Blasphemy laws in Islamic countries force people there to stay quiet. If we also choose to be quite because of self-imposed blasphemy laws, who will be left to speak? It is our responsibility and our duty and our privilege to speak our minds. People have died so that you and I can have the right to free speech. what a dishonour to their memory if we squander this gift they have given us.

Blasphemy laws in Islamic countries force people there to stay quiet. If we also choose to be quiet because of self-imposed blasphemy laws, who will be left to speak? It is our responsibility and our duty and our privilege to speak our minds. People have died so that you and I can have the right to free speech. what a dishonour to their memory if we squander this gift they have given us.

The thing about being Muslim is that you are taught to ignore your gut feelings. Those feelings are usually attributed to the devil. It's the devil whispering in your ear and making you feel that way. So you learn to ignore your evil gut feelings and just do as you're told. You are told that those around you are smarter and more experienced than you. It's not like you trust your own ability to make decisions, anyway--it's a skill that is never encouraged or actively developed.

The Muslim world has been shielded from criticism for so long. How will progress ever happen if criticism is considered bigotry? ... Are Muslims not entitled to go through enlightenment and reform just as Christians have? Didn't that happen because of people criticizing the Church? Didn't that criticism eventually lead to the separation of Church and state? How can that happen in the Muslim world when there are people with this patriarchal attitude shielding Muslims from progress?