Wow, a possible leftist acknowledges Muslim hatemongering

In this article on the leftist Death and Taxes website, the writer DJ Pangburn writes about an athiest convention in Australia, and recognizes what was wrong with Islamic opposition to it, though he also makes questionable comments about "Abrahamic tradition":

From April 13 to 15, Melbourne, Australia held “A Celebration of Reason” at the 2012 Global Atheist Convention, where scientists, writers and speakers such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Eugenie Scott, A. C. Grayling and Ayaan Hirsi Ali spoke. On a more somber but touching note, there was a tribute to Christopher Hitchens, who passed away in 2011 from cancer. Hitchens, one of the 20th century’s great writers and orators and, indeed, free thinkers, was the rock star amongst atheists and his presence must have been sorely missed.

At any rate, such was the cultural import of “A Celebration of Reason” that a group of Muslim protesters—freely expressing their hatred and intolerance of anything that challenges their religion—stood outside holding signs that read “Atheism is the Cancer / Islam is the Answer” and “Christopher Hitchens Final Destination: Hell Fire.” In response to the former, well, there have been a variety of “answers” throughout written history and beyond, and it’s only been in the last 3,000 years that the Abrahamic tradition made an art out of a religious delusion and arrogance that thrives on ignorance, and which took root when intellectual power was reserved for kings and clergy and not the masses. An age of superstition, not of reason and science.

Of course, the faithful such as those Muslim protesters are free to believe what they like, but no atheist is going to wish eternal plagues upon their souls—that’s just a load of nonsense. The worst the Muslim protesters got was a counter-protest staged by two gay men and sealed with a kiss. Sublime.

Now I may not condone atheism and homosexuality, but the organizers are to be commended if they took a rational route here, as compared to the Muslim protestors' offensive pickets and declarations. And this Pangburn certainly comes off better than that other degrading contributor to that site, Andrew Belonsky, the Islam apologist who even recently attacked the acceptance of the Ten Commadments as "thoughtless" (he's been mostly absent lately, though there's no telling if he's off that site for good. He ought to be though). However, if he's trying to insult old religious generations in Judaism even if there's legitimate criticism to be made, I can't say I'm happy about that.

At least he does do a lot better than some other potential leftists in addressing a case of hatemongering. Who knew that followers of the Religion of Rape in Australia actually "cared"? it shows that whereever even an atheist lives in the world, one can't underestimate how Muslims might think of these movements.