What Should We Call Non-Muslims Who Believe Islam is a Religion of Peace?

I've heard many terms — dhimmi, dhimmwit, libtard, moron, ostrich, drone, Chamberlain, blind multiculturalist, stupid, foolish, mindless, ignorant, naive, etc. — but none of these are good enough, and some of them are terrible. All of us now reading this were once unacquainted with even the most elementary facts about Islam. And there are liberals who understand it and conservatives who don't, so partisan terms don't really fit either.

And since our primary goal here is to marginalize, discredit, and disempower orthodox Islam, and since it would really help to have more people knowledgeable enough about Islam to join our side, one of our sub-goals should be reaching those who have not yet been reached by the bad news. Calling them derogatory names probably won't help us reach them, even if we're not saying it to their face, but only in our thoughts. It will likely ruin our rapport with them, weakening our ability to influence them.

I've used the term, "uninitiated" but that could easily be misconstrued. I have sometimes used the more neutral term "unawakened," but even that seems judgmental.

I propose the term, "innocent." Not in the sense of "without guilt" but in the sense that he "has not yet lost his innocence." He's still innocent, like a child before he has discovered that bad people exist in the world.

A person who is still unaware of the true nature of core Islamic texts has a rude awakening coming, and he may not want to lose the nice world he's been living in — a world where some day we will all coexist in peace and harmony with each other, a world where all religions are basically the same, a world where we can all work out our differences if we just try hard enough because everybody is basically good.

And can you blame him? Don't you wish sometimes you could go back to the world you lived in before you had seen a video of a beheading? Or the Twin Towers collapsing? Or before you had read enough about Islam to have the horrifying comprehension that those "crazy extremists" are not crazy extremists after all, but sincere believers who are simply following the mainstream teachings of a major religion — a religion with 1.5 billion adherents? It's a harsh, overwhelming realization that cannot be undone.

I don't know about you, but I sometimes miss that innocent world I used to live in. And I don't envy the chilling revelation in store for those who are still innocent.

But it must be done.

And I think we will find it easier if we call these people simply "innocent" and empathize with what we know they will have to eventually face, rather than slander their character with derisive terms.

You might be thinking, "What about the politicians who insist Islam is a religion of peace?" The answer is: "If they know better — if they know Islam is not a religion of peace — we already have appropriate names for them: Liars and traitors." But if they are genuinely uninformed about the disturbing nature of Islamic doctrine and believe "Islam means peace" and that nothing in Islamic texts justifies terrorism, then they are innocent. Dangerous, but innocent.

What do you think? Do you have a better term? Do you think using insulting names helps our cause? Let us know in the comments below or email me and I'll post it for you (anonymously unless you tell me otherwise).

UPDATE: After many suggestions, which you can see below in the comments, someone wrote:

Why don't we say they are 'unacquainted' with Islam? This is an accurate, non-judgmental term that may make them ask, "What am I unacquainted with?" That could open a door to an open, and initially at least, dispassionate discussion. It also points to their lack of knowledge without making is seem like an insult.

There is nothing morally wrong with my being unacquainted with the fellow who lives down the street and there is nothing morally wrong with them being unacquainted with the true nature of Islam.

I think that's the best one so far.