Sunday, May 31, 2015

Sarah Haider: Islam and the Necessity of Liberal Critique (AHA Conference 2015)

Please listen to Sarah Haider on the timid response of liberals to the problems posed by Islam.

My opinion is that absent a liberal critique of Islam, which is often muted from fear of being labelled Islamophobes or racists in the West or communal and non-secular in India, the narrative will be taken over by the violent right-wing in non-Muslim societies. When the topic is a difficult one, the most reason-oriented and committed-to-peace people must speak up and speak up forcefully, without mincing words. They need to own the narrative, they need to be the most outspoken.

Or else, it is my belief, that there will be eventually a global reaction led by people for whom violence is always justifiable and the ensuing war will be the most devastating the world has yet seen.