http://pjmedia.com/andrewklavan/2012/02/27/its-not-you-islam-its-us/?print=1
“My point is this. We can’t stop people in Islamic nations from being what they are — can’t stop them from oppressing women, murdering gays, banning other religions and tormenting non-believers. But it’s not too much to ask that we stand up for our own values contra theirs — especially in our own, once Christian, countries. We can stop penalizing and insulting those who speak the simple truth about Islamic values, good or bad; we can de-bench judges who don’t stand up for our freedoms; we can stop sentimentalizing Islamic rights to the point of sanctioning intolerance, especially while our own government is attempting to stomp on the rights of Catholics and ignoring the rise in hate crimes against Jews; we can stop confusing Islam with a race — it’s a religion, a metaphysical philosophy of life, and has to be open to question, debate, ridicule and attack like every other.”
Whenever I find myself swelling with a pleasant sense of righteous indignation, I wonder what exactly I’m getting wrong.
Thus, for instance, when I hear that Afghans and other Muslims are rioting and murdering [1] people — including American soldiers — because the American military burned some Korans at Bagram Airfield in Kabul, I try very hard not to harrumph and start spouting such banalities as: “Ungrateful savages and their benighted religion! Ought to be gunned down, the lot of them!” Sure, the Korans had already been defaced by detainees trying to send extremist messages. And yes, American officials from the president down to a guy cleaning latrines at FOB Kalagush have apologized profusely. But before we condemn the rioters, American flag burners and murderers out of hand, let’s be fair.