Amis - "We are more evolved than Muslim societies"

The author Martin Amis has claimed he feels 'morally superior' to Muslim states which are not as 'evolved' as the Western world.

What follows in this article are some of Amis' statements on the subject. He comes across to me as a little confused about exactly what it is that he believes, and a little OTT, but what is fundamentally racist about pointing out the hatred and intolerance of radical Muslims - or the mainstream Islamic theology these things are drawn from?

Amis says Islamic society is the true racist, misogynistic and homophobic entity. Is it unfair of him to say this? I don't think so. As I have outlined before, Islam harbours elements of all these things:

- RACISM: While Islam isn't overtly racist, there are a few dodgy aspects, such as Muhammad's infamous "raisin-head" quote regarding black Ethiopians
- MISOGYNY: Islam certainly is misogynistic and oppressive towards women. Islamic law levies all sorts of discriminations on women - mandated by Muhammad's own words. Amis says that "the Koran recommends the beating of women". This is not untrue - it's in Qur'an 4:34.
- HOMOPHOBIA: Again, this is fact. Islamic law mandates the death penalty for homosexuality and Muhammad himself said: "Kill the one who sodomises and the one who lets it be done to him".

And what of Amis' comments about Western society being more "civilised" and "evolved" than Islamic society? It may be worded provocatively, but this is something we should all be affirming for ourselves. When one studies Islam honestly, one can see that it offers a vision of a worldview and society vastly different from our own - one that is totalitarian, oppressive, and denies freedom of thought and conscience. We should be standing up for Western values of freedom and democracy and asserting their superiority over the Islamic way of life. Not in the sense of bragging, taunting or provoking, but simply recognising the value of the Western system, so that we are prepared to defend it against an enemy that seeks to supplant it with something much worse.

Amis may be out to provoke and insult, but his points ring a lot truer than most people seem to realise.

And incidentally, the very fact that the Daily Mail is publishing this is in a disapproving tone rather destroys the idea I have been hearing too much of recently: that it is a racist, bigoted paper. As do the indignant reactions of many of the paper's readers commenting on the website, who see Amis as a hateful and repulsive person. But left-wing fantasies have always been preferable to the truth among the brain-dead.