The Poisonous Politics of Islamophobia

In order for Muslims to be properly integrated into liberal democratic open societies need Muslims participate in public discourse on the same terms as everyone else. This means equality and freedom. This requires fighting Islamophobia so that Muslims feel welcome to participate in public discourse like equal citizens with equal rights. However this is undermined by some Islamophobia activists who are equating all criticism by non-Muslims of Muslims with Islamophobia. A prime example of this is Member of the US House of Representatives Ilhan Omar who consistently accuses Jewish colleagues of “trying to silence” her. This of course is a common Anti-Semitic canard. CAIR (Council of American-Islamic Relations) is a major front organization for the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States and adopts the same tactics in trying to prevent all criticism of Islamism and Jihadism, criticism which it deems inherently “Islamophobic”. To even point out CAIR’s own connection to the Muslim Brotherhood is of course also “Islamophobic”. The reason some political Muslims equate all criticism of Muslims with Islamophobia is that some politicized interpretations of sharia do not allow for non-Muslims to criticize Muslims but rather require total submission under Muslim rule. Such a totalitarian worldview is wholly incompatible with liberal democracy and open society and must therefore be completely and wholeheartedly rejected.