re: #292 BryanS

Hating Islam is not tribalism and racism, it is religious discrimination. And appeals to the Christian religion make it clear the hatred is about religious bigotry.

I don’t think this is fueled by that, though.

My argument:

if it was about islam itself? it would have been worse after 9.11. If it’s about paranoia and reaction about a black president being muslim, then it’s worse after Obama’s election. It’s way worse now. it’s way crazier.

Certainly there IS religious discrimination, but this isn’t a my-religion-their-religion. The core of this is “the other”. And it takes many forms, Obama’s a muslim, Obama’s a dictator, Obama’s not really the president, illegal aliens, Van Jones, ACORn, Sherrod, all this stuff, all this othering that’s music to the ears of far right wing Americans. it’s much simpler than religious differences. Far more base. far more primal. It’s sorta like this is the end game of the Southern Strategy. This is the doomsday device. They just let the bigot flag fly, stop even trying to hide it.

Islam as a religion? that’s a handle on the thing, it’s not the whole thing. it’s one tool used to other.