Dobson's World

The "pessimist" over at The Left Coaster blog had some fun (with a serious purpose) comma-dancing over the rightwing Christian argument that Muslims somehow have a special responsibility to denounce Islamic terrorists: Abel Has Slain Cain 02/25/06.

We've all heard the argument, which goes something like this: People keep saying that Islam is a peaceful religion and that Muslims in America are loyal citizens. But if that's so, then wouldn't you expect them to be making more noise than anybody in protesting against The Terrorists?

The point of the argument, sometimes only implied but often made explicit, is that The Enemy is Islam in general and Muslims in particular. Those making the argument can also be expected to be dismissive to criticism that actually are made by Muslims against such acts.

Now, it so easy to accuse one's political opponents of hypocrisy real and imagined that I usually don't bother. But Pessimist makes a good point, to which I would give somewhat of a different twist. He/she cites a report of an incident in the city of Onitsha in Nigeria in which a mob of Christians are said to have killed "dozens" of Muslims.


An incident like this does give most Americans a way of seeing how silly the "Muslims should be more outraged than anybody" argument is. Does a Baptist in New Orleans, a Presbyterian in Portland or a Catholic in Charlotte have anything to do with what some Christian rioters did in a Nigerian city that most of them have surely never heard of? Do they have some special responsibility to denounce the acts because they were committed by Christians out of some religious motivation? And if they don't denounce them more than anyone else, should non-Christians take that as a suspicious sign that the silent Christians agree with Christian terrorism?

Now, at some level most serious Christians do feel some sense of responsibility to not have our religion be kidnapped by fanatics and bigots. But when it comes to feeling some special obligation to denounce Christian murder in Nigeria or Christian terrorism like with Timothy McVeigh in Oklahoma City much louder and more publicly than non-Christians, well, the idea just doesn't occur to most people. And most Christians in America are probably altogether too complacent when it comes to recognizing how bad acts by Christians committed in the name of their religion are seen by other people are reflecting on the entire religion.

| +Save/Share | |