On MSNBC, Evan Kohlmann says:
I think we need to understand here, there, there has to be the ability for people to be critical of other religions, of other ideas and whatnot. There has to be that ability. At the same time, look, we have to also respect Islam and we should not deliberately go out and poke our fingers in other people’s eyes, you know? There is — everyone should have the right to critique Islam, but at least we should do it with some sense of respect so that people don’t get the idea that this is Islamophobia, that it’s racism, that this is exactly the same kind of critique or analysis that we would apply to Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, any other philosophy out there, that look, it’s worthy of critique and debate.
Kohlmann is correct when he says that Islam should be accorded the same respect that is accorded to Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, etc., but why is respect required at all? Why is one required to respect any and all ideas and belief systems? Why are there never any mainstream media calls to respect Christianity or Judaism or any other religion? No one is ever worried that “Piss Christ” or the dung-encrusted Virgin Mary painting is poking Christians in the eye. And does Kohlmann think that atheists should not be free to call all of them dangerous nonsense?
And of course Kohlmann doesn’t address that fact that while he is delineating legitimate criticism of Islam from “Islamophobia” and “racism” (what race is Islam again?), in reality Leftists and Islamic supremacists such as the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations condemn all criticism of Islam and opposition to jihad terror as “Islamophobia,” and have never identified criticism of Islam they deemed legitimate. In reality, the charges of “Islamophobia” and “racism” are tools used to intimidate people into thinking it wrong to oppose jihad terror and Islamic supremacism?