Why do I focus on critiquing Islam and not Christianity? A Muslim on Twitter asks in this conversation. I haven’t been asked this before, and I would think it obvious—but apparently not. See my response below this Twitter exchange.
Firstly, I do make the occasional references to Christianity. See this blog post for an example. But here are just a few of the reasons why I focus on Islam. I’m sorry it’s going to deflate your pop-psychology assumptions about me, Flicko.
- Totalitarian Ideology. In this current age, Islam is more totalitarian an ideology than any other religion. It lends itself to Islamism (political Islam) very easily. Modern day Christianity does not.
- Enlightenment Awaits. Christianity has already gone through an Enlightenment and consequently, has already been neutered. Islam has not.
- Lived and Learned Knowledge. I grew up as a Muslim, so I’m far more familiar with Islam than I am Christianity. I can be a far more effective counter-apologist critiquing Islam than critiquing Christianity.
- Greatest Contribution. All of the above factors galvanize my resolve that critiquing Islam over any other religion, is the greatest contribution I can make in the realm of beliefs and myths that hold humanity back from our potential.
By the same token, if you “Flicko”, love humanity, then you would be focused more on converting Christians to Islam than in following ex-Muslims like me, on social media. To me, this smells like an insecurity, as you see the next generation of Muslims effectively, checking out of Islam. But many now ex-Muslims were once devout Muslims debating with non-theists. It was being challenged that helped them finally break free.
In the West, ex-Muslims still have more to fear re: family and community reprisals than Muslims do. So why would you even bother being so active on social media as a proponent and defender of Islam, and not even show your face and name? Your presence and conduct broadcasts “troll”. If that’s not accurate, setup a blog, show your face, show your name and share your own thoughts with more coherence than 140 character snippets that come across as trolling.
I myself will be public once my foundational arguments are laid out. What’s stopping you?