Efforts at understanding are important. De-mystifying and un-demonizing is crucial.
That said - I do NOT grant Islam, or any religion, a pass when it comes to patriarchal, oppressive beliefs about girls and women. I do not abide by any religion's conviction of their supremacy or "chosen-ness." I do NOT accept cultural relativism when it comes to abuse or violence-in-the-name-of.
Most of all, I hate the hypocrisy of traditional organized religions, including Islam.
Islam is no worse, and no better, than any global, organized religion, but it does currently gets "othered," in ways that are clearly the result of fear, ignorance, racism and bias.
Like other religions, there exists in Islam a continuum from secular to reform to moderate to conservative to fundamentalist. We are living in times when ALL kinds of fundamentalism is on the rise, coupled with an ever-shrinking globe, the proliferation of weaponry, and information and mis-information that travels at lightening speed. It is a time of extremes and extremism. That, not religious beliefs and not Islam, is the danger.
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