Here's the link to Yahoo's article on both the political left's and right's reaction to Ben Affleck, who recently defended Islam when fellow Democrat/Leftist Bill Maher criticized and panned it on his own show. Here's the link to the Yahoo! news article. I almost feel worse for having even read this, especially since I'm tempted to side with Bill Maher, of all people - someone I see as a vulgar, left-wing comic and commentator.
I'm no expert on Islam, itself, but my half-sister has been a convert since her college days over 25 years ago, so I at least have some idea of what a family of Muslims and/or Muslim converts in America might actually be like. Unfortunately, some of the facts of my own family and its ties to Islam would lead you to believe that I am, as the article says, an "Islamaphobe" due to certain, more recent incidents. Nevertheless, I heard a segment on NPR this morning about a Muslim organization coming out to condemn ISIS and believe more now what I always tended to believe, which is that while it would be hypocritical of me to slam or condemn ALL Muslims and forms of Islam, it is at least an assertion made by some Islamic terrorists, themselves, that America is at war not just with terrorists that happen to be Muslim, but with one or more forms of extremist Islam. This would seem to be and be seen by many Muslims, in fact, as a corrupt branch of their ideology used now to justify violence and oppression and, sadly, to perhaps give some meaning to the somewhat bleak lives of increasingly isolated, young, Muslim males not only in the Middle East, but in Europe and America, as well. As for Affleck, I simply cannot help but wonder if he'd be as quick to come to the aid of Christianity in a discussion of right-wing militias, many cults and, most recently, of alleged racism and a sense of almost quasi-Fascist nationalism within the Tea Party, itself made up largely of middle and upper-class Christians (or people that identify themselves as Christians, however truthfully or otherwise).
Then again, those issues and concerns about American conservatism (almost always linked to religion, faith and/or Christianity) - whose general ideas on faith, fiscal responsibility (particularly personal responsibility to lessen the need for more government intervention and control), border control/security and some other things I favor and share - are why I started and am about to cap off the final draft of my latest original script (different story - get it? Ha.). Conflicting, often extreme attitudes on Islam's role in current events and a number of other issues are things that I think people on both the political right AND left need to look at more closely and be a little more honest about among one another. It's getting to the point to where the rhetoric on both sides, particularly among us as voters, is at such a fever pitch that far too many, I believe, might privately just accept some form of benign dictatorship and an end to democracy just to keep the "other side" from gaining and using power. Incidents such as the Michael Brown shooting, ISIS and lingering resentment over the Iraq War and recent recession make this kind of internal turmoil less noticeable and perhaps even less of a legitimate problem on the political left because, for now, it still controls the White House, the Senate and is able to claim a significant role in shaping or at least reacting to public opinion.
Still, I think the same growing internal divides and swaths of disillusionment within the individual parties, for example, are issues that should be addressed by both sides now and could, I think, become of even greater import in the near future - particularly once Obama leaves office and neither side has a clear scapegoat for its troubles anymore, for lack of a better term. Whether some like it or not, religion does play a part and factor into this, and on both sides as there are Christians, at least, and probably even a few Muslims that are both fervently right-wing Republican AND fervently left-wing Democrat. A few years ago, I know that some Christian churches (Southern Baptist, I think) were actively discouraging Democrats from joining and attending. At the same time, I doubt you'll find a lot of Republicans in all-black congregations, some of whom have had very public reverends coming out in condemnation not only of people like George Bush, Republicans and Wall Street, but of America as a whole. Yet, is one more or less Christian than the other? How involved is each side of the same coin in current events and political power struggles, etc?
So what is it with religion and politics? Frankly, I think they've become far too intermingled, but then the downside to organized religion in just about any form has always been that, while definitely useful and beneficial to many, it has also been used to unscrupulously gain and wield power, control and to cover for or even justify numerous wars and other atrocities. All I really know for sure is this: I've encountered people that more than just dislike religion and religious faith. They tend to see it as an outdated, outmoded joke on society - an inherently repressive and prejudicial form of humanity trying to control itself and understand its environment - yet, now and increasingly, a detriment to progress being overtaken by science and rapidly on its way out of both world-favor and ultimately existence in order to make room for a "better," more unified human society. Okay... well, to each their own, but as with other things, I think religion and faith are things to be dismissed at people's own peril. 'Wanna guard against ignorance, for example? I say don't be so quick to dismiss something like religion and religious people simply because you think of it and them as merely temporary obstacles to a future for humanity that is going to either unfold in your ideological favor or cease to exist altogether.
