Yes, we are at war with Islam

One thing that infuriates me more than most is the refusal to acknowledge reality. Denial of reality is what causes extinction. Cold, hard reality wins out over any philosophic theory every time.

With that brief foray into philosophy over with, the specific denial of reality that most infuriates me coming from the Bush administration - and indeed, most normally right thinking people - is the continuing insistence that Islam is a religion of peace, we are not at war with Islam and the vast majority of its adherents are peace-loving, terror hating good people. This is merely assumed and stated. It is never proved, or even supported by evidence. The Bush administration appears to be acting on this assumption as if it were true. If is not, then cold, hard reality will inevitably punish us for our ignorance.

At the risk of having a fatwa placed on my head (like anyone reads this blog - maybe I'll get some FBI hits by using words like "fatwa"), my belief is that Islam, as it is currently practiced by the vast majority of its adherants, is not a religion worthy of world respect. Why, you say? One simple, fundamental reason: adherants of Islam tolerate no dissent. Mainstream muslims believe that non-believers are infidels and all other religions are wrong and not to be tollerated. What makes me believe this?

Stories like this. (Hat tip: Absinthe & Cookies.)

Indonesia - a supposedly "moderate" muslim country - has laws that it apparently enforces preventing the proselytizing of any other religion to muslims, with stiff jail sentences for violators (at least it's not execution). I know of no other major religion - or indeed any other non-muslim country - that has such a rule. Just as with political ideologies, if your religion cannot stand up to dissent, criticism and/or the views of others who think you are wrong then you have no business claiming it is the one, true faith. If it is the one, true faith, Islam ought to come out on top in any open exchange of ideas among religious people. What does Islam have to fear?

Islam will not be a tolerable religion until the mainstream position is one of tolerance of all other religions and the tolerance of proselytizing those other religions to muslims, as other religions tolerate the proselytizing of Islam to their members. I have seen nothing to persuade me that the typical mainstream muslim believes that other religions are worthy of tolerance and respect. The only difference I can see is that radical muslims want to kill non-believers (even ones not making any waves against Islam) while moderates want to merely throw non-believers in jail when they so much as question the one, true faith.

Bush should come out and say that Islam will not receive any world respect unless and until any and all laws such as the one in Indonesia are abolished and dissent and criticism of Islam is freely allowed. Until then, if Islam will not tolerate us, why should we tolerate Islam?

Update: I don't want to be completely negative. There are many muslims who are on the side of good. One group worth noting is Free Muslims Coalition. If only they were the mainstream.