What if I am right about Islam? Then what I am saying is not a matter of "bigotry" or "hatred" at all, but a matter of self-preservation.
Making inferences about a person's mental state or "hateful" intentions before (or often just instead of) addressing their arguments is a totalitarian technique.
My objections to crusaider's post aren't to do with any belief I have that Islam is a religion of hugs and puppies; the objection is to the hopelessly simplistic and over-generalising nature of the post, which inclines me not to bother with a well thought-out response. If the post had expressed a similar opinion about the same issues, but with evidence of being the product of some quality thought on the part of the author, I'd have taken more notice.
As it happens, I think the Islamic religion, both in it's fundamental nature as laid out in the Qur'an and Hadith, and in it's interpretation by it's adherents in light of their co-existing cultural ideosyncracies, can often create a rather explosive mixture (pun intended), as a culture of honour and violence meets a call to jihad, with the west fanning the flames all the way with their constant meddling in Middle-Eastern affairs.
However, I also understand that Islam is a religion that encompases many cultures, and the unique mixture in each case results in different outcomes, such that to treat muslims as a cohesive whole is meaningless for the purpose of understanding them. Some people who preach it do indeed believe that women should be subjugated, but others do not. Some have no respect for human life, but others do. Calling every single muslim 'evil' is a cheap cop-out from proper thought.
