Hitchens on "Islamophobia"

"There is now a stupid word trying to be imported in our culture: Islamophobia. As if to group it with anti-Semitism or racism in general. Nonsense, I won't have it. I dislike Islam very much, as I do all religions. I have every right to say that it's absurd and wicked belief. No one's gonna tell me I can't say that."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC05nI_PNuk&t=6m27s

I guess Hitchens realized what other leftists didn't - that it's absurd that Islam is entitled to a special word to demonize opposition and criticism. I've attacked liberals, conservatives, libertarians, religious Jews, fundamentalist Christians, Nazis, but no one has tried to call me a librophobe, Judeophobe or Naziphobe for that. Or even a bigot. Not even liberals call me a librophobe or bigot for attacking or criticizng liberalism. People understand that a belief system is by its very nature open to criticism. Those same people appear to think that this does not apply to Islam. Even ostensible right-wingers like sugarkang and whburgess buy into the idea that there is criticism of Islam (Islamophobia), and criticism of everyone else (which is just criticism).

More recently, individuals have shown up who believe that criticizing radical Islamists is ridiculous, offensive and Islamophobic.