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Vehement feelings about Islam are a distraction and are counterproductive
The problem with radio host Michael Savage, as with the writer Orianna Fallaci, is that they too often make their own emotions and extreme rhetoric about Islam the focus of their message, rather than the nature of Islam itself. Thus it seems at times that Fallaci’s principal subject is her “hatred,” which she takes pains to justify. But Fallaci’s dramatic feelings are of absolutely no importance to the rest of us. What is important is the objective nature of Islam and what we need to do about it. Similarly, Savage’s savage rhetoric may get his listeners excited, but in the process the very vehemence of his feelings and language becomes the center of attention, rather than the truth about Islam. There is a world of difference between saying things like, “I hate Islam … these people are a bunch of savages,” and saying, “Islam is our mortal enemy and we must defend ourselves from it.” The first is an expression of one’s own feelings, which are highly negative and will therefore be seen as blameworthy; the second is a statement about reality, which is either true or false; and if it is true (which it is), it is not blameworthy.
This is not meant as a criticism of Fallaci’s whole message. I support many of the things she said in her speech this week in New York, and in particular I am thrilled by her remark that the Koran is the Mein Kampf of our time. We urgently need this kind of crystalizing clarity. But note that the focus there is on Islam, not on herself. Email entry |