Posted: Sep 05, 2019 8:56 am
felltoearth wrote:To be clear, the “Islam is not a race” card has been used in many places including here as a defense as to why racists remarks veiled as comments on Islam (read brown people) are not racist.
felltoearth wrote:...a comment about how open discussion about Islam often provides an entry and sometimes cover for bigoted statements about “backwards” people, to give one example. We’ve all seen it get worse than that.
That is probably why publications like the Grauniad bend over backwards to downplay or actually ignore problems that actual racists can latch on to. In my view it's a misguided, probably counterproductive stance, in so far as it provides the opportunity to add "conspiracy" to their talking points.
The ease with which racists manage to deny that they are racist by claiming to speak from a cultural point of view. E.g. Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, a.k.a. Tommy Robinson: "I apologise for the fact that what I've represented and said has not resonated individually with Muslims. From day one in the English Defence League, we've wanted to embrace everyone: all colours and all creeds." (Link). A few months ago I have spent quite some time searching for something Robinson said that could be described as unequivocally and undeniably racist. I found nothing.
Conversely, people who do voice criticisms strictly along cultural, social or political rather than genetic lines are frequently accused of racism. In another forum I tried to explain why I prefer the existence of Israel to all its neighbouring nations even though the UN's decision in 1948 amounted to legitimising theft. The result was that I was accused of being racist by supporters of Israel and the supporters of Palestinians all in the same thread. This happened before the Knesset enacted the Basic Law: : Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People in July last year. Since that happened my difficulties justifying my preference have grown immensely.