Sane advice. Thanks, I’ll tone down the rhetoric. Sadly, though, such fears led to the silencing of free speech at Index on Censorship, Yale University …

@rog
“… as for demonising one section of society who, on the whole, are non-violent…”
I am mostly in agreement with the sentiments that you have expressed in your comment. Believe me, I am not for demonizing Muslims, who, I know quite well, come in all different hues — refuseniks to moderates to fundamentalists. Let us not conflate repudiation of ideas with “demonizing” people, though. As Johan Hari wrote here, “All people deserve respect, but not all ideas do.”

The idea of punishment by death to the non-believers, the blasphemers, and the apostates; the idea that women are inferior to men, forever to be oppressed and subjugated; the idea that stoning 13-year olds to death is okay in the name of “honor”; and above all, the idea that these arcane ideas are the laws of Allah, and therefore unchallengeable, are demonic. Not the people who voluntarily, are brainwashed, or are forced into buying these ideas. The religion that holds these ideas in the highest reverence deserves the utmost scorn, and belongs to the “ash heap of history”, to borrow Ronald Reagan’s phrase. Not the pedestal of special protection and immunity that the politically correct are wont to accord them.

Freethought and liberalism are fragile things that should be cherished; there is a battle going on, one of ideas & ideals. Of course I would prefer a world without religion, however, it is impossible to force a person to think in a way that will always coincide with one’s own point of view – for this I am grateful as it gives humanity hope.

I think that the best efforts of secularism are when it works towards removing religion’s dubious place in public life, thereby giving the next generation the chance to grow without the impedance of individuals empowered by the state who give more credibility to the supernatural than observed reality.

If slow and steady progress is the best that we can hope for in our own country, it strains the imagination to think that Islamic nations will cease to follow their current ideologies in our lifetimes; only after many years of struggle and after the spilling of much blood of the people who reside there are they likely to see a change.

From my own perspective I believe that our government should treat organised religions with an even hand, even if that hand winds up as a slap in the face; but, as for demonising one section of society who, on the whole, are non-violent: I do not hold with it – it goes against the hard fought liberties that I [and I sincerely hope, you] hold dear.

Nah, rog, it was blessed are the cheesemakers.