Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a board member of Harvard International Review and president of the International American Council on the Middle East; he is also the author of the extraordinary book A God Who Hates Women: A woman’s journey through oppression and another, Peaceful Reformation in Iran’s Islam: A life story of struggle and poverty, which is just as shocking and important.
In this Gatestone Institute article, he substantiates what we have documented for years at Jihad Watch: that criticism of Islam is a career-killer in the West (“racist!” “bigot!” “Islamophobe!”) and that if critics of jihad terror and Sharia oppression distance their criticism from Islam itself, they have a much better chance of advancement in the political, media, and academic spheres.
How and why criticism of Islam became off-limits, the third rail of American politics, while it’s open season on Christianity, Judaism, and other religions, I do not know. But that’s the way it is. It’s but a short trip from where we are now, with the total stigmatization of anyone and everyone who dares to enunciate anything remotely negative regarding Islam or even jihad terror, to the full adoption of Sharia blasphemy laws.
“Why Can’t I Criticize My Religion?,” by Majid Rafizadeh, Gatestone Institute,
When I received a letter from a Shiite religious preacher from the United Kingdom, it did not surprise me. I receive many similar letters from extremist Muslims all over the world, as well as Western liberals, socialists, and others. Each time, opening these letters, I prepare for criticism of my careful scrutiny of my religion. As expected, the letter began with a familiar suggestion: “Stop criticizing your own religion.”
The letter went on to support this instruction with promises of the media and Western progressives favoring me and becoming far more supportive of me, if I were to align my views with their preferred talking points:
“If you stop criticizing Islam, the West will certainly be more welcoming of you, and you will receive more offers and opportunities to further your career.”
…When I first came to the U.S. to teach on a Fulbright scholarship during the Obama administration, it was intriguing to see how many institutions and figures did not like to hear or report any criticism of Islam. This flight seemed to represent a total double standard. While these Westerners appeared totally fine with strongly criticizing religions such as Christianity and Judaism, they did not treat Islam the same. It was a shock to discover, quite quickly, that it was acceptable for them to criticize their own religions, but not all right for me to criticize mine. It was not possible to make sense of it.
In Iran and Syria, where I grew up, one can get arrested, jailed, tortured and even executed for saying anything that may not be positive about the dominant religion of the land, Islam….We all assumed that here in the West, it would be safe to question and criticize anything. Instead, so many institutions utilize a far more subtle method of silencing criticism. Some of these methods include labeling anyone who says anything remotely negative about Islam — even those who offer constructive criticism and the opportunity for reform — as promoting “Islamophobia.”…
Be sure to read the whole thing here.