re: #71 Desmond

The fact that Maher faces withering criticism from liberals any time HE criticizes the influence of conservative Islam speaks for itself.

Not to a person who has no TV and doesn’t watch his show.

But no, prominent liberals do not generally take conservative Islam to task. When they do talk about Islamist extremism, it is in the context of seperating the worst extremists (al Qaeda, ISIS) from everyone else. What Maher is trying to say is, “no, that’s not the whole story, don’t let the people who support murdering converts and stoning adulterers off the hook either.”

If you don’t find it “worrying” that some 80+% of Egyptians, Jordanians and Pakistanis support draconian punishments under their interpretation of Islamic law, well, that’s your choice. I don’t know what your “feelings” are. But I don’t see how any supposed liberal wouldn’t find that worrying.

I recognize that those are ‘illiberal’ attitudes. Why should I be ‘worried’ about them, though? I am not letting anyone off any hook, and I am not putting anyone on a hook. Who should be on a hook for the beliefs of others? As an ex-Catholic, am I on the hook for the Pope’s misogyny? What is required of me? I try to call out Pat Buchanan and other fascist Catholics whenever I can. Must I do more? Do I need a bigger platform for my objections to count?

Oh, I have an “agenda” now? My only agenda was to try and inject a little balance into this thread rather than let’s all gang up on the evil bigot Bill Maher, and congratulate each other on how tolerant and progressive we are.

Right, your agenda is to defend Maher and Harris. Hardly warrants the ‘Oh, I have an “agenda” now?’ reaction.

Look, I agree with you guys 99% of the time. And I detest “debating” with conservatives because most of what you get out of them is nonsense and lies (there I go again, generalizing, I suppose I’m bigoted against conservatives too….). I much prefer debating with people who at least agree on some basic principles of reality. But liberals have blind spots too. And this is one of them.

I am not a guy. Where have you been agreeing with ‘you guys’? Is this not your first registration here? Are you a ‘long-time lurker’?

I don’t have a blind spot about Islamic extremism. I also don’t have a blind spot about anti-Islam bigotry, perpetrated by supposed liberal allies who need to point a finger at one religion being worse than others, even if it’s only ‘at this particular moment in history’.