Maverick Philosopher

Footnotes to Plato from the foothills of the Superstition Mountains

Category: Islamism

  • Cops, Muslims, and a Double Standard

    Suppose there are two groups, the As and the Bs.  Some of the As are really bad actors.  And some of the Bs are as well. But most of the members of both groups are tolerably well-behaved.  Suppose there is a third group, the Cs.  Some of the Cs comment on the bad behavior of…

  • ‘Religion of Peace’ is not a Harmless Platitude

    Douglas Murray's article from The Spectator is so good I have reproduced the whole of it.  (HT: Joel Hunter) Study the article. Pass it on. If you live in the West and enjoy its freedoms and liberties, then you have a moral obligation to do your bit in defense of it and them. People have…

  • ‘Islamophobia’ and ‘Hoplophobia’

    My argument against the use of these terms is simple and straighforward.  A phobia, by definition, is an irrational fear.  (Every phobia is a fear, but not every fear is a phobia, because not every fear is irrational.)  Therefore, one who calls a critic of the doctrines of Islam or of the practices of its…

  • Are Most Terrorists Muslims? And What is a Terrorist?

    This recently over the transom:   I was reading your recent post on religious profiling in which you said, "Not all Muslims are terrorists, but most terrorists are Muslims." I totally agree, but it's something I've been thinking about lately. I saw someone else make the same claim just last week on another blog, and…

  • ‘Religious Profiling’

    I heard Nicholas Kristof use the phrase the other night. But is there such a thing as religious profiling? I have argued that there is no such thing as racial profiling.  The gist of my argument is that while race can be an element in a profile, it cannot itself be a profile.  A profile…

  • Freedom of Speech and Freedom After Speech

    What is the difference between the USSR and the USA? In the former there is freedom of speech; in the latter, freedom after speech. An old joke, but new to me.  I just now heard Dennis Prager tell it. He also mentioned Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens.  How long would Muslim equivalents of them have…

  • Is Paris a ‘No Go’ Zone?

    Apparently it is for Obama. Dereliction of duty and abdication of authority characterize the man. Commentary from Commentary by Jonathan S. Tobin: But, of course, there’s more here than mere tone deafness to public opinion. The president’s flat line response to the Charley Hebdo massacre and then the terrorist attack on the kosher market in…

  • Report from London

    London Karl is a young Irishman living in London.  I had heard that Birmingham is a 'no go' zone, so I asked London Ed about it.  Ed told me that it is 80% 'no go' but that nobody would want to go there anyway: it is rainy and like Detroit.  When I mentioned this to…

  • Je Suis Charlie?

    In reaction to the murderous attack by Muslim terrorists on Charbonnier and Co. at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, many have jumped on the "I am Charlie" bandwagon.  It is quite understandable.  But perhaps a little thought should be given to the question whether one ought to endorse a political pornographer who publishes…

  • Pope Francis’ Attempt to Put a Christian Face on Islam

    Pope Francis is a foolish man, and folly brings danger in its train.  That is my harsh judgment.  For documentation, I refer you to an excellent article by William Kilpatrick, Looking at Islam Through Catholic Eyes. Kilpatrick is too politic to draw the harsh conclusion; he prefers to say that the good pope has "clouded…

  • The No True Scotsman or No True Muslim Fallacy

    This is a substantial revision, in the light of recent events, of an entry from about six years ago.  This post examines the fallacy that Antony Flew brought to our attention and suggests that 'No True Muslim' is an equally good name for it. ……………. In logic, a fallacy is not a false belief but…

  • Intolerance for Free Expression Rooted in Classical Islam

    Andrew C. McCarthy maintains.

  • Bill Maher on Charlie Hebdo

    As much of a jackass as Bill Maher can be, I appreciate the cojones and good judgment he displays when he speaks the truth about Islam and terrorism.

  • More Islamist Thuggery

    "A senior Islamic cleric in Ireland has issued a warning against reproducing Charlie Hebdo's front page depiction of the Prophet Muhammad, after the massacre of journalists and police at the magazine's offices." (HT: Karl White)  

  • Leftist Enablers as Useful Idiots

    Having lost their heads, they are in danger of losing their heads.  ………….. Addendum 1/9. It is a nice literary question whether the above formulation is superior to Having lost their minds, they are in danger of losing their heads. I like both formulations but prefer the first because it exploits  an equivocation on 'lose…