[lit-ideas] Re: Religion & Public Reason

  • From: Eric <mr.eric.yost@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:22:47 -0400

On 8/12/2010 2:04 PM, William Dolphin wrote:
Aren't there easier and more immediate examples at hand? What of a law that
targeted the apparel of the Mennonite traditions? A ban on broad-brimmed
black hats and white lace caps, for instance?

Easy enough to construct a political/national security rationale: The
Mennonite's intractable peace ministry reveals their so-called religious
beliefs to be nothing more than a subversive political ideology aimed at
undermining the defensive capability of the U.S.A.


Because Phil's argument is centered on fairness, I tried to construct a thought experiment on the niqab topic, using non-Muslim figures. Aryan Nation came to mind.

You offer Mennonites and Quakers. "Construct a rationale." See? You're not serious either. Fallacy of composition.

Here's what the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress[1] says:

"The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and subsequent discussions of religious extremism have called attention to Islamic puritanical movements known as Wahhabism and Salafiyya. Al Qaeda leaders and their ideological supporters have advocated a violent message that some suggest is rooted in these conservative Islamic traditions. Other observers have accused Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Wahhabism, of having disseminated religious ideology that promotes hatred and violence, targeting the United States and its allies."

"9/11 Commission. The Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the “9/11 Commission”) claims that “Islamist terrorism” CRS-6 16 See CRS Report RL32499, Saudi Arabia: Terrorist Financing Issues. 17 House Committee on International Relations, Survey of Activities, Week of September 6, 2005: Letter Transmitting Report — September 7, 2005, CLASSIFIED, Department of State, pursuant to Sec. 7120 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, 2004 (P.L. 108-458); Ex. Comm. 3684. finds inspiration in “a long tradition of extreme intolerance” that flows “through the founders of Wahhabism,” the Muslim Brotherhood, and prominent Salafi thinkers."

Yeah really sounds like Quakers, William, or like some of my Swiss Mennonite ancestors (since we're trading lineages). We disagree because you see the issue as solely one of "religious expression." Hope you wouldn't need a three-megaton nuclear blast destroying one of your bike trails to recognize the difference between Quakers and Wahabbis.

Radical Aryan Nation-related religious cults requiring women to dress in armored bomb-disposal suits -- a much better comparison. Note that in my example, the group (Aryan Nation) is associated with violence while the individual may not be.

Finding it too hot to bike,
Eric



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[1]
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS21695.pdf
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