Sam Harris really seems to downplay the significance and importance of geopolitical context, of the history of the region, of psychological or socioeconomic factors, , etc. in conflicts that involve Muslims. And hell, I even agree with him to an extent that its naive to suggest that all religions are equally bad, because yes, specific dogma does result in specific actions by adherents in the real world. And yes, he has a point that the narrative and the message of the holy books of Judaism and Christianity compared to Islam are quite different, and it may even be harder to liberalize Islam than it was to liberalize Christianity and Judaism. But its his insistence that one can attribute a purely religious motivation for things like 9/11 or the Israel Palestine conflict, yet his refusal to ascribe religious motivation to people who claim to be doing the work of God like Hitler, or any of the other horrible things done in the name of Christianity. He argues that people in Western countries who go and fight for ISIS or similar radical Islamic groups are doing so solely because of their religion. He denies any comparison to individuals who go on shooting rampages in schools or malls, and while he may not be very skilled at debate, I think Cenk Uygur (host of The Young Turks) makes a good point that white/Christian individuals who go on a shooting spree are considered insane but Muslims who do the same are doing it because of their religion. I strongly disagree with Harris notion that Islam is a singularly existential threat to the world. The only true existential threat the world has ever faced from humans was perpetrated by Christians on one side and atheists on the other, in a war waged by civilized people (as opposed to these supposedly barbaric Muslims), and its a fact that Harris seems to like to downplay while ringing the alarm bell over Islam. *That said* I do respect Harris for choosing to appear on the show and clarify his positions. I still disagree with him, but now I have a better idea of where exactly that disagreement lies.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 08:37:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015