What is religion-based bigotry?
By “religion-based bigotry,” we mean both (1) bigotry against people because of their religion and (2) bigotry rooted in or excused by religion, e.g. bigotry against gays.
Religion-based bigotry is not the same thing as criticism of a religion. Given our opposition to forms of bigotry that have been justified by religion, we have many criticisms of varous religions, or at least the more fundamentalist/traditionalist forms thereof. But we oppose the demonizing or dehumanizing of people based on their religion. We oppose overgeneralizations about a religion and its believers, and we oppose causing people harm because of their religious beliefs.
For example, we reject the idea that, in order to defend women’s rights or combat homophobia, the U.S. government should wage aggressive war against Muslim countries. We do not consider criticism of the more intolerant traditions of Muslim societies to be anti-Muslim bigotry. But advocating aggressive war on such grounds would indeed be a severe form of anti-Muslim bigotry. It also is utterly unlikely to work. As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have shown, the chaos of war only enables the more intolerant forms of a religion to thrive all the more. There are more constructive ways for concerned Westerners to oppose homophobia and defend women’s rights in Muslim countries, such as by publicizing and otherwise supporting the work of Muslim reformers.
Our central over-arching concerns
These past several decades have seen a very dangerous rise in religious fanaticism. Especially dangerous, worldwide, are militant movements in the name of the most retrograde forms of Islam. Here in the United States, the Christian religious right wing has had its ups and downs, but is still a very well-organized movement and has been spreading into new venues.
To oppose both Islamic and Christian theocratic movements, and to defend religious freedom for all, a broad coalition will be needed, including (1) atheists, (2) liberal and moderate adherents of mainstream religions, and (3) adherents of various smaller religious (and other) minorities that are demonized by the religious right wing. Alas, there is quite a bit of animosity amongst various groups in those last three categories too. We aim to counteract such prejudices while also educating people about the larger threat.
We aim especially to defend the rights of those categories of people who are demonized by the religious right wing. We aim also to support the concerns of those who are marginalized within already-marginalized communities here in the U.S.A., such as gay Muslims and African-American Wiccans.
What kinds of religion-based bigotry does NYARBB make a point of opposing?
A high priority for us is to oppose Islamism (the totalitarian ideology) while also defending the rights of Muslims as an aspect of a modern pluralistic, open society. (See Draft of NYARBB position against both Islamism and anti-Muslim bigotry.) In any successful movement against Islamism, liberal Muslim reformers and moderate Muslims will play a key role. Hence it is in the best interests of all of us to support Muslim reformers and oppose blanket bigotry against Muslims, while also working to counteract Islamism.
We aim also to counteract the recent spread of Jew-hating myths, e.g. the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. We will aim to counteract this sort of thing through reason, rather than by calling for limitations on freedom of speech.
We aim also to expose and oppose the Christian religious right wing here in the U.S.A.
As needs and opportunities arise, we will participate occasionally in a wide variety of political actions against many forms of religion-based bigotry, defending especially those who are most harshly demonized by religious right wingers. Relevant political causes which we will occasionally champion may include, among others:
- Women’s rights, including reproductive rights
- Rights of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people
- Rights of people of nonmainstream religions, especially those seen as most “demonic” by the religious right wing (e.g. Pagans, occultists, and Satanists)
- Rights of atheists
- Church/state separation
- Legalization of sex work, and other concerns of sex workers
- Rights of sexual minorities (e.g. BDSM) and people of nonmainstream relationship orientation (e.g. polyamory)
- Rights of people in various much-demonized nonmainstream subcultures (e.g. Goth, metal, Vampire)
- Defense of those aspects of science education and scientific research that are attacked by the religious right wing.
- Assistance to the falsely accused in “Satanic” panics, regardless of their actual religion. (The best-publicized cases have involved ordinary mainstrem folks — see Against Satanic Panics.)
In short, almost everything the religious right wing is against, we are for!
We aim also to oppose the recent spread of claims about “the Illuminati.” Anti-Illuminist claims are almost exactly like the Protocols of the Elders of Zion,, except that, instead of or in addition to Jews, anti-Illuminism tends to scapegoat Pagans, occultists, “Satanists,” atheists, environmentalists, feminists, gays, and the values of modern secular society in general. (See Draft of NYARBB position against anti-Illuminism.)
Where possible, we will aim to oppose religion-based bigotry on multiple fronts. Examples include: (1) When working together with Muslims to oppose bigotry against Muslims, we might also take the opportunity to distribute literature countering anti-Jewish myths that have been spread within the Muslim community. (2) When participating in political actions against the war or in favor of a new and independent investigation of 9/11 (see Draft of NYARBB position on 9/11), we might also distribute literature, to other participants, containing reasoned critiques of various kinds of bigotry (e.g. anti-Illuminism) that have been advocated in the name of “9/11 Truth.” (3) When working with Pagans to oppose anti-Pagan bigotry, we will also try to counteract the tendency of many Pagans to scapegoat Satanists.
In all that we do, we aim to encourage careful thought and research, as a necessary part of any antidote against blind prejudice. We will aim to avoid jumping to one-sided, simplistic conclusions on complex issues.
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