Which is the more serious
problem today: Islamic extremism or anti-Islamic bigotry?

The latest contribution to this debate comes from The
Nation, the leading magazine of America’s left, in its
current
special edition on “Islamophobia: Anatomy of an American
Panic.” Its articles address a real and serious issue — but they
also illustrate the pitfalls of ignoring its other side.

There’s no doubt that virulent rhetoric depicting all Islam as
inherently evil and violent, and virtually all Muslims as potential
jihadists, has gained alarming currency on the right. Such
Muslim-bashing is not simply demeaning but can lead to violence,
harassment and infringements on the fundamental liberties of Muslim
Americans. The New York Police Department has been criticized for
overly broad surveillance of ordinary Muslims. Recent years have
seen a wave of attempts to block construction of mosques and
Islamic centers across the country. Bills seeking to outlaw the use
of Shariah law in American courts — already illegal if it
infringes on citizens’ constitutional rights — could interfere
with private contracts rooted in religious law.

Yet nowhere in The Nation will one find recognition
that extremism in Islam is a particularly serious problem. One
author dismisses the issue by stating that “every group has its
loonies.” Another writes that while misogyny and religious
repression in some Muslim countries should be denounced, it can be
done without generalizing about Islam.

Of course all religions have fringe groups and ideas. But for
complex historical and cultural reasons, radicalism in Islam is far
closer to the mainstream than in other major religions right now.
There is no country today where a Christian government executes
people for blasphemy, apostasy or illicit sex; several Muslim
states do, including Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Some supposedly
moderate Muslim clerics, such as Qatar-born Sheik Yusuf
Al-Qaradawi, defend executions of gays, sanction “light”
wife-beating and peddle hatred of Jews.

Most American Muslims do not share such repugnant views; the
Muslim community here is far more integrated into the mainstream
than it is in Europe. Yet the problem of radicalization is real.
Freedom House, an esteemed human rights organization, reports that
many U.S. mosques carry extremist literature. Supposedly moderate
Muslim groups such as the Islamic Circle of North America have
hosted speakers with extreme ideas. A 2007 Pew
poll [pdf]
found that 27 percent of American Muslim men younger than 30
believe suicide terrorism in defense of Islam is at least sometimes
justified.

Many American Muslims stress the importance of combating not
only anti-Muslim bigotry but extremism in Muslim ranks. The
modernization of Islam is an essential priority for the world.
Right-wing Islamophobes such as bloggers Pamela Geller and Robert
Spencer are hostile to this effort, insisting that Islam is beyond
reform and any talk of moderation is a deceptive smoke screen.

But where do left-wing defenders of Muslims’ civil rights stand?
One of The Nation‘s articles attacks philanthropist Nina
Rosenwald for bankrolling supposedly Islamophobic causes. Some
groups Rosenwald has funded deserve the criticism, but the article
also singles out her support for the work of “dissident” Muslims
such as Irshad Manji, an openly gay Canadian journalist who argues
that Islam must overcome the still-powerful legacy of sexism,
homophobia and anti-Semitism. When a progressive leftist magazine
goes after a gay Muslim feminist because she is too outspoken
against religious reactionaries, something’s wrong.

Concerns about bigotry are justified. But they should not deter
legitimate debate about problems in modern Islam.

Contributing Editor Cathy Young is a columnist at Newsday,
where this article
originally appeared.