polite_gandalf wrote on May 3
rd, 2015 at 9:15am:
hatred of Islam and muslims is based on perfectly rational and acceptable perceptions
Islam is not people, it is a religion and a political ideology. Completely disagreeing and disliking its every tenet is not irrational, not bigoted and the case against Islam can be and is made quite rationally.
Muslims are people. Hating and fearing every Muslims should be called Muslimophobia. That would be the proper phobia for you to rail against.
The parallel would be criticism of Judaism or Zionism - and denouncing of every Jew, no matter how they relate to Judaism (religion) or Zionism (political ideology). Or to criticise Christianity - and hate every Christian.
But the Islamophobia mongers deliberately do not make the distinction between ideas and people because then they would have to concede that there may be rational criticism of Islam - thereby ceding the ground to reason ahead of Allah. ANd we can't have that, can we?
SO what is not right, no matter how many times you try it, is washing together ideology and people. The term Islamophobia was coined, however, precisely for this dishonest reason, to conflate the ideology and the people and so to shut up and condemn any and all criticism of Islam unless you want to be immediate labelled bigoted and irrational. I am not buying this, Gandy, no matter how often you try to do it.
If you want to defend Muslims, talk about Muslimophobia. But talk of 'Islamophobia' is an illiberal, vindictive, fascistic ruse.