Defend rights of Muslims, but criticise doctrine of Islam

It's more important than ever to protect and defend the rights of Muslims.

And it's more important than ever to challenge and criticise the doctrine of Islam.

Both of these go together. Here's why:

If you only do the first without the second, you're not being fair to all of those who have lost loved ones to Allahu-Akbar-yelling Islamic militants who accurately quote supporting passages from the Quran as they chop off heads.

If you only do the second without the first, you're not being fair to good people who (i) are wrongly held responsible for the actions of a few super-pious jihadists who actually take their faith and holy book seriously; and (ii) are frequently their victims themselves.

Islam, and the imposition of Islam on society (Islamism), should be challenged head-on, as we would challenge any other problematic idea; but the rights of Muslims must be protected in the process - just like we fight and discourage smoking, while showing compassion for smokers. Again, criticising ideas is not equal to demonising people.

In many Muslim-majority countries, every day is a Paris or a San Bernardino. The biggest victims of Islam-endorsed jihad around the world are Muslims themselves. When these kinds of things happen, we would be better served defending the victims of the faith, while simultaneously challenging the faith of the perpetrators.

(This first appeared on the writer's Facebook page.)