You're arguing cause and effect, and hopefully no one is saying that if someone is Muslim, they are violent. However, I believe the issue is semantics in the generalizations. When you say "there is a threat emerging from Muslims/Islam," while you may mean some or even a minority, the wording is understood as a blanket all. Also to throw into the mix, clarifications are neccessary if you're going to link two things that are independent of each other, ie Muslims and threats/violence. Not all Muslims are violent of course, and Muslims aren't the only exclusive groups that do violent acts in the world, so when you link "Muslims are a threat, or do violent things," it automatically suggests that all Muslims are those things due to the absence of a reason or context. It's like saying Blacks like fried chicken. It's a stereotype that people say is true, but if you look at the context of fried chicken, almost everyone in the world likes fried chicken, so by singling out Blacks with fried chicken, people are ingrained that is exclusively and linked to Blacks.
Not silly at all, there are generalizations and then there are over-generalizations. To say that "Muslims are a threat" indicates that you either are ignorant of the fact that your statement is easily refutable or you're an Islamophobe; or both (it's no secret that racists are often ignorant individuals, so the two traits are not exclusive to one another). So yes, you do have the responsibility to define whom you're talking about, what the threat is, and explain your position. You might not be a racist, just an ignorant hick. Another well-placed 'lol'... I will save you the time: there's a link between Islam and 'violence'; Islam regulates violence.
It's Islamic facism...A twisted and diabolical hi-jacking of the inert Islam religion...DEATH TO ISLAMIC FACISTS!...
The problem is that even when qualifiers are expressed the accusations of Islamophobia are still leveled. That is why the comparison to the charges of anti-semitism are so comparable, and ironic.
You can't stop people from making unsubstantiated claims of 'Islamophobia', much like you won't stop people from making unsubstantiated claims of 'anti-Semitism'. That's just reality...
Israel strikes again at another UN post, injuring two more UN peacekeepers. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14093565/
Well, mostly 10-story buildings and such, but the targeting of the UN could actually have a real justification on the part of the Israelis under certain circumstances.
