It's that obvious that the American Conservative is writing about it. It's been slowly developing for over a decade now.
This is about Liberals being soft and now openly accepting of Islam and Muslims.
First thing, not all liberals are the same and there are many genuinely open and caring liberals who just like to be inclusive, without any agenda of forcing their own vision on others.
Secondly, the liberal 'adoption' of Muslims has a lot of positives. For examples, I'm sure youth seeing hijab in a Gap ad in Time's Square makes things a lot easier.
Thirdly - now to the negative. And it's a big one. Read closely and you will find liberal authors and establishments promote the Islamic practices, but sneakily alter the *motive* behind it from submission and obedience to God to personal choice of identity. The pawn in this play has largely been the hijab.
Case in point: "By encouraging Muslims to defend traditional dress on the grounds of choice, liberals encouraged them to internalize individualistic standards. The hijab becomes less of a religious symbol, virtuously accepted according to God’s will, than an aspect of one’s personal identity, which one is free to shape and exhibit according to one’s wishes."
Another example: "…the term “hoejabi” refers to women who see themselves at the crossroads of being “hoes” and “hijabis.” But deeper than that, it mocks all of the negative implications that come with “hoe,” all of the negative implications that come with “hijabi,” and all of the ways that people who are not us try to define our sexualities for us.
Of course, the idea that the individual has the sovereign right to define their sexuality is more religiously progressive than the act of wearing a headscarf is religiously conservative."
It is a clever, possibly ingenius move, to keep the outward of Islam, but spin the driving force away from submission and towards personal choice. Once one internalizes this language, the ego is in the driver's seat from here on. Down the line, if my personal choice is to redefine my life and sexuality, it will be the Muslim who did it on their own, not the liberal or fascist who forced them.
