Despite their many obvious differences, Islamic authoritarianism and Leftist liberalism are, in fact, very similar, especially in that they accept no dissent.
AMERICAN THINKER – Raymond Ibrahim For starters, few Muslims — including some of the most “radical” — really care what anyone else, including Muslims, believes or disbelieves about Islam. This may seem counterintuitive; after all, isn’t Islam draconian and in your face concerning its beliefs, subjugating and even killing those who reject it and its dogmas?
Yes and no. What Islam has always required of both believers and nonbelievers is compliance to its authority. What gets people in trouble is when they say or do anything that can be perceived as a threat to the Islamic order of things.
Consider those two draconian laws that have seen the persecution and slaughter of countless through the ages: apostasy and blasphemy. On the surface, they seem to suggest that Islam is concerned with making sure that no Muslim ceases believing in its message (apostasy), and that no one, Muslim or non-Muslim, dares criticize Islam (blasphemy).
Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that the ultimate reason Islam fears apostasy and blasphemy is not because they reflect disbelief in and disrespect for Islam, but that, left unchecked, they both culminate in undermining Islamic state and society.
Take blasphemy, or speaking against Islam. In his discussion of Koran 5:33, which calls for the crucifixion and/or mutilation of “those who wage war against Allah and his messenger [Muhammad] and spread mischief upon the land,” the highly revered Ibn Taymiyya (1263-1328) — the “Sheikh of Islam” — once wrote:
Muharaba [waging war] is of two types: physical and verbal. Waging war verbally against Islam may be worse than waging war physically — hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to kill those who waged war against Islam verbally, while letting off some of those who waged war against Islam physically. This ruling is to be applied more strictly after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Mischief may be caused by physical action or by words, but the damage caused by words is many times greater than that caused by physical action… It is proven that waging war against Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) verbally is worse and the efforts on earth to undermine religion by verbal means is more effective [Crucified Again, p. 100; emphasis added].
Taymiyya is making a seemingly starting claim: criticism — mere words — is more detrimental to Islam than war itself. Why? Because of all the world’s major religions, Islam is by far the easiest to dismantle through critical thinking (hence why Christian/Muslim debates often end with frustrated Muslims beating and even slaughtering their opponents).
Built atop an easily collapsed pack of cards — namely, the very self-serving and opportunistic words and deeds of its founder — silencing any criticism against Muhammad has, indeed, been essential to Islam’s survival. Left unchecked, this “verbal war” will have a snowball effect: other Muslims, exposed to such critical thinking, will also start thinking critically, ultimately rebelling against and overthrowing the Islamic order.
It is the same with apostasy. Few Muslim leaders actually care what Muslims believe in their hearts. But if a Muslim apostatizes openly — which is tantamount to openly saying that Islam is not true — other Muslims will start thinking about and scrutinizing Islam; other Muslims will be encouraged to reject its claims and, ultimately, rebel against Islamic authority. As one of the Islamic world’s most influential clerics, the late Yusuf al-Qaradawi, once said, “If they [Muslim leaders] had gotten rid of the punishment for apostasy [often execution], Islam would not exist today.”
Now consider how all of this applies to the so-called “Left.” Every day, and from virtually every official institution and channel — academia, media, government, etc. — we are bombarded with very obvious lies, for example, that women can become men, that men can become pregnant, and so on and so forth. Does that mean that most Americans believe this? No. But that’s never really been the goal — to get you to believe what is unbelievable.
Rather, the ultimate goal is to condition you never to publicly challenge such sacred “dogmas” — that you never openly blaspheme against or openly apostatize away from this new cult, thereby encouraging others to blaspheme and apostatize — the dreaded snowball effect which every regime fears.
Why the Liberal Left loves fundamentalist Islam
As with Islam, the Left cares little if in the quiet of your own mind you refuse to play along. All that matters is that you formally go along — that you formally acquiesce — even if through silent though implicit consent. In short, the Left wants you to dread the consequences of openly defying their narrative, one which, like Islam, is also built atop an easily collapsed pack of cards.
This is what many miss. They tell themselves, “Well, I won’t openly say anything against these nonsensical claims concerning gender, pronouns, etc. — after all, I don’t need to be canceled or lose my job. That said, I certainly know better.”
That may well be true, but by not openly opposing these dogmas, the Left establishes a monopoly on the narrative, which is all that matters.
Ex-Muslim and human rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali explains why Islamic extremists and radical Leftists have a lot in common.
Returning to Islam, we see that it has been and continues to be swift in silencing any public dissent — to the point that sharia calls for the execution of blasphemers and apostates. As a result, Islam perseveres — fourteen centuries now and counting — even though many Muslims have serious reservations in the quiet of their mind if not downright apostasy in their hearts.
How long before such sharia-like laws — I don’t mean being “canceled,” but being imprisoned and possibly executed for openly challenging the Left’s narrative — are promulgated in the West?
