Which is the more serious
problem today, Cathy Young asks: Islamic extremism or anti-Islamic
bigotry? The Nation, the leading magazine of
America’s left, has a blowout special issue on “Islamophobia:
Anatomy of an American Panic.” Its articles address a real and
serious issue — but 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. Concerns about bigotry should not deter legitimate debate
about problems in modern Islam.