What Israel (including the rest of the West) should have learned by now is that avoiding criticism of islam, and refraining from fighting the theology and ideology of our enemies, is not a sustainable approach.
I have spoken to leaders and experts both in Israel and other western countries about this. Their argument not to criticize Islam is always that in dealing with Muslims – as citizens, living with Muslims, working with Muslims, we can’t criticize Islam. We can’t go after their religion. Yet Islamic violence and intolerance is too important of an issue – on multiple levels – for polite avoidance of the topic. Islamic intolerance keeps bringing us death and destruction. Both at home and abroad.
We don’t want to offend the average Muslim? Ok, then make sure to differentiate between Islamists and Muslims with Western and democratic values – and you should be fine. You are not a racist, unless you are. Trust me and yourself.
Instead you see people talk about radical Islamism or militant Jihadism. But if you want to target the Islamists and Jihadists – you need to understand and talk about their ideology (which is their theology).
This is the theology that keeps bringing us jihadists (holy warriors: terrorists). And this theology is the literalist approach to Islam (the Quran and the Ahadith) – which unfortunately is also the mainstream apporach.
Unfortunately this theology also means that Muslims generally have accepted homophobia and the hatred of women and Jewish people (and other infidels) to different degrees.
Hamas has a genocidal ideology – based on mainstream literalist theology – as a military organization Hamas can and should be wiped out – just as ISIS was. But the problem of the ideology remains – especially because it’s rooted in mainstream theology. A theology with 2 billion followers. Not that all of the 2 billion are supporters of genocide. Not all Muslims know or follow the theology – but this doesn’t change the reality of the theology – despite Sunni, Shia and many other differences.
As long as the ideology and theology reamins the same, Islamists will continue to recruit new terrorists. Therefore their ideology will not be defeated with military force alone.
The same was true for nazism, in the years after the war, and till this day our understanding of our freedom and democracies is build around the condemnation of totalitarianism – with nazism being the main example. With historical facts about this evil ideology, the crimes against humanity, information about the holocaust in our education.
In order for the Jihadist ideology – mainstream theology – to be thoroughly combated, we need to win the battle of ideas. We need to talk with Muslims about their religion.
Criticism of Islam needs to become mainstream, because the only reason why Muslims haven’t reformed Islam is the violence and the threat of violence. Many have tried to change Islam – and even small theological changes have led to persecutions and assassinations.
We need to stop allowing Islamists to brainwash Muslims in the West. And we have to confront our reality. With information, arguments, analyses. Religion is ideas. And in the free world we discuss ideas. No more cultural relativism and identity politics. No more cultural rights, group thinking – identity politics – we protect human rights. Cultures and religions don’t have human rights.
Tolerance is needed from the audience, not from the speaker. Free speech offends, you literally can’t say one thing in this world without someone being offended. That is the rules of the game. We have to expose evil, bad ideas and oppression. Barbaric and genocidal ideas don’t get a pass because they call themselves religion.
A literalist approach to Christianity and Judaism would also be terrible as well, horrific. But they are not literalist religions.
For some Muslims it’s too hard to face the reality of their own religion, and they might want to stay in the dark about the horrible reality of literalist Islamic theology. Also because of the fact that any doubt and questioning the religion is not allowed. The inolerance makes it hard for Muslims to publicly defy their own religion. Many ex-Muslims have told me that it was very hard for them to ask questions – even allowing themselves to think critical thoughts – even in private. And that this process took time, sometimes many years. The fight against Islamic tyranny, and violence, can’t just be won militarily, remember Al Qaeda, Taliban and even ISIS? The name and leader might change, the ideology stays the same.
One mistake that Israel and the West keep repeating is that they avoid direct criticism of the roots of the problem, the theology, the ideology – and this will keep bringing us new Jihadists who hate us and will be ready to kill us.
We need to talk about Islam.
