Why do liberals defend repressive ideologies?

[saintjohnny]

I speak as a liberal on most issues, and I vote Lib Dem. I believe in freedom, equality for women and gay people, better education for poorer children, better healthcare in low income areas, freedom of press, movement, association etc. So at the moment I am having great difficulty in defending (in particular) Islam, which I see as a very repressive religion, which treats women as second class citizens, hates gays and seems to stand against many things we take for granted in the west. Yet I notice that many liberal commentators sympathise with Muslim causes. Please don't get me wrong - I am not against Muslims, or people having their own beliefs, I just want to know if there are others who also have a hard time sympathising with Muslims from a liberal, progressive point of view.

[noxlumos]

hi well I'm always accused of being a leftie liberal git and of course it's hard to stick by your principles that everyone is entitled to free speech etc and to be treated as equal even when they are trying to take away the rights of others to the same treatment, but you can't be responsible for other people only for your own conscience and mine tells me that freedom for all people (even those who say and do things I abhor) is important, more important than my whim for everyone to hold hands and have a nice cup of tea together and all think truth and freedom are great.

Freedom brings division and strife by definition, wihtiout freedom the whole subject would be a moot point, so yes it's understandable and sometimes I have the same problems as you ( with me it's the national front and the BNP I have problems with) but it's one of the perils in having the free society we so cherish:)