re: “My own view, which I’ve stated in this space before, is that Islam is fundamentally incompatible with ‘foundational Western values like free speech, the separation of church and state, and equality under the law. Such things are not simply missing from Islam: they are positively repudiated by Islam.’”

Roger, weren’t similar things once said of Catholics? (how easily we forget.)

in the past it has been said that the Germans can’t ‘do’ democracy, the Japanese can’t do democracy, Latin Americans can’t do democracy, non-Japanese East Asians can’t do democracy — and yet all of these groups now have prominent democracies.

Catholics, Protestants, and Eastern Orthodox Christians have been doing democracy, so have Jews, and Buddhists, and Hindus, and Shintos, and Taoists, among others. i am skeptical of the assertion that Muslims are inherently incapable of self-governance.