mikkel wrote:
Oh no, I wholly agree that Islam in the Western world should be confronted about the elements which are incompatible with Western societies. What I'm saying is that this planned muslim gay bar clearly has nothing to do with seeking out sensible debate, and everything to do with provoking a group of people who choose to do something that is wholly within their rights, for reasons that are utterly ridiculous. It's a retaliatory move by simple-minded individuals who see collusion between people who pray to the same deity. Imagine how the world would look if everyone assumed that kind of reasoning.
I see where you're coming from. I'm not saying all Muslims are gay hating fundamentalists. However, I would say that I've seen quite a bit of evidence that many Muslims seem closeted in their fundamentalism.
Here's a good example: the average Muslim in Denmark is probably moderate on most issues; however, when the Danish cartoons of Mohammed were highly publicized, lots of otherwise moderate Muslims started acting very radically in protest. Now, admittedly, some of this was the result of clerics manipulating them, but the fact remains that these particular Muslims weren't exactly as well-adjusted to free speech as they might have thought they were beforehand.
By the same token, many Muslims seem to hold very condemning views of gays. They may or may not be open in their feelings on gays, but when confronted with gays right next to their community center, some of them might lash out in protest.
Granted, I'm not saying this makes them that different from many Christians. I'm sure if you put a gay bar next to many Christian churches or community centers, you'd probably get a similar response. However, the fact that this is an issue to begin with is something worth examining through provocation, IMHO.
I realize Gutfeld is just an attention whore, but I think this move might inadvertently bring some much needed discussion concerning Islam's view of gays.
