Islamophobia Thought Experiment

According to Christian Science doctrine, sickness is an illusion that can be corrected by prayer alone. So some parents have chosen not take their child to a doctor, and many times that has resulted in the child's death.

Okay, the above is a simple statement of fact. I could say that on the front page of the New York Times and nobody will accuse me of racism or hatred or ChristianSciencephobia.
But if I said, "According to Islamic doctrine, an apostate should be killed," which is also a simple statement of fact, I would be accused of racism, hatred, Islamophobia, and more.

Why? Is Islam a protected religion? Is Islam in a special category? Is it a smaller minority than Christian Scientists? What makes Islam uncriticizable?

I'll tell you what it is: Orthodox Muslims are working behind the scenes to twist every criticism of Islam into bigotry, and they're doing such a good job, many non-Muslims have bought it.

What do I mean by "working behind the scenes?" I mean setting up organizations that whitewash Islamic history in school textbooks. I mean teams of lawyers ready to sue someone who criticizes Islam, and PR people to use the media to get the criticizer fired or ruined. I mean organizations that produce a continual stream of disinformation and propaganda aimed at vilifying anyone willing to speak honestly about the problem of Islam. I mean organizations that put pressure on politicians to keep their mouths shut because they can be ruined by allegations of "racism" or "Islamophobia." I mean pressuring Hollywood to eliminate negative depictions of Islam. The list goes on and on.

They can do what they want. People are finding out anyway. Those of us who have awakened to the disturbing nature of Islam are committed to awakening our fellow non-Muslims, and no matter what Muslims do, we will find a way.

Citizen Warrior is the author of the book, Getting Through: How to Talk to Non-Muslims About the Disturbing Nature of Islam and also writes for Inquiry Into Islam, History is Fascinating, and Foundation for Coexistence.

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Possible Ways to Talk About Islam to Your Friends and Family

Below are transcripts of conversations I've had that went well, written down shortly after the conversation. Most of these are one-on-one conversations. Those are the best. The more people involved in the conversation, the higher your chances that the conversation will be unproductive.

We're publishing this list so those who are new to the counterislamization movement have some ideas about how to approach these sometimes difficult conversations. Even if you've been involved for a while and want to get some different ideas about how a conversation might go, these articles are worth reading:

Modern Revelations About Islamic Revelations

Preemptive Ideological Strike

Embedding a Fact Within Another Story

How Do You Know You've Gotten Through?

A Good Analogy to Use in Conversation: The Remote Island

Possible Approach: I Just Read the Koran…

Ask This Simple Question

Talk To Your Friends About Mohammad

Inch by Inch, Our Fellow Countrymen are Getting Educated

One Way to Approach a Conversation: Talk About the Movie, "The Kingdom"

A Discussion of Various Methods For Talking to People About Islam

Join in an ongoing conversation among us non-Muslims about the challenges of talking to other non-Muslims about Islam. Click here to read what others have written or to post a message yourself.

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Relationships Strained Over Your Disagreement About Islam?

A reader asked us for some advice. He said, "Someone close to me is emphatically stubborn in their belief that Islam is a good religion and that only the 'crazy' Muslims kill people. How would you approach this person? I haven't talked to them about Islam for five years. I want to make a good impact before I lose this opportunity to talk to them."

That's a great question. Here's the advice we wish someone had given us twenty years ago:

I would re-establish my relationship first. I would improve my communication with them, bond closely, share good times, etc. And like you have done, I would stop mentioning Islam for awhile.

You can only be as "controversial" as you are close. A strong relationship can handle controversy. A weak relationship will simply break apart with controversy. A semi-strong relationship can withstand a little controversy. So build a strong bond first.

I would also try to think of the person's "stubbornness" in some other way. I would reframe it.

I read a good story of reframing: A father and his daughter had always had arguments and the father thought of his daughter as stubborn. But the meaning and judgment of a behavior at least partly has to do with the context. In the context of disobedience to him, the father thinks of the daughter's behavior as stubborn. But a friend gave him a different view: "Imagine what will happen when the girl is a young teen and a boy is trying to convince her to do something sexual. She will not be easily persuaded. Why? Because she's stubborn."

The different context casts the exact same behavior in a new light. Instead of a negative thing, the stubborn behavior could be seen more positively. Under those circumstances, the father himself might call it something very different: "standing up for herself" or "having integrity" or "hard to manipulate" or "strength of character." He might be proud of his daughter for her behavior.

Do the same thing with the person close to you. Try to think of the behavior you've been calling "stubborn" in a different light, from a different context, and use different words. If you were going to call that behavior something positive, what would it be? This is a way to break down a barrier between the two of you. It is a way of forgiving your friend for resisting you.

And finally, I wouldn't try to convince your friend in one conversation. I would think in terms of small bits and long campaigns. Read more about that here.

Citizen Warrior is the author of the book, Getting Through: How to Talk to Non-Muslims About the Disturbing Nature of Islam and also writes for Inquiry Into Islam, History is Fascinating, and Foundation for Coexistence.

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The Value of Reading the Koran

Someone left a comment the other day on A Message To Peaceful Muslims. It is clear and succinct and says it all. Here it is:

"I am currently reading the Koran, and am a non-Muslim. I am looking to find positive and enlightening aspects of this book and can find none. It is all commands to get rid of infidels; it is a book based on fear and death. I was looking to find something of a great read in it, but sadly I can find nothing of value."

If you haven't yet read the Koran, take the pledge and read it. Everything you say about Islam thereafter will ring with authority.

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