Legal Commentary

?Islamophobia?

By Eugene Volokh

Nice catch by James Taranto (Wall Street Journal?s Best of the Web):

[T]he New York Times?s Robert Wright offers Williams a lecture:

(Note to Juan Williams: Over the past nine years about 90 million flights have taken off from American airports, and not one has been brought down by a Muslim terrorist. Even in 2001, no flights were brought down by people in ?Muslim garb.?)

Still, however ?natural? this irrational fear, it?s dangerous. As Islamophobia grows, it alienates Muslims, raising the risk of homegrown terrorism.

To sum up Wright?s argument: You better overcome your irrational fear of Muslims, or the Muslims are gonna gitcha.

(I do agree, by the way, that those Muslims ? fortunately very few, but unfortunately enough to potentially cause great damage ? who are likely to commit terrorism in America are indeed unlikely to do it in ?Muslim garb.?)

Full post as published by The Volokh Conspiracy on October 28, 2010 (boomark / email).