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10 June 2014

Proposals to Ban Muslim Immigration: Philosophy in Action Podcast

By LOG ME IN

On Sunday's episode of Philosophy in Action Radio, I answered a question on proposals to ban Muslim immigration. The question was:

Does the lack of respect for rights among some Muslim immigrants justify banning all Muslim immigrants? Sometimes, I hear people say that immigrants from Muslim countries are so illiberal (in the classical sense) that they ought to banned from entering the United States and Western Europe. The anti-immigrationists say that when people from Muslim countries are allowed to reside in the West, such immigrants remain committed to political Islam, honor-kill their own daughters, rape native-born women, and plot to impose sharia law on the West through "stealth jihad." Is the illiberalism of some (or even many) Muslim immigrants grounds for limiting immigration from Muslim countries? What is the proper response to this problem?

My Answer, In Brief: Muslims are a diverse group of people, just like every other immigrant group. They are not a unique or special threat to the rights of Americans. Terrorists and criminals should be excluded when possible – and prosecuted if they commit crimes in the United States.

Download or Listen to My Full Answer:

Tags: Conservatism, Crime, Discrimination, Ethics, Foreign Policy, Immigration, Islam, Justice, Law, Politics, Religion, Security, Terrorism

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To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.

A podcast of the full episode – where I answered questions on overcoming an abusive childhood, proposals to ban Muslim immigration, correcting a cashier's mistake, and more – is available here: Episode of 8 June 2014.

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