Islamophobe 2

Heina Dadabhoy

In many ways we are all products of our environment and cultures.  In the West, the media seems to have a tendency to play up the actions of Muslims outside of North America, while pretty much ignoring the millions of Muslims who live in the US and Canada.  Many of them are moderate Muslims who are fully integrated into North American culture.  It's my guess that they, except for a few exceptions, believe in the freedom of speech, but their voices seem to be drowned out here.

So, I'm sorry moderate Muslims for more or less leaving you out of my previous post! Perhaps someday it will be the moderates who will provide the change necessary in much of the Muslim World (outside of North America and Europe).  Perhaps they will convince others about the benefit and necessity of freedom of speech for a peaceful world.

Actually, the word I've been looking for for both posts is secularism.  A proper freedom of speech and separation of church and state.

Now I don't know enough about why it's the case I simply don't hear more talk from moderates chastising radical fundamentalist Islamists around the world.  Are their voices being suppressed or are they not speaking?  Are they not be giving cover to religious fundamentalism?  Do they care?  Do they know?

But by analogy, are Catholics giving their Church cover when they do not stand up and protest its stand on birth control, homosexuality, condom use and protecting pedophile priests.  There is nuance here. Such is the human mind on religion?  All in all, as an outside observer, I find it curious.

Last night after I made the post I had to put my three year old to bed.  It took hours of cajoling until I figured out he had a headache and gave him some medicine.  Most nights I rock the little guy to sleep and listen to podcasts so I don't fall asleep as well!  Coincidence has it that I listened to the latest episode of Ask an Atheist which had an interview with Skepchick blogger Heina Dadabhoy who spoke a little about this very thing.  Check out the episode here.

She's in the process of writing a book that may answer some of my questions as a near-middle-age-white North American guy about the status of Muslims and Islam in North America.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/skepticsguidetoislam/a-skeptics-guide-to-islam

I'll certainly read the book!

Again, it's complicated.