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Logical Fallacy of the Day: 'No True Scotsman'

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Last Mohican5/12/2009 12:37:34 pm PDT

re: #24 Ben Hur

Ahhh…sort of like the Mubarak/Muslim philosophy that the second a Muslim terrorist homicide bomber, etc, presses the button he is no longer a Muslim, because a true Muslim would never do such a thing, so their is no Muslim terrorism.

I think the “No True Muslim” fallacy is even a more complicated than that. You’ve mentioned part 1, which is similar to the “No True Scotsman” fallacy: “The second the Muslim commits a terrorist attack like the 9/11 attacks, he’s no longer a Muslim, because no true Muslim would do such a thing. Therefore there is no Muslim terrorism.”

But there’s also part 2: “Because a true Muslim would never commit a heinous terrorist act like the 9/11 attacks, it must have actually been done by the Jews. Therefore there is no Muslim terrorism.”

And, the even more logically obscure part 3: “We rejoice and praise our brave Muslim brothers who performed the 9/11 attacks, which were not terrorist attacks at all, but holy and courageous acts of self-defense. We beseech Allah for a million more martyrs to perform more attacks like this one.”

It’s not easy to hold all three of these thoughts in your head at the same time. You need to take a lot of classes at your local Saudi-funded mosque.