"Are You An Islamophobe?"

THIS IS another in our series, Answers to Objections. I've answered this objection several times in previous articles, and I'll give you links to those in a moment. But first I'd like to hammer home something: The number one thing that needs to happen is for a far larger percentage of the population to know some basic information about Islamic supremacism.

We need your help. You have a sphere of influence. It may be forty people; it may be two hundred. But whatever your sphere of influence, we're going to try to help you be more effective at teaching your fellow non-Muslims some basic facts about Islam.

When you mention anything that sounds critical of Islam, most people will try to defend it, even if they know nothing about it. If you are unprepared for the hostile response you get, you will not make any gains toward the goal.

The purpose of this series is to help you deal with those responses successfully. We have a list of the 18 objections people make and this series will show you how to respond to them in a way that will open your listeners' minds. We'll publish the entire list at the end, with each objection linked to an article that answers it. This is number 8.

Now, here is some help in answering this objection (or accusation):

1. Robert Spencer's definition of Islamophobia.

2. This is an article that will help you clarify what you're doing when you criticize Islam. It articulates what is wrong with the term "Islamophobia."

3. This is an article written by Ali Sina, the famous ex-Muslim, writing about the term "Islamophobia" and what, specifically makes the term meaningless.

4. This is a video: Robert Spencer's simple plan to end Islamophobia. It's kind of tongue-in-cheek, but he makes some good points, and you might want to send it to anyone who accuses you of being an Islamophobe.

5. And this is an article I wrote to peaceful Muslims who often write to me and tell me I shouldn't criticize Islam. I talk a bit about "Islamophobia" in the article.

I recommend you study this material. Maybe even make an audio recording of the articles and listen to it in your car. When you're trying to educate someone and he brings up an objection like this, you should be overly prepared — so prepared that the objection doesn't bother you even a little bit. I want you to be so prepared that you are actually glad they gave you an objection you know how to answer so masterfully.

Citizen warriors are committed to perpetual training, just like every other kind of warrior. These conversations are where the battle is happening. Let's be prepared.