What do we have to do with Islamic states?

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Dec 19, 2013 at 08:54

Dear Dr Pipes,

Those of us who advocate freedoms in western and eastern democracies face a daily dilemma: what should we do with the countries and societies where these freedoms are violated routinely? Our choices are to either write and talk about the anti-freedom practices of these societies or turn a Nelson's eye toward them. Your reader Amin Riaz (who is usually capable of coherent arguments and, thus, wins my admiration) touched the same issue recently when he stated that the open minded people of the west have nothing to do with Islamic states. Amin seems to imply that those of us who possess open minds can remain indifferent to the societies where minds are encouraged to be closed.

I strongly disagree. Martin Luther King had said it most eloquently when he said that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. If Saudi Arabia, for example, does not allow preaching of non-Islamic religions, it is everyone's problem. In particular, it is the problem of those non-muslims who are open-minded enough to try fasting during Ramadan.

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