Baraye Mahsa Jina Amini, Hatun Aynur Sürücü and so many more

“Baraye” is a Persian word that translates to “for,” “because of,” or “for the sake of.” It is also the title of a song by Shervin Hajipour that became an anthem for protests in Iran.

First, I want to make it clear that criticizing radical Islam does not equate to bigotry towards Muslims as people. (i don’t like the word “islamophobia” very much as it very often conflates criticism of Islam with anti-Muslim hatred.)

‘Islam’ is a set of specific ideas based on scripture. Just like we can have criticism about Christianity & criticize verses in the...