Massimo Introvigne's Relative Relativism

Massimo Introvigne has published an article in Bitter Winter defending the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (https://shorturl.at/kLmbv), a group that was the target of a British police raid following allegations including slavery, rape, human trafficking, and forced marriages (https://shortlink.uk/1wP7m).

So far, nothing new. Knee-jerk defense is Bitter Winter’s stock in trade.

What is noteworthy, however, is that the article’s sole argument appears to be that the journalist whose reporting allegedly triggered the investigation holds eccentric or bizarre beliefs. A classic tactic: if you do not like the message, shoot the messenger.

There is, however, one small detail that makes these shots rather ineffective. The cheerful scholar has long insisted that one should never judge people’s actions on the basis of the beliefs they profess. When defending gurus who claim to converse daily with astral entities, for example, he invokes cultural relativism and respect (see the video here: https://shortlink.uk/1wPdd).

Yet when similar ideas are expressed by a critic of those gurus—a critic, mind you, not of their beliefs but of the crimes allegedly committed by the guru—that respect evaporates like morning dew in the first sunlight. In such cases, the critic’s beliefs suddenly become grounds for dismissing his or her credibility.

A relativism that turns out to be remarkably relative, and that bears all the hallmarks of a double standard.

And what happened to the alleged crimes that were reported? Well, why are you looking at the moon? Look what beautiful finger!