Intellectual Brown Web (IBW): An Introduction

The brown rebellion is real. An unwritten manifesto for a new age.

We brown folk have to be a bit careful when discussing the "brown rebellion" within the Democratic Party lest white liberals turn against us even more than they're bound to. But what is done must be done. We heretofore announce the formation of a bold new chapter in brown-ness. It shall be known by the name Intellectual Brown Web (IBW), a loose, informal collective of browns who disagree on a lot of things (particularly religion) but like and respect each other—not despite our differences but more likely because of them.

First there were four, all from Muslim backgrounds but quite diverse: Sarah Haider (an ex-Muslim), Razib Khan (currently an atheist, though I’m working on it), and Murtaza Hussain (active Muslim who writes for The Intercept).

The full episode, which gets wonderfully chaotic towards the end, is available for subscribers below. Also included is a transcript. It’s probably best to limit this to those who are willing to listen and engage in good faith. It’s not gratuitously controversial or contrarian. We all believe what we believe. But we did spend a bit of time asking quite personal questions to each other, since we didn’t know each other particularly well.