There has been much said recently of Islamic extremism, so let us ask ourselves, what is an extremist? An extremist is simply anyone who has an unpopular opinion. I’m called an extremist for having views that aren’t conformist.

I know many condescending secularists who snicker to themselves whenever they see devout Christians, Muslims or Jews. Religion generally has been the target of condescension, but it is Islam that is especially abused with the meaningless word “extremist.” Although I have many criticisms of Islam, I can’t help but feel the need to defend the religion against the brain-rot of modern debate.

Muslims tend to take their religion much more seriously than their Western counterparts. Many Christians are actually envious of Muslim devoutness. Muslims aren’t ashamed of their faith, while so many Christians skulk about, embarrassed to pray in public. Most churches can hardly fill the pews, while mosques are being erected all over the country.

To secularists, all religion is extremist. Many “extremist” Muslim positions are not particularly different from Christian ones. Some core beliefs of Christianity will get you labelled bigot or homophobe. Like extremist, these words are code for heretic.

Both religions believe in absolute moral law and that what we do in this life matters in the next. Both religions share a belief in the family and tradition. Both desire a culture of self-restraint combined with male and female modesty. All these views make you an extremist.

If the secularists expect Islamic faith to be as feeble as modern Christianity, then they’re in for a surprise. Muslims don’t lay awake at night worrying about Richard Dawkins or Bill Nye the Science Guy. To Muslims the question of, “does God exist?” has already been solved.

Islam has actually gone through a revival in recent decades. Part of this revival is in response to what Muslims see as perverse Western influence. Miley Cyrus comes on their televisions and they’re confused. They see our promiscuous youth, and hear our music, and may dislike it. Who can blame them?

George Bush told us that Muslim terrorists hate our way of life. Well, so do many conservative Christians. The modern Western world is a moral wasteland. Millions of people enjoy religion because it offers them hope and morality.

Secularists don’t seem able to comprehend that Muslims may actually enjoy their religion. A 2013 Pew Poll shows that a significant percentage of Muslims across the world believe in sharia, God’s law, and wish to be governed by it. If sharia is axiomatically extremist, and most Muslims believe in sharia, what does extremism really mean?

One of the chief criticisms of Islam, and all religion, is that it’s a source of violence. Although this is true to an extent, there are also many other things that cause violence. Lest we forget, it was secular communists who killed perhaps as many as 100 million people during the last century. Quite a lot of violence that is blamed on Muslim “extremism” isn’t really religious, but grows from ethno-political struggles that go far beyond religion.

Despite what some people would have you believe, racism is far worse in other parts of the world than it is in the United States. Kurds, Turks, Armenians, Jews, Arabs, Bedouins, Berbers, Persians, Indians and Africans are violently divided on racial lines, even where they share religion.

The problem is exaggerated when historically combative groups are forced to be part of the same political unit, such is the case in Iraq. Kurds are the most famous example. Kurds have been oppressed throughout Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran, though they often share the same faith as their oppressors.

Many Bedouin served willingly in the Israeli Army because the Jewish government treated them better than the neighboring Arab governments did. Many Arabs see Israel as a Jewish colony supplanting native Arabs and react violently. The conflict in South Sudan is very much a racial struggle between Arabs and Africans.

We’re also responsible for much of the instability in Africa and Asia Minor. We are the ones who destabilized Libya and Iraq. It was George Bush who created a hopelessly feeble tribal government in Baghdad. It was Barack Obama who turned Libya into a failed state by supporting gangsters in overthrowing the government.

Despite what my fellow columnist Mr. Glawe espouses, humanitarian bombs aren’t so humanitarian to the Muslims they fall upon.

In spite of our senseless wars in Muslim countries Islam is strong. Muslims rightly recognize the death of Christianity in the West, and don’t wish to undergo the same disaster. It’s possible that the void left by Christianity will be filled by Islam. If current birth rates and immigration levels continue, Western Europe may one day be Islamic. It’ll be interesting to see who the “extremists” are in the coming years.