That Islam is unfairly targeted for criticism is one of the greatest lies of this young century. In fact, Islam seems to enjoy a unique immunity from criticism. Probably the easiest example would be the reaction to the Dutch cartoons, a scandal in which most of the Western world took the side of theocratic fascists who burned the embassies of sovereign nations because their feelings had been hurt.

These are considered to be liberal values: Freedom of speech, egalitarianism with regards to race, gender, and creed, a secular government (one that favors no religion over another on an official basis), reliance on the scientific method to achieve a greater awareness of the universe. Essentially, these are the values of the Enlightenment.

But there seems to be a disconnect when it comes to Islam. Any criticism of the doctrine is often vilified as some form of racism, in spite of the fact that Islam is not anything like a “race.” If one is capable of leaving a group (albeit on potential penalty of death, the reality of which is chillingly pointed out in this article), that group cannot be accurately described as a “race”.

It is important to understand that, when someone criticizes Islam as a set of ideas, that is not the same thing as generalizing or demonizing a group of people. Ideas are ideas, not people. While there are groups, individuals, and ideas which paint Muslims with a wide brush and even discriminate against them, that is not the effect critiquing the real and vicious teachings of a book.

Liberal Enlightenment values must be examined to garner an understanding of the illogical thought process that gives Islam so much leniency in Western society.

Freedom of speech and thought: There is no religion that allows for this. By definition, an ideology that is drilled into the heads of small children before they are old enough to think for themselves is clearly insidious in nature and considers liberty of thought irrelevant at best, and a crime at worst. Evidence abounds and is collected in websites like this one. Bloggers, journalists, and average citizens are killed on a regular basis for daring to speak out against an idea. A bad fucking idea.

Gender equality: It should be no surprise to any reader that Islam takes a negative view of women. In fact, sexism is mathematically quantified in this verse: Quran (4:11) - (Inheritance) "The male shall have the equal of the portion of two females." This is only one of several verses in the Quran and Hadith that quantify the inequity of women.

Homosexuality: Murder is the cure, according to the “Religion of Peace.” Calls for this kind of punishment come from both the Hadith and the Quran.

The contradiction between an Islamic caliphate and the necessity of a secular government in order to preserve religious freedom, frankly, goes without saying.

Many Americans are quick to point out the fact that many Christians are guilty of atrocities. This is true. They are. But modern Christianity does not breed the kind of chaos that Islam does. The Westboro Baptist Church is annoying and absolutely controversial. The Catholic Church is complicit in and responsible for a plethora of crimes, including the rape and torture of children, the relocation of the offenders, the opportunistic crime of lying to millions of people spread out over dozens of African nations about the efficacy of condoms, the spreading of rumors that has lead to the persecution and murder of homosexuals in many African nations. Christianity has been guilty of all the same crimes as Islam in the past, and many of the same in the present. But Islam is more dangerous, right now.

We can argue about past culpability all we want, but it doesn’t change a thing about the present. There is no religion of peace. All religions are exclusive and inherently violent. The fundamentalists of a doctrine are only a problem because of that doctrine’s fundamentals. But to pretend that Islam is exactly the same as other religions, or that it is somehow better, or less responsible for the actions of its adherents, is to bury one’s head so deeply in the sand that oxygen has no hope of reaching him/her. Paranoid travel bans affecting people who want nothing more than to live in a place that isn’t on fire are certainly not the answer. But neither is the ignorant and self-righteous social justice warrior battle cry of “You’re a racist!” Yes, the majority of Muslims are just people who want to live their lives. But if you think Islam is a religion of peace, do us all a favor: Read the fucking book.