it doesn't fit into any pre-approved narratives, so they're scrambling to come up with one.
On a related note, there's been quite a bit of ink spilled over the issue of some prominent atheists seeming to be anti-Islamic, more so than anti-religious. Sam Harris, mostly, although Richard Dawkins has tweeted a few things that make me cringe. I dislike Sam Harris immensely, based on what I've read about him, and some of his responses.
given that anti-Islamic narratives are already ingrained in US and European media & mainstream thought, these guys have a duty to clarify and ensure their speech doesn't get bundled into the same propaganda allowing Western governments to portray Muslims as "the other" and justify bombing campaigns. Even if you want to make the point that you can't preach Christianity in Riyadh, but you can preach Islam in Atlanta, that's not an Islamic thing as much as it is a constitutional thing. There are much more moderate Islamic nations and communities... but they tend to get ignored.
