Is It Fair To Label Stephen Fry An "islamophobe"?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/stephen-fry-hits-back-at-accusations-of-islamophobia-8793025.html

[RATTER15]

No it isnt fair "islamophobe" I think he just detests the barbric and disgusting nature of Islam. "islamophobe" sugests people have an irrational fear of Islam, I think that fear of Islam and its sickening practices is quite rational.

[Old_Geezer]

Phobia is one of those words that seems to be used to mean what the speaker wants it to mean, Humpty Dumpty-wise. There are common instances where it is used unrelated to fear.

[Gromit]

No.

It is perectly reasonable to condemn Islamic bombers and murderers.

It is not reasonable to blame ALL musims and Islam for terrorism, but of course, he didn't do that.

The full Stephen Fry blog is here, and he states his case far more eloquently than I can.

http://stephen-fry-me.tumblr.com/post/59775876379/am-i-an-islamophobe

[Zeuhl]

Clearly not - he does not display an irrational fear of everything Islamic

[Baldric]

No.

[The Builder]

No, Stephen Fry is simply a Theophobe. As with many of us, he detests all religions equally.

[FredPuli43]

No, of course not. Nor would it be "Christianityphobic" to condemn those Christians who do, or did, cruel or murderous acts in the name of Christianity.

[Kromovaracun]

More nonsense. I'm becoming steadily less convinced that "Islamophobia" is actually a real thing....

[sp1814]

No it isn't.

[naomi24]

No. Labelling people 'Islamophobes' for speaking the truth is simply a ploy to attempt to stifle the unsavoury truth.

[jim360]

It's not even true, and therefore is completely unfair.

[Brenden]

When certain sections of the public put a "Phobe on a word it means precisely nothing - they have an agenda that if you do not share there views you are a phobe, bigot, racist etc - another form of bullying imo.

[ichkeria]

Islamophobia is a real phenomenon but it doesn't seem to me as though Stephen Fry is being islamophobic. I suspect the reason he has attracted the "label" is because he himself used the term "islamofascism" (a term beloved of the abysmal Julie Burchill) and because he's claiming that criticism of extreme Islam is itself politically incorrect. Which is sort of bound to attract adverse comment, albeit unfairly.
It's a shame we worry so much about these labels.

[Brenden]

I don't ichkeria - Left all that behind in infant school.

[Kromovaracun]

"is because he himself used the term "islamofascism" (a term beloved of the abysmal Julie Burchill)"

It's actually been in usage for quite a long time - and not only by Julie Burchill...

I agree that labels like this matter far more than they ought to, though.

[sp1814]

Brenden

You wrote:

When certain sections of the public put a Phobe on a word it means precisely nothing.

In certain circumstances, it can mean quite a lot.

There are pockets of extreme bigotry, which can be summed up quite nicely with the 'phobe' suffix.

[ichkeria]

I wasn't suggesting Julie Burchill coined or even monopolised the term "islamofascism" - but I always think of her when I hear it. Which is one reason I don't like it!

[andy-hughes]

Clearly it is not fair.

To criticise the barbaric acts of a section of a faith does not equate with criticism of the faith as a whole - Stephen Fry, and anyone with a reasonable degree f intelligence can make that distinction.

I am glad never having to defend any of the major religions in the world, all of which seem to see violence as justified if furthering their own message as they see it

[jno]

the meaning of the word 'phobia' is gradually changing; words do that. No point in answering the OP with reference to a meaning it might have had 20 years ago.

[naomi24]

The accusation of Islamophobia is being levelled at Stephen Fry now, so if in the past 20 years the meaning has changed, what do you think it means today?