I&#x27;m troubled by it too. There is arguably some merit to exposing the latent bigotry of HN&#x27;s users --- which, if it helps, is less about Islam specifically and more about Islam&#x27;s utility in constructing facile arguments about the whole concept of religion --- but I think that merit is far outweighed by the enmity these threads generate.<p>I think the mods should reconsider whether threads about religion are appropriate for HN. Lots of other totally legitimate discussions aren&#x27;t legit on HN; for instance, I can talk your ear off about horse-race politics in the US, but am glad that the topic finds no purchase on HN.<p>As long as there are threads about religion (or, worse, political Islam) on HN, the good-faith users of the site are going to be saddled with the task of trying to flag aggressively uncivil comments out of the threads. It&#x27;s just too easy to score easy points by snarking about religion. It&#x27;s hard to keep up, a giant waste of time, and I think pretty dispiriting for everyone involved.