HARKONNENDOG

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Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Dean's still shark jumping...

Dean over at Dean's World has CHOSEN to be irrational regarding Islam. This is both amazing and amusing. He leans libertarian and revels in rebellion and rationality regarding other subjects, but not Islam. There are some consequences to that decision, one of which is he can't handle people disagreeing with him about this subject. So he has to get rid of people who do, which he does here:

I haven't blogged much lately, as I'm trying to finish my third novel JACOB. But I've been commenting on other sites. Below is my comment on the post linked above. I'm putting it here in case he deletes it. It would seem to be out of character for him, but he's all out of character regarding Islam.



"3) Islam as a religion is no more inherently incompatible with modernity, minority rights, women's rights, or democratic pluralism than most religions"

A person who claims Islam IS inherently incompatible with modnernity etc., is an Islamophobe, but it doesn't follow that anyone who doesn't agree with the quote above is an Islamophobe.

Making such a claim requires a person to believe they've enough knowledge about "most religions" (whatever that means) to judge. In fact, give that it is a ridiculously complex subject, expertise in "most religions" would still now (sic- should be not) allow someone to make that kind of pronouncement.

The quote above (its antithesis too, btw) is a statement of faith, not an observable fact. So now, in order to post at Dean's World, a person must claim they believe something irrational... a person must agree to, Dean-like, choose to shut their brain off whenever Islam is the subject.


Another comment to another of his post's on the subject (3/2/07):


Dean,

I've decided that certain attitudes about Islam are hateful, irrational garbage, and will no longer put up with it.

To be fair, you did decide the above, but then you went past that, and decided other things are also off limits.

You've already backtracked from the original #3, and admitted that people who post about Islam here have to work on certain ASSUMPTIONS, regardless of whether they are true or not. I think this is analogous to choosing not to think something. What's so weird about it is you're so against this kind of thinking, or non-thinking, regarding AIDS especially, and many other subjects.

As far as the door goes, I'm not leaving of my own free will. Regarding Islam, my comments will stay within your guidelines just 'cause I mostly agree with you. But I like this site too much not to call shenanigans when you (and by that I mean your online personality) go nutty from cogdis.

And I'm just being Simon Cowell style honest when I tell you you've got a Jekyll and Hyde thing going. You're one guy when you post about most subjects and another (not as bright) guy when you post about Islam. It isn't that I disagree with you about Islam, it's everything- from your style to your retreat into irrationality to your grammar.