Shuturmurg
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Even though WSJ is centrist to center-right, but this kind of article would not have been possible in any mainstream american newspaper before the Hamas attack.Opinion | Islamophobia Is a Phony Diagnosis
Political cynics use the term to make normal human reactions to terror seem crazy or bigoted.www.wsj.com
No one is afraid of Islam per se, which is what the word “Islamophobia” implies. I have met many Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and atheists who are intrigued by Islam, curious about its theology and teachings. I have never met anyone who is afraid of it.
But many people fear becoming the victims of Islamic terrorism. They are afraid of being killed in their homes or their offices, on the street or at the theater, by wild-eyed jihadists hopped up on synthetic amphetamines. They are afraid of car bombs and subway stabbings. They are afraid of guys shouting “Allahu Akbar!” while filming themselves slaughtering innocent people.
I know a lot of people who are angry that this happened last month. They have noticed that similar atrocities have been happening with frequency for decades. They hate that it never seems to stop.
It’s rational to be afraid of Islamic terror. It’s understandable to be angry about the World Trade Center, Bali, Madrid, London, Paris, the Boston Marathon, San Bernardino, Charlie Hebdo, the Manchester Arena, the Brussels Metro, the Orlando nightclub, Salman Rushdie—the list goes on.
It isn’t wrong to hate the people who live streamed the slaughter of entire families on Oct. 7. It isn’t a phobia to abhor senseless death delivered in the name of God. It may even be laudable.