Sam Harris on the west and Islam: “Losing our spines to save our necks”
posted at 3:45 pm on May 6, 2008 by Allahpundit
Send to a Friend |
Share on Facebook | printer-friendly
Normally I’d save this for the quote of the day but we’ll all be obsessing over the returns tonight, so digest it now. This isn’t new ground for Harris: When last we encountered him, he was busy lighting into the left on MSNBC for treating certain religions as more equal than others. Before that, he was sitting around a table with Richard Dawkins and Hitchens, pressing the latter on whether he doesn’t agree that Islam poses certain threats that other faiths, for the moment at least, do not. Arguably he’s the most fearless critic in this vein among America’s prominent atheists (unless of course you count Hirsi Ali as an American). The subject of this latest summa is the astounding lengths to which the west is already willing to go to silence antagonism towards Islam, right down to publishers redacting factual statements from Harris’s own critiques lest they irritate any of the more excitable practitioners.
Wilders, like Westergaard and the other Danish cartoonists, has been widely vilified for “seeking to inflame” the Muslim community. Even if this had been his intention, this criticism represents an almost supernatural coincidence of moral blindness and political imprudence. The point is not (and will never be) that some free person spoke, or wrote, or illustrated in such a manner as to inflame the Muslim community. The point is that only the Muslim community is combustible in this way. The controversy over Fitna, like all such controversies, renders one fact about our world especially salient: Muslims appear to be far more concerned about perceived slights to their religion than about the atrocities committed daily in its name. Our accommodation of this psychopathic skewing of priorities has, more and more, taken the form of craven and blinkered acquiescence.
There is an uncanny irony here that many have noticed. The position of the Muslim community in the face of all provocations seems to be: Islam is a religion of peace, and if you say that it isn’t, we will kill you. Of course, the truth is often more nuanced, but this is about as nuanced as it ever gets: Islam is a religion of peace, and if you say that it isn’t, we peaceful Muslims cannot be held responsible for what our less peaceful brothers and sisters do.
The punchline? He had to publish this on HuffPo instead of WaPo, which had solicited the piece — as a commentary on Fitna, of all things — but then spiked it when Harris did too thorough a job.
It’s long but there are no dull spots so read the whole thing. And if you can’t, at least stick with it to where he draws an analogy with that fundamentalist Mormon cult that’s been in the news lately. Polygamy, misogyny, and forced marriage? Shocking.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
When the cartoon kerfuffle kicked up I had a dream that I xeroxed thousands of them and just left them laying around in public places.
I agree that we need to keep the foot of freedom on the neck of radical Islam until they learn we will not be intimidated.
EJDolbow on May 6, 2008 at 3:51 PM
Sam Harris’ book “The End of Faith” is what persuaded me to really study Islam.
SpencerFan on May 6, 2008 at 3:53 PM
This is part of the reason so many newspapers are in financial trouble.
2theright on May 6, 2008 at 3:54 PM
It’s surprising and nice to see that the Puffington Host actually allows this type of discourse at her website.
Too bad the anti-semites are going to swoon over this article and blame the world problems on those capitalist-communist-supremacist Jews.
Lance Murdock on May 6, 2008 at 3:54 PM
I don’t understand why he had to post on the HuffPo cesspit. I feel unclear just clicking over there. Why don’t you invite him to post here? Or is it good to also expose the left to to Harris’s ideas about Islam? Wait, I suppose it is better that he posts on HuffPo as we’ve already got a clue about Islam here.
thuja on May 6, 2008 at 3:58 PM
In many respects, Harris is very qualified to offer an honest assessment of the militant nature of Islam. His worldview, while antithetical to all religion, offers him a clear-eyed perspective on the depraved social and political aspects of Islam in modern culture. I am in no way a fan of Harris, but he is an unflinching antagonist to the lunacy of fundamentalism (of any stripe and creed), and for that, I offer him my sincere respect.
Flyover Country on May 6, 2008 at 3:58 PM
It is a great article and one more reason why I won’t subscribe to the Washington Post.
They are too afraid to look at the truth, they just want to blame Bush and take the easy way out. The problem with that way of thinking is that it won’t solve the problem, all its going to do is delay the inevitable, war with Islamic extremists.
Lance Murdock on May 6, 2008 at 3:59 PM
Personally, I find it extremely refreshing to see someone of his religious (or lack thereof) leanings taking such an unbiased look at how militant Islam is reacting to certain statements as compared to various other religions.
It’s about time someone was allowed to state the obvious.
One Angry Christian on May 6, 2008 at 4:00 PM
From the comments:
Quisp on May 6, 2008 at 4:02 PM
there was an interesting debate last week in Orange County California.
Judaism vs. Christianity vs. Atheism
Prager vs. D’Souza vs. Hitchens.
here is a summary by one of the main organizers(whose father was/is a very famous apologist and debator)
http://dlbthoughts.com/Articles.aspx?IDCol=219
jp on May 6, 2008 at 4:03 PM
The HuffPo commenters are nuts. Reality seems to escape the majority. Islam says thank you.
darwin on May 6, 2008 at 4:04 PM
Speaking of Islam, Ace links to a new Daniel Pipes article. Apparently in Obama’s autobiography, he recalls getting into trouble for making faces during Koranic studies.
