I value multiculturalism immensely. I believe it to be one of the most important aspects of the Western liberal tradition, the tradition that gives all of us unparalleled rights and rule of law regardless of status. Though valuable, multiculturalism is imperfect. One of the problems with multiculturalism is its tendency to instill a tolerance of even the most vile intolerance. Of course, most would argue, we can legally tolerate unpleasant groups like the Westboro Baptist Church while morally condemning their hateful actions.
The problem arises when the legal tolerance we should give to all groups exercising their fundamental rights becomes intermingled with our moral tolerance, negating the foundation of our moral ground in the process. Religion can be the mechanism for this process, since it often takes for granted that all religions are equal, at least in their propensity for peacefulness. This is a fallacious and dangerous error to make in the post-9/11 world we live in. While most American Muslims are good, peace-loving people, they are the exception to Islam the religion, not the rule. Only the most politically correct could read the Quran and walk away in denial about its violent, sexist dictums. We should not fear or hate Muslim people, but we must also not be so “open-minded” that our brains fall out. However politically incorrect, I espouse the viewpoint that Islam the religion is inherently violent, is antithetical to our Western liberal tradition and should be afforded great fear if one values the freedom that I do.