Your sarcasm is not necessary

Submitted by John Maszka (United Arab Emirates), Apr 28, 2019 at 05:30

We can find examples of violence in the sacred writings of most world religions, and we can also find examples of misguided people throughout history who used those texts to justify committing acts of violence. This in no way implicates the billions of adherents to the world's great religions who do not employ violence. No one is denying that violent extremism (of all stripes) is problematic. However violent Islamic extremists comprise a minuscule percentage of the total Muslim population, and they interpret Islam's sacred writings in a way that justifies violence. This is not a strictly Muslim phenomenon, nor is it a strictly modern one.

As for the etymology of the term "Islamophobia," no one (that I'm aware of) is credited with coining the term. However, it was used in colonial times to criticize the treatment of Muslims in the French colonies (Islamophie) and more recently compared to antisemitism by Edward Said in 1985.

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