I’m not saying he is a Muslim now, but his own autobiography and school records provide some insight into his past.
amerpundit on May 6, 2008 at 4:07 PM
Andrew McCarthy, interviewed by Rush earlier this week, made the point that during the prosecution of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, they originally dismissed the Blind Sheik’s quoting of “scriptures” then were stunned to learn that everything he said could indeed be found in the Quran.
That was 1993 through 1996. This knowledge is still new enough not to have sifted down into all households in the Western World. This is a vulnerability that is being exploited by the jihad-motivated / jihad-apologizing contingent.
Kudos to Sam Harris for the piece, and to Huffington Post for publishing it.
RushBaby on May 6, 2008 at 4:08 PM
As much as I sometimes can’t stand Harris’ atheist triumphalism, I will give him props for being one of the few (excepting the lovely Hirsi Ali) who is willing to state the obvious about Islam.
Harris is honest enough to risk puting his compatriots (Dawkins, Dennett and Myers) in a bad light. If religious irrationality is the problem, why not start where the problem is most obvious? The other village atheists never seem to have an answer.
John on May 6, 2008 at 4:10 PM
Just browsing through the comments there tends to be two types of comments, “Thank Sam Harris for writing this” or the more prevalent one, “Damn those Jooooooos”
Liberal, progressive my ass. Effing anti-semites.
Lance Murdock on May 6, 2008 at 4:12 PM
All true and a good read. Now let’s see how he’s punished for it.
Beagle on May 6, 2008 at 4:16 PM
It was a good piece. I read it last night. Influential Muslims attach themselves to lefty causes to justify Islam’s existence, so I’m actually quite glad that Harris posted at HuffPo. They figure if they ingratiate themselves with Western leftists, Islam will survive. Malaysia “suddenly” has a Muslim feminist organization. We have the “Green Deen” and Sufism is attempting a comeback. Sounds like a good thing until one realizes that Islam itself is the problem and these “feel good” movements are deceptive and much like putting lipstick on a pig.
As long as Islam survives; as long as the Qur’an is used as educational material; as long as sharia law exists, the threat will always be there. We cannot let up.
Connie on May 6, 2008 at 4:24 PM
Kudos to Harris for writing it.
Kudos to HuffPo for publishing it.
Shame on WaPo for not publishing it.
(Another example of the blogosphere doing the job the MSM won’t do…which is why the influence of the blogosphere is growing)
Kudos to Allahpundit for linking to HuffPo.
(When was the last time HuffPo linked to HotAir?)
With a HuffPo commenter saying “Such trash usually belongs on hotair.com or National Review”, that’s another indicator that more than just conservatives read HotAir.
With the majority of HuffPo commenters being anti-semites, and with Republicans being generally much more pro-Israel than Democrats, why do any Jews vote Democrat? I honestly don’t get it.
Red Pill on May 6, 2008 at 4:30 PM
Cowardly Lefties will defend Islam right up to the point they lose their heads. Literally.
DerKrieger on May 6, 2008 at 4:33 PM
Joe Lieberman is so loved by his fellow Democrats that they defeated him in the Democrat primary. But he still won re-election to the Senate with the help of Republicans.
Jimmy Carter has shown how he feels about Israel.
Why do any Jews support a party that appears to hate them?
Red Pill on May 6, 2008 at 4:34 PM
That is an awesome column. Almost as good is the fact that the anti-semites typical of the left are out in force in the comments.
Clark1 on May 6, 2008 at 4:38 PM
There. Fixed that for Sam. No need to thank me. Just bein’ neighborly.
CyberCipher on May 6, 2008 at 4:43 PM
I’m almost ashamed to commend something from huffpo but that’s a great article…
DCJeff on May 6, 2008 at 4:55 PM
as will the cowardly Paul and in some cases paleo-Right.
jp on May 6, 2008 at 4:58 PM
It was a good read, and he’s right. How can Islam change is criticism of the religion is censored? It defies all common sense that people expect that of them while acting as though nothing is wrong of the religion.
Esthier on May 6, 2008 at 4:59 PM
Sam Harris is the man!
TheSitRep on May 6, 2008 at 5:11 PM
From a commenter at HuffPo:
I was going to reply there, but seems I never registered. Anyway.. I wanted to ask if it was those “Fringe Groups” were created when the Muslims ransacked Constanipole, invaded Spain, and basically attempted to conquer the rest of the modern world hundred’s of years ago.
Of course, that would have generated the standard “What about the Crusades?” response, never realizing the Crusades were in response to initial Muslim aggression.
darury on May 6, 2008 at 5:16 PM
Muslims appear to be far more concerned about perceived slights to their religion than about the atrocities committed daily in its name.
And they think WE’RE backwards!
