Religion Isn’t Race, and Religious Criticism Isn’t Racism

In Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Raritan Township Deputy Mayor Louis Reiner posted comments on his Facebook page that were harshly critical of the religion of Islam. In Islam 'A Cancer,' 'Violent' Religion, Township Committeeman Says, Curtis Leeds reports:

Saturday’s attacks on a Saudi Arabia oil processing plant – which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blamed on Iran – is something that Raritan Township Committeeman Lou Reiner isn’t accepting quietly.

Reiner, who has long been an unapologetic conservative, has taken to Facebook in reaction to the attacks.

“I believe Islam is an evil religion, it’s a violent religion,” Reiner said in an interview this morning. “The religion is a cancer … the Islamic position is in fact a cancer.”

Among the memes shared by Reiner includes one that states, “Some cancers must be treated with radiation. Islam is one of them.” The meme’s image is one of a mushroom cloud explosion.

Whatever you think of Reiner’s remarks, they’re certainly not racist. Yet “racist comments” is exactly what a sitting NJ congressman labeled them. In a report on the public firestorm that Reiner set off, Deputy mayor describes Islam as ‘a cancer,’ then apologizes for Facebook post, Caroline Fassett reports for NJ Advance Media for NJ.com:

In an interview with NJ Advance Media before Reiner issued his apology, Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-7th) condemned the post and demanded that Reiner apologize for his “racist comments” or resign immediately.

“This is a leader in his community," Malinowski said. "I represent Raritan Township, and I feel I have a responsibility to speak out when this kind of thing happens. And I would hope that every other office holder who represents that community and Hunterdon County would feel the same way.

“Every time a statement like this is allowed to stand without accountability, people in our community get the message that this is somehow OK. And we see more and more of it.”

I posted these comments under Fassett’s article:

Malinowski (D-7th) makes a dangerous equivocation in characterizing Reiner’s comments as “racist comments.” Racism is judging a person based on genetic lineage. Since race is something none of us has any control over, criticism based on race is racist, and illegitimate. Religion on the other hand is a belief system, which we do have control over. We choose our beliefs, including religious beliefs. A person’s beliefs—his values, ideas, principles, ideologies, philosophies—are legitimate objects of  intellectual scrutiny, including criticism. So, too, is a broad-based ideology, such as Islam, Christianity, socialism, capitalism, and so on. 

Religious criticism can be challenged, but should never be silenced. If we can’t criticize religion, then we can’t call out Iran for its sponsorship of terrorism in pursuit of a worldwide totalitarian caliphate based on Sharia Law. Nor can we call out Christianity for its reigns of terror and endless religious wars, which led the Founding Fathers to separate church and state with the First Amendment.

Christians and Muslims should not be universally condemned for the murderous acts of fundamentalist practitioners of their respective religions. But equating Reiner’s remarks as racist is tantamount to giving religion-motivated terrorism a pass. Given the violent history of religious conflict, we give religion a pass at our peril.

Related Reading:

‘Radical Islamic Terrorism’ is Not a Bigoted Term

The War Between Enlightenment and Fundamentalist Political Islam—and the Choice All Muslims Must Make

Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Clarion Call for Islamic Reformation—Craig Biddle

The Evil of Whitewashing Islam—Craig Biddle

Trump’s Ban-All-Muslims Policy Undermines the Fight Against Islamic Jihad

Winning the Unwinnable War: America's Self-Crippled Response to Islamic Totalitarianism, by Elan Journo 

A Welcome Recognition of the Islamist Threat from a ‘Mainstream’ Source