I’ve no desire to work through Harris’s back catalogue of writing with you in order to correct your distortions and the leaps made in your ‘interpretation’. A few points on your comments that actually relate to my piece however:

‘He does not say fascists are the only ones speaking up against Islamic fascism. He says they are the people “who speak most sensibly about the threat that Islam poses to Europe” and in LTACN talks of their “courage to speak honestly about the threat that Islam now poses to European society”.
From Harris’ vantage point, fascists have the right idea about Muslims in Europe’

And what is that idea? As Sam Harris makes clear
(emphasis mine):

‘I was referring to the terrifying fact (again, back in 2006), that when you heard someone making sense on the subject of radical Islam in Europe—e.g. simply admitting that it really is a problem—a little digging often revealed that they had some very unsavory connections to Anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, neo-Nazi, etc. hate groups’

The simple fact remains, as my piece argues – that to say these comments are a call for liberals to embrace fascism, as Savage argues, is dishonest hackery of the highest order. It is as clear then as it is now. I stand by my comment about reading comprehension. Seems Savage isn’t the only one afflicted.

Greenwald in particular has been behaving disgustingly toward Sam Harris. After finding out he was co-authoring a book with Maajid Nawaz, a former Islamist, he’s quick to deride Sam Harris on Twitter for “having a Muslim friend”. His behavior has been pretty sad to behold for me, as I was largely on side when it came to his work on the Snowden leaks.

I’m not sure dishonesty or stupidity are the only two choices. I’m also not sure whether to believe this is a real “condition” (for lack of a better term) but if it is it would go a long ways to explaining the Greenwalds, Aslans etc. of the world.

Note that “right-wing” doesn’t refer to political ideology, someone that confused me the first time I read through it.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_authoritarianism

Mr. Dumpling: First I can establish that I have more than an elementary level of reading comprehension being a college graduate, member of Phi Beta Kappa and a published author. It is clear that you cannot lay claim to that level of comprehension. Second, your polemic reminds one of the tale of the Emperor’s new clothes in which you are a gaping member of the crowd, deluded by the desire to not respond to the facts, but to join in with your fellow apologists in praise of the imaginary.

Conspiracy theories do not rest on fact. Unfortunately for you, and in a different context, for the rest of us, Sam Harris’ arguments do so rest. If you believe that the non-Muslim world is not threatened by the fundamentalists, the yearners for the next world caliphate, then you are certainly avoiding dealing with the bare facts of recent events.

As Mr. Harris has eloquently pointed out, these fundamentalists bowing to the basic tenents of Islam (they aren’t extremists in that sense, but bedrock faithful Muslims) are attempting to force the Islamic law of apostasy on the rest of the world under threat of violence and death if the world does not comply.

Perhaps it is time to grow up, Mr. Dumpling, shed your soft and doughy nature and get a backbone.

Whilst it’s touching that you wish to defend your hero, I’m afraid you are completely deluded about this. He does not say fascists are the only ones speaking up against Islamic fascism. He says they are the people “who speak most sensibly about the threat that Islam poses to Europe” and in LTACN talks of their “courage to speak honestly about the threat that Islam now poses to European society”.

From Harris’ vantage point, fascists have the right idea about Muslims in Europe. It’s evident that he thinks this when he spouts utter trash like this:

““Islam is the fastest growing religion in Europe. The demographic trends are ominous: Given current birthrates, France could be a majority Muslim country in 25 years, and that is if immigration were to stop tomorrow. Throughout Western Europe, Muslim immigrants show little inclination to acquire the secular and civil values of their host countries, and yet exploit these values to the utmost—demanding tolerance for their backwardness, their misogyny, their anti-Semitism, and the genocidal hatred that is regularly preached in their mosques. Political correctness and fears of racism have rendered many secular Europeans incapable of opposing the terrifying religious commitments of the extremists in their midst.”

Conspiracy theorist rubbish.

Elsewhere (in the Moral Landscape) he talks of the need for more illiberal policies to ‘keep the barbarian beyond the city walls’

“When I search my heart, I discover that I want to keep the barbarians beyond the city walls just as much as my conservative neighbors do, and I recognize that sacrifices of my own freedom may be warranted for this purpose. I expect that epiphanies of this sort could well multiply in the coming years.”

I’m not always quick to judge something as dishonesty – but when the individual has their stupidity and selective reading pointed out to them a number of times and continues to promote their lies, then I’m comfortable questioning their honesty.

You’re right though, difficult to tell a lot of the time!

The stupidity theory dovetails with the observation that many of these people seem to buy into some variety of post-modernist rubbish.

I’m sure there’s a way to tell the difference between dishonesty and stupidity – but I’m just back from the pub – so not thinking too clearly myself!