Tony737 on May 6, 2008 at 5:43 PM
I frequently find the comments to these articles more interesting than the articles themeselves. The most disturbing part is that these people actually breed.
irongrampa on May 6, 2008 at 5:52 PM
I posted in the earlier thread on this because none of the comments I read on HuffPo addressed the key question of how the terrorists see themselves vis-a-vis Islam versus other potential drivers of their actions, like “occupation”:
And yet STILL many want to blame terrorism on some other cause. The terrorists are laughing at their apologists and the apologists continue to spin on the terrorists’ behalf. It’s all well and good to give Muslims the benefit of the doubt that it is not their religion that drives them to terrorize others, but when they admit that it is, on what basis do you come to the conclusion that the facts of the case are otherwise? Only if you believe, in the Marxist terminology, that the Muslim terrorists using Islam as their rationale are the victims of “false consciousness”, but on what basis can that determination be made? It’s a ludicrous position to hold, yet the Left appears to believe in it absolutely. I actually have come to the conclusion that Muslims don’t have a consciousness of what is outside Islam. Islam is the sum and substance of their consciousness, so even material issues, such as the kind Marxism tries to deal with, are filtered through an Islamic lens for Muslims, not through any kind of lens that we in the West would use. When I look at something, I can interpret it according to any number of philosophical schools, “realism”, “pragmatism”, “Platonism”, or can subscribe to any number of political philosophies or aesthetic schools of thought, and this gives me a level of intellectual flexibility that a Muslim simply doesn’t have. He only sees “Islam” and “non-Islam”. Whatever overlap between Islam and the agenda of the secular Left there is, is purely coincidental.
Additionally, the question of how Islam is to be reformed without being critiqued is so obviously spot-on. I seem to recall Luther nailing 95 theses on why the Catholic Church was not living up to its ideals to the door of the church, not 95 “be nice to Catholics” postcards. And that’s when the Pope did have divisions, so it wasn’t just an act of intellectual courage, it could easily have gotten Luther killed.
venividivici on May 6, 2008 at 6:15 PM
Recommend the Voluntary Extinction Society to them.
Its slogan:
“The ultimate carbon footprint reduction is self-annihilation”
Harris has simply noted that the 800 lb. gorilla in the room is wearing a crescent and star.
How, after 9/11, this realization isn’t the common sense of all infidel dogs just proves that cowardice and denial are easier for most to manage than resistance and reality.
profitsbeard on May 6, 2008 at 6:17 PM
Superb.
a la Obama
The enemy of their enemy is their friend.
Red Pill on May 6, 2008 at 7:00 PM
As a Jewish person it is very hard to explain in a few sentences why Jewish people vote overwhelmingly Democratic. The simplest way to explain it is this.
1) A millennia of genocidal hatred of Jews from Christian Europe, plus Christians trying to convert Jews.
2) Jewish people (even though I don’t like to admit) started the socialist movement we see today. Jewish people were at the forefront of unions and everything that involves equality since Jewish were discriminated against in Europe and here in America until 50 years ago.
3) Education is very important to Jewish people so supporting educational causes in any form are important.
4) I could go on but I wont. Israel, until the 2000 intifada the Democrats of all shapes and sizes were behind Israel it wasn’t until the last few years that the tide is turning in the party. It’s there and Jewish people besides myself know it, but most people choose to ignore it.
That is the simplest way of explaining it. Their is a slow turn, but it’ll take time. But Jewish people will never totally leave the Democratic party, too many ideals that were started by Jews are the foundation of the party so at best the Republican party will never get a majority unless the Democratic party completely comes hostile to Israel
Lance Murdock on May 6, 2008 at 7:25 PM
Let me fix some errors
4) I could go on but I wont. Israel, until the 2000 intifada Democrats of all shapes and sizes were behind Israel. I’m not talking about elected officials, I’m talking about Democratic voters. Plus their was always some hostility from Republicans towards Israel (eg James Baker, Pat Buchcannan) until recently. Christian Zionist weren’t a known commodity until about a decade ago.
The MSM wasn’t openly hostile until Oslo Accords was signed. and it only got worse after the second intifda. Since this is a new phenomena, Jews refuse to see it for what it is. Antisemitism until recently always came from the right, so most Jews don’t see it as a threat since its coming from the leftwing side of politics.
Lance Murdock on May 6, 2008 at 7:36 PM
This critique of Islam is old hat to most of Hot Air readers. Nothing new here because AP and Michelle have done a fine job over the last couple of years.
What continues to amaze me is the fantastical contortions that polititians and media do in masking to evil face of Islam. Cowards and communists licking Islamist bootheels.
Skidd on May 6, 2008 at 10:20 PM
The whole article was great and spot on, I liked this paragraph especially.
If Luther had nailed anything like that to the doors of a mosque, he would most certainly have been killed.
4shoes on May 6, 2008 at 10:38 PM
Absolutely, they need to be desensitized to criticism so that they learn to accept it…then they can begin to learn how to accept others.
Bring on more Mo-toons!
James on May 7, 2008 at 8:07 AM
.
The organizer’s father would have wiped these guys out with precision. Sadly, Greg Bahnsen died in 1995.
.
Right_of_Attila on May 7, 2008 at 12:09 PM