Do Muslims recognize their own racism?

Submitted by Pat (United States), Nov 22, 2005 at 18:03

It used to be called prejudice, but racism is a far more powerful term and has become all-inclusive. In today's political environment the quickest way to discredit your opponent is to call him a racist, but many of us no longer fall for the trap.

The next time any Islamist suggests we are racist, I would challenge them with the status of Mecca. Why are only Muslims allowed to enter the city? Surely Mecca predates Mohammed by centuries, if not millennia. Is it not the height of racism to deem only Muslims qualified to walk Mecca's streets? What other religion considers all non-believers to be of lesser value and not worthy of life?

As for immigration laws, what Muslim country welcomes (or even tolerates) others of a different faith and accords them full status as citizens? Surely dhimmitude is another form of racism.

Americans and Europeans have nothing to prove or to atone for.
Do Muslims who accuse Westerners of racism ever look in the mirror?

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".