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http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/opinion/sunday/a-confession-of-liberal-intolerance.html?_r=0
WE progressives believe in diversity, and we want women, blacks, Latinos, gays and Muslims at the table — er, so long as they aren't conservatives. Universities are the bedrock of progressive values, but the one kind of diversity that universities disregard is ideological and religious. We're fine with people who don't look like us, as long as they think like us.
O.K., that's a little harsh. But consider George Yancey, a sociologist who is black and evangelical. "Outside of academia I faced more problems as a black," he told me. "But inside academia I face more problems as a Christian, and it is not even close."
I've been thinking about this because on Facebook recently I wondered aloud whether universities stigmatize conservatives and undermine intellectual diversity. The scornful reaction from my fellow liberals proved the point.
"Much of the 'conservative' worldview consists of ideas that are known empirically to be false," said Carmi. "The truth has a liberal slant," wrote Michelle. "Why stop there?" asked Steven. "How about we make faculties more diverse by hiring idiots?"
To me, the conversation illuminated primarily liberal arrogance — the implication that conservatives don't have anything significant to add to the discussion. My Facebook followers have incredible compassion for war victims in South Sudan, for kids who have been trafficked, even for abused chickens, but no obvious empathy for conservative scholars facing discrimination.
The stakes involve not just fairness to conservatives or evangelical Christians, not just whether progressives will be true to their own values, not just the benefits that come from diversity (and diversity of thought is arguably among the most important kinds), but also the quality of education itself. When perspectives are unrepresented in discussions, when some kinds of thinkers aren't at the table, classrooms become echo chambers rather than sounding boards — and we all lose.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Tuesday August 30 2016, @05:28AM
Regardless of how many extremists exist -- the real question is: since they're vastly outnumbered by the nice normal peaceful Muslims, why don't those nice normal peaceful Muslims put the brakes on their own extremists?
Could it be because under the sum of Quran, Sunna, and Hadith, and in emulating Mohammed as the perfect man, "extremism" is actually correct Islam??
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday August 30 2016, @08:21AM
You are on to something there. You're not very far from the truth with that last question.
The "moderate" Muslims are afraid to speak out. For starters, their holy book explicitly calls for jihad. Now, reasonable people realize that there are several different kinds of jihad - or they have rationalized jihad into several different kinds. A kid struggling with math in school can be said to be waging a form of jihad, for instance.
Second, the so-called extremists have those verses and commandments in the Quran to justify their violent jihad. So, go back to "afraid to speak out" - few if any can be sure that the extremists aren't right. What surer way of going to hell, than to struggle against another man who is struggling to perform Allah's will?
Third - just as with Christianity, no matter what a verse means, or how clear it might be, there are those who will twist that verse into a pretzel so that it says whatever he wants it to say.
And, the community accepts this status quo. They understand that there are many "ways" to paradise, and that some ways are harder, more violent, or whatever. The "way" of the martyr seems wonderful to them. Exert yourself and suffer for a short period, and go straight to heaven? Why not? The alternative is a lifetime of work and suffering. Let's take the easy way - or at least, if I'm to cowardly to take that easy way, I certainly shouldn't stand in the way of another man who is brave.
That is the "moderate" Muslim for you. He is a conformist, and he will conform to community expectations. In a community where Muslims are a tiny percentage, he obeys the laws of the unclean heathen. Get a few more Muslims, and he begins to obey the laws of Allah. A few more Muslims in the community, and he conforms with demands for Sharia, and to punish unbelievers, etc ad nauseum.
Conformism can be deadly.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Tuesday August 30 2016, @03:33PM
I just read something the other day about how through the tolerance exercised by the majority, a tiny minority can exercise a tyranny of change on the majority. That's pretty much what we're doing across the board right now, because most of us are tolerant, reasonable people. Fundamentalists change moderate Muslims (look at formerly-secular Turkey); Muslims change Westerners; eventually we're all fundamentalist Muslims, like it or not.
Intolerance is a GOOD thing, if you want to preserve Western freedoms.
As to jihad, Islam defines four kinds: war, economic, spoken word, and written word; migration is one of the accepted ways of spreading Islam. Why go to the bother and expense of a shooting war if pouring money into the right hands will get your creed shouted to the rooftops and your missionaries invited everywhere?
Do you know Bill Warner's videos? (Political Islam) Very informative and objective analysis.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.