# Why do liberals give positive discrimination to muslims? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 8, 2016, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260 "2016-03-08T04:59:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260/61 "2016-03-09T07:56:11Z")
> [@Media too pro-muslim?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/105): > > Considering the OP’s previous statement that: > > > [@Media too pro-muslim?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-too-pro-muslim/747303/105): > > > > Anyway, the term “muslim” is slang/colloquium for Pakistanis in the UK… > > Perhaps he’d like to clarify just which of his personal meanings for muslim he’s referring to? ‘Muslim’ is slang for Pakistani here? I must have missed that memo. It’s true that ‘Asian’ is very roughly synonymous with ‘Pakistani or Indian’ in common UK parlance (maybe that’s what the OP was thinking of?), but as far as I can tell, when people say "Muslim’, they’re talking about people with some sort of adherence to Islam (or maybe in some cases, people who just have some social and cultural trappings that have some sort of Islamic influence). ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260/62 "2016-03-09T07:57:48Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Nobody can ban an idea. Even a stupid one. > > But you can refuse to teach Creationism in public schools. Even Texas managed to do this. Yes and, as pointed out, most liberals would advocate this. But that’s not what the OP wants. He wants to ban creationism. It’s _possible_ that he is misspeaking; he just means that he wants to ban the teaching of creationism in public schools. But it’s not very likely, since that’s a mainstream liberal position, and the whole thrust of his thread is to criticise the liberal mainstream for not being sufficiently anti-Islamic and anti-religion. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260/63 "2016-03-09T08:10:50Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > ‘Muslim’ is slang for Pakistani here? I must have missed that memo. > > It’s true that ‘Asian’ is very roughly synonymous with ‘Pakistani or Indian’ in common UK parlance (maybe that’s what the OP was thinking of?), but as far as I can tell, when people say "Muslim’, they’re talking about people with some sort of adherence to Islam (or maybe in some cases, people who just have some social and cultural trappings that have some sort of Islamic influence). Just under 4 in 10 British Muslims are of Pakistani origin. If you add in Muslims of Bangladeshi or Indian origin, that rises to just over 6 in 10 British Muslims of South Asian origin. No other distinct ethnic group accounts for more than 1 in 10 British Muslims. So it might be fair to say that the stereotype of a British Muslim is somebody of South Asian origin, and the term Pakistani or “Paki” is sometimes used (the latter in a derogatory or racist way) for anyone of South Asian origin. So, by piling stereotype on stereotype, you can construct an arguement for saying that the stereotypical British Muslim is seen by some as “Pakistani”. But that’s quite different from the claim that in Britain the term “Muslim” is slang for Pakistani. In my observation, that’s not true at all. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260/64 "2016-03-09T08:15:32Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Nobody can ban an idea. Even a stupid one. You can illegalise an idea and punish anyone who holds it. NB - I am not advocating doing so. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260/65 "2016-03-09T10:47:06Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > You can illegalise an idea and punish anyone who holds it. > > NB - I am not advocating doing so. OK. Are you defending the poor persecuted Young Earth Creationists forced to start private schools to pass their idiocy on to the next generation? Any other examples of people being punished for “illegal” ideas? Just ideas–not actions? (In the US, please.) (I know this is a distraction from the OP’s message. Which is always the same in every thread he posts. He hates Pakistanis. I get it. He’s wrong.) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260/66 "2016-03-09T13:16:33Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > ‘Muslim’ is slang for Pakistani here? I must have missed that memo. > > It’s true that ‘Asian’ is very roughly synonymous with ‘Pakistani or Indian’ in common UK parlance (maybe that’s what the OP was thinking of?) Apparently everyone in the UK other than the OP missed this memo. I do look forward to his reaction though at you lumping Pakistani and Indian together in one grouping. I think he’s going to love that. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260/67 "2016-03-09T13:35:19Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > OK. Are you defending the poor persecuted Young Earth Creationists forced to start private schools to pass their idiocy on to the next generation? Any other examples of people being punished for “illegal” ideas? Just ideas–not actions? (In the US, please.) I think you’re asking for an impossible standard to be met. We have no mind-reading machines. So any manifestation of an idea must be via some action. If I wear a T-shirt emblazoned with the words, “Donald Trump Is A Liar,” I presumably have the _idea_ that Donald Trump is a liar. But I have also taken the _action_ of wearing that T-shirt, and if you choose to punish me, you could point out that I am not being punished for having the idea, but for the _action_ of wearing the T-shirt. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260/68 "2016-03-09T14:32:05Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I think you’re asking for an impossible standard to be met. We have no mind-reading machines. So any manifestation of an idea must be via some action. If I wear a T-shirt emblazoned with the words, “Donald Trump Is A Liar,” I presumably have the _idea_ that Donald Trump is a liar. But I have also taken the _action_ of wearing that T-shirt, and if you choose to punish me, you could point out that I am not being punished for having the idea, but for the _action_ of wearing the T-shirt. While you’re right, I find it ironic that we have constitutional protections for actions but no constitutional protections for thoughts. If we ever do invent mind-reading machines, I foresee some interesting court decisions on the issue. “Sorry, Citizen Smith, but while the Constitution of Oceania guarantees you freedom of speech and assembly and petition and the exercise of your religion, it does not allow you to commit thoughtcrimes against Big Brother.” ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260/69 "2016-03-09T16:51:25Z")
> [@Civilrighte](#): > > I don’t see anyone giving positive discrimination to Jews or Hindus. In fact, it was one of my core argument points. The argument is only valid because Islam is getting a lot of positive media coverage being manufactured by liberals. But, it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260/70 "2016-03-09T17:37:22Z")
> [@Civilrighte](#): > > I don’t see anyone giving positive discrimination to Jews or Hindus. In fact, it was one of my core argument points. The argument is only valid because Islam is getting a lot of positive media coverage being manufactured by liberals. > > Liberalism is about separating oneself from religion and not being ruled by it. Liberals should champion secularism, science/athiesim, LGBT, feminism, multiracial tolerance, etc… without pandering to a voter base. > > Muslims should form their own political party and campaign that way. When is the last time some idiot tried to prevent a shul from being built? By your bizarre standards, that is probably discrimination for Jews. In fact, since we own the media, we get positive coverage from them. I used to be an atheist conservative, but became a liberal without any change in my religious non-belief. So you are wrong there also. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260/71 "2016-03-09T18:25:32Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I think you’re asking for an impossible standard to be met. We have no mind-reading machines. So any manifestation of an idea must be via some action. If I wear a T-shirt emblazoned with the words, “Donald Trump Is A Liar,” I presumably have the _idea_ that Donald Trump is a liar. But I have also taken the _action_ of wearing that T-shirt, and if you choose to punish me, you could point out that I am not being punished for having the idea, but for the _action_ of wearing the T-shirt. I was answering this post: > [@](#): > > You can illegalise an idea and punish anyone who holds it… Of course, whistling “Marching Through Georgia” at a meeting of Sons of the Confederacy is giving evidence of your beliefs that might get you into trouble. But those beliefs have not been “illegalised” (as they say outside the USA). ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260/72 "2016-03-09T23:34:53Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Why? It’s well, every now and then, to maintain a surveillance on one’s deadly enemies. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260/73 "2016-03-10T00:45:49Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Of course, whistling “Marching Through Georgia” at a meeting of Sons of the Confederacy . . . Someday I’d like to have a car exactly like the Dukes’ of Hazzard . . . except for the tune on the novelty horn. “Hurrah, hurrah, we bring the Jubilee . . .” 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-liberals-give-positive-discrimination-to-muslims/748260.md?page=3)