“But in order for us to continue to live in harmony, we must persist in promoting the right message of Islam – that, it is the religion of peace and compassion.”

– Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak

Writing about his pow-wow with Grand Mufti of Zimbabwe Ismail Menk, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said about the action of a few extremists, “This has caused unfounded fear towards Muslims and the religion of Islam. Some politicians in the West even pledged to close down mosques and further discriminate against Muslims should they hold office one day. If this situation persists, our brothers and sisters abroad will be denied their fundamental right to exercise their faith – Islam – as the religion of choice. The threat of Islamophobia is real.”

My views on this so-called “Islamophobia” is discussed here – “What is solely a Muslim issue is this idea that any criticism of Muslims is an attack on Islam or that acknowledging empirical evidence of the way how ‘Islamic’ states operate is anathema to freedoms and rights enjoyed in the progressive world is verboten in ‘civilised’ company. That any contrary narratives to the acceptable politically-correct discourse is an attack on a peaceful, peace-loving people who have always been at the mercy of colonialism or other forms of ‘Western’ imperial ambitions. This is Islamophobia in a nutshell.”

Keep in mind that this particular mufti was banned from giving religious talks in Singapore and closer to home, the state of Johor, because according to the Johor state religious department, “The content of their (and Malaysian Haslin Baharim, also known as nicknamed Ustaz Bollywood) previous speeches appear to promote racial and religious unrest, which disrupts harmony between the races.”

Why is all of this important? It is important because it is a stark reminder of how reality is in conflict with the moderate claims that many in positions of power make...