A Conversation Between Two Atheists From Muslim Backgrounds (Part 3)

I have seen that you have been called an Islamophobe as well, much more than me, and you also lived in Muslim-majority countries for a longer period of time and have more knowledge about Islam than I do. How do you handle these accusations, and what do you think is the best response?

Ali: I actually find the "Islamophobe" label encouraging. The moment people can't respond to your argument anymore, they label you a bigot or Islamophobe. As I've written before, it's the ultimate lazy excuse for not having a counterargument. When I hear it, I know the other side has run out of fuel. It doesn't bother me one bit. And yes, I've gotten the "Uncle Tom" thing too -- even from white people, which is somewhat amusing.

I surprisingly get the most aggressive criticism from so-called "moderate" Muslims. Recently a prominent Muslim blogger wrote a post calling people like me "Talibani Atheists". He's not the only one.

Faisal: I have read the "Talibani Atheist" article. It's one of the funniest things I have read in a long time. I thought it was an article from The Onion first and was surprised when I found out it wasn't. I told the author of the article, as I always tell many of those who focus most of their energy on bashing atheists and critics of Islam, to redirect their energy to those who are actually doing the killing on a daily basis.