69 million page views

Two different people?

Reader comment on item: The Rushdie Rules, 25 Years Later

Submitted by Ron Thompson (United States), Nov 9, 2014 at 15:15

This article and the dialogue with Geert Wilders seem to be by two different people.

I have read very few indictments of Islam over the past 25 years as powerful and comprehensive as Dr Pipes' discussion of the threat of Islam not only to Free Speech but to the continued existence of Western Civlization as we know it today.

Nor have I seen a better discussion of the internal threat from a neurotic form of Multiculturalism that fails to apply any judgment standard at all to other cultures, or from the awkwardly named Left-Fascism, a kind of anti-Westernism that is absurdly and pathologically critical of the West, while giving, as said, a free pass to every other culture, especially to Islam. (Although here I would include fundamentalist Capitalism which sees no problem with any degree of economic inequality, and no particular problem with Islam, as a third internal threat).

Of course in my first reading I missed that Dr Pipes did not name what he was eloquently describing as Islam, but only as "Islamism", a distinction which none of the adherents of the Islamic State would accept, nor would, as he famously said, Erdogan of Turkey. Nor would the peoples of the core States of the Middle East, who, in poll after poll, overwhelmingly support the harshest interpretations of Shaira law and islam regarding blasphemy and apostasy.

I therefore agree with Geert Wilders that while Islam might get slightly less worse it cannot get better.

Submitting....

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

Submit a comment on this item

Reader comments (22) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
The Islam of Arabs and Persians and Others [472 words]RobertDec 15, 2016 08:11234698
getting better [26 words]y Brandstetter MDJan 8, 2015 03:37220165
defeatism the 4th -ism [298 words]mythNov 12, 2014 14:28219287
Changing interpretations of the Koran [331 words]JAMES MATKIN QCNov 11, 2014 17:53219283
4Telling God to shut his mouth [74 words]Wallace SchwamNov 10, 2014 11:18219272
... and our countries should be safe, and safe from the brutality of Islam. [106 words]FactsRuleNov 10, 2014 00:59219261
Sadly democracy and human rights are at odds with the Islam faith even with a moderate interpretation [387 words]JAMES MATKINNov 9, 2014 20:38219255
I'm with Wilders [77 words]Thomas FNov 9, 2014 15:54219252
Two different people? [245 words]Ron ThompsonNov 9, 2014 15:15219251
2No it wil not getting better - it had 1400 years of getting better [28 words]HermanNov 9, 2014 14:51219250
One man's thought [136 words]macdaddyNov 9, 2014 14:18219249
1Wilders Is Correct on Abrogation [286 words]Mike RamirezNov 9, 2014 13:04219248
1Q2:256 [73 words]dhimmi no moreNov 19, 2014 07:06219248
Can Islam change? [119 words]Reuven Ofir, Ph.DNov 9, 2014 12:22219247
bs won't cut it [52 words]Mohammed Waza Khiddif Id'ullahNov 27, 2014 03:48219247
1ISLAM cannot get better unless... [104 words]SunshineNov 9, 2014 12:02219246
2Why being Muslim pays [208 words]josef zuaresNov 23, 2014 16:43219246
2Great 15 min talk. [2 words]EdwardNov 5, 2014 11:02219179
1Notes on your speech [831 words]Michael S.Nov 5, 2014 08:50219177
The Rushdie Rules, 25 Yrs. Later! [310 words]Luciana R.Nov 10, 2014 00:38219177
Learning to enact Change [886 words]Michael S.Nov 17, 2014 13:29219177
1For the most part, we have to kill them. [921 words]Michael S.Nov 22, 2014 19:17219177

Follow Daniel Pipes

Facebook   Twitter   RSS   Join Mailing List

All materials by Daniel Pipes on this site: © 1968-2024 Daniel Pipes. daniel.pipes@gmail.com and @DanielPipes

Support Daniel Pipes' work with a tax-deductible donation to the Middle East Forum.Daniel J. Pipes

(The MEF is a publicly supported, nonprofit organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Tax-ID 23-774-9796, approved Apr. 27, 1998.

For more information, view our IRS letter of determination.)