Think that can’t happen here? Think again. Former generations of Americans could never in their wildest dreams have imagined what’s currently happening (as when people get fired or arrested for refusing to disavow science and say a man is a woman and vice versa). If the current trajectory continues unchallenged, where will the West be, and what will the punishments meted out to dissenters be?
Such is the plight of the slowly boiling frog.
And here we have Liberal vs Liberal on the subject of Islam. Bill Maher and San Harris are two liberals who are not apologists for Islam, as Ben Affleck is.
indusmississippi says
Sorry for the repeated comments Bonni, but do you know if there are any anti-Islam organizations here in the States that I could join? I’m seriously going crazy lately with the incessant Islamophilia in our mainstream culture over here.
BareNakedIslam says
There are probably still some online groups. Brigitte Gabriel’s ‘Act for America’ used to be a popular group but it no longer focuses only on Islam.
indusmississippi says
Bonni, is it just me or has the amount of ads featuring women in headbags increased significantly in the last about 4 or 5 years? Personally I feel like it increased a lot starting around 2013/14, and then increased even more since about 2019 or so.
Also I just got banned today from Wikipedia just because I tried to remove the edits that some so-called “progressive Muslim” apologist was making to an article on one Leila Ahmed (another retarded “progressive Muslim” apologist).
BareNakedIslam says
Yes, indeed, you are correct. I know I have posted some of them:
https://barenakedislam.com/2020/09/21/did-you-know-that-designer-tommy-hilfiger-is-now-selling-an-islamic-sharia-compliant-womens-clothing-line/
https://barenakedislam.com/2020/01/23/sweden-now-that-islamic-headbags-hijabs-for-women-are-being-promoted-as-fashion-can-female-genital-mutilation-be-far-behind/
https://barenakedislam.com/2022/01/31/french-vogue-under-fire-by-muslims-for-featuring-woman-wearing-a-scarf-on-her-head/
https://barenakedislam.com/2018/08/20/the-gap-marketing-strategy-alienate-a-majority-of-your-customers-by-pandering-to-muslim-women-most-of-whom-would-never-be-allowed-to-wear-your-clothes/
https://barenakedislam.com/2018/02/17/major-london-fashion-show-features-sharia-compliant-oppressed-muslim-women-clothing/
https://barenakedislam.com/2018/02/05/boycott-macys-for-pandering-to-the-worlds-most-misogynistic-culture-that-oppresses-women/
https://barenakedislam.com/2017/07/16/american-eagle-outfitters-ditches-all-american-apparel-for-muslim-supremacist-clothing-that-is-anything-but-american/
https://barenakedislam.com/2017/05/13/uk-discrimination-baghead-good-caphead-bad/
https://barenakedislam.com/2017/02/21/london-promotes-muslim-baghead-fashion-week-sponsored-by-an-anti-american-brand/
https://barenakedislam.com/2016/08/05/they-should-call-it-bacteria-day-as-outrage-grows-over-event-at-french-water-park-where-muslim-women-are-invited-to-wear-full-body-bag-burqinis-in-the-pool/
https://barenakedislam.com/2016/05/18/muslim-hefty-bag-clothing-store-comes-to-orlando-florida/
https://barenakedislam.com/2015/01/05/just-what-virginia-doesnt-needs-baghead-fashion-brands/
https://barenakedislam.com/2014/01/20/they-call-it-mipsterz-muslim-hipster-swag-you-can-dress-it-up-but-you-cant-hide-the-fact-that-there-is-nothing-hip-about-a-muslim-headbag/
Also, as for Wikipedia, it is run by leftists. Waste of time to post anything there.
indusmississippi says
Nice posts. Yeah, timeline definitely tracks. Even when I was a normie I always found it odd seeing this stuff promoted as some charming cultural quirk.
As for Wikipedia, yeah, you’re probably right tbh. Unfortunately it is still considered a good source of information by many.
A says
Those liberals want the Muslim immigrants to vote for them
indusmississippi says
Useful idiots.
Toxic White Male says
As a white man I can’t think of any group of people I hate more than self loathing, white liberal lunatics. They are the dumbest people on the planet……absolute mindless imbeciles!!
BareNakedIslam says
I agree.
indusmississippi says
I am an immigrant from India myself, but I despise anti-Western white liberals/neo-Marxists who prop up regressive Islamic ideology, and LGBTHGTV, and idiotic identity politics in general…
BareNakedIslam says
And that means you are very welcome here at BNI, Mr India.
Az gal says
People are so ignorant when it comes to Islam & Muslums. That means you, Affleck.
The Tasmanian Devil says
“Radical Islam” is an oxymoron because ALL of Islam is radical!
Daniel Erbstoesser says
The leftwing or socialist allways lays in bed with the muslim or was hitler different were he sat with the great mufti back then or all the muslim brigades in the war. The socialist or the left has the same crude ideas as the muslim with marginal differences.
Doug Mayfield says
Followers of Islam and the left wing may have trivial differences over such issues as gay but deep down both hate, fear, and seek to destroy freedom and individual rights, particularly freedom of speech which both groups realize is a crucial bedrock for all other freedoms.