rather than protecting a group of people against Follow Follow bigotry, the term merely acts as a way to silence critics who raise valid points about the real and troubling aspects of Islam. 50 Essays On Life, Love & Liberty Without Religion The Oxymoron of Islamophobia Download For Free! The very term Islamophobia is itself misleading. A phobia is an irrational fear of something. In the case of Islam, however, it often makes practical sense to be afraid. As a former Muslim myself, I have genuine fears about a Join the Atheist Republic Team religion that advocates the murder of its apostates and victimizes its own members, especially innocent women and children. Moreover, many people who have been labeled as "Islamophobes" do not exhibit signs of a phobia. Many are RECORD YOUR MESSAGE! individuals who bring up relevant critiques against the institution of Islam. Having a well‐reasoned and valid complaint is not the same as bigotry or fear, and labeling it as such is dismissive towards the greater discussion. By labeling its detractors as bigots and racists, Islam and its apologists are suggesting that Islam cannot stand up to scrutiny on its own. Ideologies are Not People Individuals have certain inherent rights. People have the right to be assessed as individuals rather than judged for Start Recording Join Us! their race, ethnicity or religion. The ideologies or religious beliefs that people hold, however, do not have Record your voice here for it to be aired on these same rights. Put simply, ideologies are not the upcoming Atheist Republic podcast. synonymous with the people who have them. A Muslim DONATING = LOVING may be innocent and well‐meaning, and treating him Send us your views and opinions, your badly because of his or her religion would be a serious personal stories, messages of support, case of discrimination. Criticizing the religion itself, comments on recent news, or any comments however, is not discriminatory. No ideology is above you would like to share about your part of the reproach, be it Islam, fascism or democracy. Bringing you atheist articles and building active world. godless communities takes hundreds of hours and resources each month. If you find any joy Criticizing Islam has nothing to do or stimulation at Atheist Republic, please with supporting the United States consider becoming a Supporting Member with a Subscribe to our Newsletter recurring monthly donation of your choosing, or Israel. between a cup of tea and a good dinner. One argument that many Muslim apologists make is that Over 12,000 heathens have 3$ / month : $3.00 USD - monthly Western society cannot seek fault in Islam when Israelis, Americans and other Westerners have committed subscribed to our newsletter! atrocities against Muslims. However, this creates a false dichotomy. A critic of Islam need not be a supporter of Sign up below for the Atheist Republic military action against Muslim communities. Or make a one‐time donation in any amount. newsletter to get exclusive content delivered weekly to your inbox. Deconstructing Islam Atheist Resources | see all When approaching Islam as a social construct and Subscribe Now ideology, it's important to separate it from issues of race, Atheist Support Group culture and ethnicity. Of course, religion is a factor in all areas of some people's lives, but that does not mean that Need Asylum? Keep Calm and it cannot be considered independently of other cultural Article Tags Read on factors. Armin Navabi Islam Resources for Atheist Parents A person's choice of religions does not make him inherently good or bad. The religion may have troubling Disclaimer Debate an Atheist aspects, however, and criticizing those aspects is a step towards bringing about social change. This is not an activity that should be avoided in the name of political Meet Atheists In Your City! The views expressed by individual bloggers do correctness; it should be celebrated as a basic skill of not necessarily represent those of Atheist critical thinking. Republic as an organization or other members of the blogging team. At its core, Islam has Several Basic WHY THERE IS NO GOD The blog section of Atheist Republic serves as Tenets that are Reprehensible. a platform for bloggers to share their opinions. ‐‐ Women's inequality. The Quran teaches that men are The blog posts published here undergo only a the "maintainers" of women and that women should be minimal editing process in order to preserve obedient to men. Women are seen as objects or property the voice and views of the writer. that can be used by men. Islam also teaches that men may beat their wives in certain situations. ‐‐ Criminalization of homosexuality. Under the teachings Atheist Quotes | See All Quotes of Islam, homosexuality is not only a sin, but a crime. As a crime against God, it is permissible, according to many Muslim scholars, to punish the offender with death. ‐‐ Murder of apostates. Leaving the Muslim faith is a frightening proposition, as it can be punished by death. Apostates, or people who choose About the Author to reject the faith, are given a short time with which to revert; afterward, they can be condemned by Sharia law. Simple Responses to 20 Common Arguments for the Existence of God These are some of the human rights violations perpetrated by the institution of Islam as written in the Quran and Hadith. Keen observation of the religion View Book unveils numerous other troubling aspects as well. These Armin Navabi are not stereotypes or rumors meant to denigrate Muslim people; they are the facts of a religion. Armin Navabi is a former Muslim from Iran and the founder of Atheist Republic, a non‐profit THE BIBLE IN A NUTSHELL It's worthwhile to note that Islam is not the only religion organization with over one million fans and whose holy book advocates social practices that are seen followers worldwide that is dedicated to as monstrous today. The Bible, for example, is filled with offering a safe community for atheists around conflicting messages and troubling, outdated laws. the world to share their ideas and meet like‐ However, the laws written in the Quran are considered to minded individuals. be the exact words of Allah, placing them beyond all criticism. These laws are considered to be as timeless Read More Posts by Armin Navabi and valid today as they were when the words were first put to paper. Therefore, it is more difficult for Islam to Follow Me @arminnavabi grow and adapt the way that some other religions have Armin Navabi on Facebook attempted to. I'm not Islamophobic. I'm Books by this Author | See Other Books IslamoConcerned and IslamoCritical. Why There Is No God: Simple Responses to 20 Common... Many atheists criticize Islam, not because they are racist, Armin Navabi | 6 Oct 2014 but because they have issues with the religion itself. That View Book does not mean that there are no racist atheists, but the term Islamophobia suggests that the ideology should be immune from criticism. It also promotes the narrative that all criticism of Islam is an act of bigotry, which is not true. My concern is targeted toward the promotion of Blogs | See All Posts hatred and violence by the Quran and the Hadith, not Tale of an extra‐dimensional wizard & his toward the majority of peaceful Muslims who think they 12 Steps to Nowhere, the exploits w/ humanity are following the teachings of Islam. Yet it is their kind “Higher Power” Problem nature that will compel them to either ignore these View Book teachings or attempt to interpret them in a peaceful manner. Does a personal relationship My criticism and concern is not a phobia; it is based on with God, prove the See All Books observing the results of the undeniably violent teachings existence of... of Islam. These teachings are not practiced by most Muslims, but, unfortunately, they are used by many in The Atheist Church power in the Islamic world. Many former Muslims like Forums | see all topics myself who have chosen to publicly voice their opinions about Islam would be executed by our former governments if we went back to our home countries. Critique on Religious Belief and the Common Ways WTF is this spamming? Reasoned Discourse Should Never Believers... Why is there only one forum? be Silenced Upstairs At Eric’s: Track Four Why is Atheist Republic anti‐Hindu Atheist ? The notion of free speech is an inherently secular (Page: 1, 2) concept. The idea that a person's religion should be Why I don't think Nazism is right‐wing separated from politics or education is not something that exists in Islamic societies. Indeed, it is actively WHY DID CYBERLN BAN BROTHER D. THOMAS frowned upon. Islam has no concept of relativism. Not AND.... only must the word of Allah be taken literally, but the laws Atheist Necklaces & Pendants | See All White race is going extinct. It's a fact. of Islam also supersede the laws of men. In some cases, criticism of Islam is met with violence; Islamic law even dictates that blasphemy can be punished with death.