Ramadan Mubarak everyone.

We are now in the midst of Ramadan, a month of fasting and reflection, and one of the five pillars of Islam.

The topic of Islam, and its relationship with the West, has ascended to the forefront of politics and culture wars across Europe, Australia, and North America. On this topic there are, broadly speaking, two camps spanning the continents.

There is the left-wing, who view Muslims as a key ingredient in their multiculturalist pursuits, and assure us “real Islam” has nothing to do with self-attributed Islamic terror, and that in fact, Muslims are the real victims here.

And then there is the right-wing, who believe that multiculturalism is a failure. They hold that there is something intrinsic to Islam and/or Islamic culture which is leading too many Muslims toward, not only committing terrorism, but also harboring beliefs and acting in ways incongruent with Western society. To this end, the right-wing believes much of Islam is in need of reformation, and until that day comes, it may be prudent for all parties if Islamic immigration were slowed down.

Those who subscribe to the left-wing vision are labelled as accepting and loving by mainstream media and academia. Meanwhile, those sympathizing more with the right-wing vision are swiftly labelled as intolerant and close-minded by said mainstream.

However, nobody ever stops to ask which outlook yields greater benefits for the Islamic community; it is generally just assumed that the left have Muslim interests at heart, while the right aims to mistreat them. This assumption could not be further from the truth – it is the prevailing views of so-called “Islamophobes”, which are more compassionate toward, and more beneficial to Muslims.

The unfortunate truth is that most of the individuals who are victimized by Islamic violence are other Muslims. By lacking both the honesty and resolve to face this fact head on, the left-wing is complicit in the plight of marginalized Muslims.

Muslims who happen to be female, happen to be gay, or happen to follow an unorthodox form of Islam, are recognized as having natural rights, and treated with infinitely more tolerance and respect in Western, liberal countries rooted in Judeo-Christian values, than those of an Islamic persuasion. Or to put it frankly:

A Muslim girl is better off in the United States than anywhere in the Islamic world.

A gay Muslim is better off in Israel than anywhere in the Islamic world.

And an Ahmadiyya Muslim is better off in Australia than anywhere in the Islamic world.

The tragic irony of this reality, is that all of the aforementioned victims of Islamic intolerance, are groups the politically-correct left claims to champion: women, gays, and religious Muslims. With that being the case, it would seem to be in the interest of supposed women’s, gay, and Muslim rights advocates, to sympathize with the “Islamophobes” who speak out against these persecutions, yet this is not the case.

The “Islamophobic” right-wing also holds views which, if more widely held, would be beneficial for Muslim men. Most of the perpetrators of Islamic terrorism are young men. Increasingly, we have seen young men, born and raised in Western countries, become drawn and indoctrinated into glorifying, and sometimes carrying out, Islamic violence.

If the left-wing truly wanted what was best for their Muslim neighbors, they would recognize the immediate threat Islamism poses toward their neighbors’ sons. Even if these young men do not go so far as to strap on a suicide vest, they are likely to feel a crippling sense of isolation within a culture they detest. For these dispossessed young men, “Islamophobia” offers a solution.

Those who hold “Islamophobic” views, tend to promote the moral superiority of the Western, liberal order. If this cultural confidence were more pervasive today, rather than the ambiguity that is cultural relativism, then Western culture could match the bold and brash assuredness with which Islamism is advocated. Winning this ideological war would deter young Muslim men from becoming infatuated with jihad, and give them a greater sense of belonging in the West.

Just ten days into Ramadan 2017, and over 150 innocent people have been murdered by Islamic extremism worldwide, including two massacres in Great Britain, the slaughter of Arabs Christians in Egypt, and explosions across Baghdad and Kabul. The time for making excuses for the unholy amount of misery and bloodshed caused by this ideology is long past. France did not participate in the Iraq War; likewise, the Philippines hold no foreign military bases, and Nigeria had no involvement in the Crusades, yet all three have become fertile ground for Islamic extremism.

It is time we stopped looking to shame ourselves with collectivist guilt, and time we started recognizing the need to safeguard our fragile way of life. Freedom isn’t free, and can be taken away easily. Whether it be the promotion of Sharia law, hatred toward patriotic Muslims, or an increasing desire for a police state, the presence of Islamism does nothing but jeopardize all which this society has accomplished.

The time has come to accept the unique problems of Islam in the West, and recognize the need to stop being politically correct. Stop tolerating intolerance, and start honestly facing the truth.