I have long maintained that the defense of the West against the global jihad is not a Left/Right issue — but most of the Left has made common cause with the jihadists. Johann Hari has not. His article here is flawed, but fundamentally right.
“We need to stop being such cowards about Islam,” by Johann Hari for The Independent, August 14 (thanks to all who sent this in):
{…] Muslims are secure enough to deal with some tough questions. It is condescending to treat Muslims like excitable children who cannot cope with the probing, mocking treatment we hand out to Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism. It is perfectly consistent to protect Muslims from bigotry while challenging the bigotries and absurdities within their holy texts.
There is now a pincer movement trying to silence critical discussion of Islam. To one side, fanatics threaten to kill you; to the other, critics call you “Islamophobic”. But consistent atheism is not racism. On the contrary: it treats all people as mature adults who can cope with rational questions. When we pulp books out of fear of fundamentalism, we are decapitating the most precious freedom we have.
Read it all.