Islamofascism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the term "Islamofascism"; See the broader treatment of possible relations between religion and fascism in Clerical fascism and Neofascism and religion.

Islamofascism is a controversial[1] neologism suggesting an association of the ideological or operational characteristics of certain Islamist movements from the late 20th century on, with European fascist movements of the early 20th century, neofascist movements, or totalitarianism. Critics of the term argue that associating the religion of Islam with fascism is racist, offensive, inaccurate, and totally counterproductive.

Contents

[edit] Origins and usage

The term is included in the New Oxford American Dictionary, defining it as "a controversial term equating some modern Islamic movements with the European fascist movements of the early twentieth century".[1]

The origins of the term are uncertain. Earlier comparisons between fascism and Islam exist, such as Edgar Alexander's comparison of Nazism with 'Mohammedanism' in 1937,[2] and Manfred Halpern's 1963 comparison of "neo-Islamic totalitarian movements" with fascist movements.[3]

In a 1979 debate with Michel Foucault in the pages of Le Monde over the character of the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the French Marxist historian Maxime Rodinson wrote that the Khomeini regime and organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood represented a type of "archaic fascism" ("un type de fascisme archaïque").[4] Albert Scardino claims that "Islamo-fascism" was coined by Muslim scholar Khalid Duran in a Washington Times piece, where "the word was meant as a criticism of hyper-traditionalist clerics".[5] In 1990 the term was also used by Scottish historian Malise Ruthven who wrote in The Independent that, "authoritarian government, not to say Islamo-fascism, is the rule rather than the exception from Morocco to Pakistan."[6]

The related term, Islamic fascism, was adopted by journalists including Stephen Schwartz[7] and Christopher Hitchens,[8] who intended it to refer to Islamist extremists, including terrorist groups such as al Qaeda, although he more often tends to use the phrases "theocratic fascism" or "fascism with an Islamic face" (a play on Susan Sontag's phrase "fascism with a human face", referring to the declaration of martial law in Poland in 1981). [9] The terms Islamic fascism and Muslim fascism are used by the French philosopher Michel Onfray, an outspoken atheist and antireligionist, who notes in his Atheist Manifesto that Ruhollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution "gave birth to an authentic Muslim fascism".[10]

Some commentators[who?] including Paul Berman and Christopher Hitchens, believe there are similarities between historical fascism and Islamofascism:[11][page # needed]

  • rage against historical humiliation; [12]
  • inspiration from what is believed to be an earlier golden age (one or more of the first few Caliphates in the case of Islamism)[13][8];
  • a desire to restore the perceived glory of this age — or "a fanatical determination to get on top of history after being underfoot for so many generations"[12] — with an all-encompassing (totalitarian) social, political, economic system;[7]
  • belief that malicious, predatory alien forces (Jews in the case of Nazi Fascists or Islamofascists) are conspiring against and within the nation/community, and that violence is necessary to defeat and expel these forces; [8]
  • exaltation of death and destruction along with a contempt for "art and literature as symptoms of degeneracy and decadence", and strong commitment to sexual repression and subordination of women.[8]
  • offensive military, (or at least armed) campaign to reestablish the power and allegedly rightful international domination of the nation/community.[7]

[edit] Examples of use in public discourse

The following are examples of use of the term:

  • "It is right for us to be on the offense against Islamofascism, and not wait until they attack us on our soil. Unlike any war we have ever fought in this nation, this is not a war for soil. It is a war for our soul. We will either win it or we will lose it. This nation must rally to the point where we recognize there is no compromise. There is no alternative. We must win; they must lose. Islamofascism must disappear from the face of the earth, or we will." [14]— Mike Huckabee
  • "What we have to understand is ... this is not really a war against terrorism, this is not really a war against al Qaeda, this is a war against movements and ideologies that are jihadist, that are Islamofascists, that aim to destroy the Western world."[15] — Clifford May
  • "[Islamic terrorist] attacks serve a clear and focused ideology, a set of beliefs and goals that are evil, but not insane. Some call this evil Islamic radicalism; others, militant Jihadism; still others, Islamo-fascism. Whatever it's called, this ideology is very different from the religion of Islam. This form of radicalism exploits Islam to serve a violent, political vision: the establishment, by terrorism and subversion and insurgency, of a totalitarian empire that denies all political and religious freedom."[16] — George W. Bush

[edit] Support

American author and Nixon speechwriter William Safire writes, "Islamofascism may have legs: the compound defines those terrorists who profess a religious mission while embracing totalitarian methods and helps separate them from devout Muslims who want no part of terrorist means."[17] Christopher Hitchens has also publicly defended the term in Slate, noting along with the fact that he finds the comparison apt, that the names for other forms of religious fascism, like clerical fascism have a less contested existence.[18]


[edit] Criticism and controversy

The term, "Islamofascism" has been criticized by Western scholars and journalists alike. One of the world's leading authorities on Fascism, Walter Laqueur, after reviewing this and related terms, concluded that "Islamic fascism, Islamophobia and antisemitism, each in its way, are imprecise terms we could well do without but it is doubtful whether they can be removed from our political lexicon."[19]

Cultural historian Richard Webster has argued that grouping many different political ideologies, terrorist and insurgent groups, governments, and religious sects into one single idea of "Islamofascism" may lead to an oversimplification of the phenomenon of terrorism.[20] In a similar vein the left-wing National Security Network argues that the term dangerously obscures important distinctions and differences between groups of Islamic extremists while alienating moderate voices in the Muslim World because it "creates the perception that the United States is fighting a religious war against Islam."[21] Other critics, such as former National Review columnist Joseph Sobran, and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman argue that it is predominantly a propaganda term used by proponents of the War on Terror.[22][23][24] Yet others, such as security expert Daniel Benjamin, political scientist Norman Finkelstein and The American Conservative columnist Daniel Larison, highlight the claim that despite its use as a piece of propaganda the term is inherently meaningless, since as Benjamin notes, "there is no sense in which jihadists embrace fascist ideology as it was developed by Mussolini or anyone else who was associated with the term."[25][26][27] Conservative British historian Niall Ferguson points out that this political use of what he calls a "completely misleading concept," is "just a way of making us feel that we're the 'greatest generation' fighting another World War."[28] Harping on the claimed incongruity between the "Muslim World" and "industrial state fascism," American journalist Eric Margolis claims that ironically the most totalitarian Islamic regimes, "in fact, are America's allies."[29]

The public use of the term has also elicited a critical response from various Muslim groups. In the aftermath of the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot, George Bush described the fight against terrorists as a battle against "Islamic fascists... [who] will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom". The Council on American-Islamic Relations wrote to him to complain, saying that the use of the term "feeds the perception that the war on terror is actually a war on Islam".[25] Ingrid Mattson of the Islamic Society of North America also complained about this speech, claiming that it added to a misunderstanding of Islam. Mattson did acknowledge, however, that some terrorist groups also misuse "Islamic concepts and terms to justify their violence."[30]

The controversy surrounding this neologism is not only confined to the critical commentary of media figures, academics and Muslim groups. In 2007, the conservative writer and activist David Horowitz launched a series of lectures and protests on college campuses under the title of "Islamofascism Awareness Week."[31] At least 40 Universities moved officially to distance themselves from the event[32] Several Muslims and non-Muslims on different college campuses aware of the event came out in opposition to it.[33][34][35][36][37][38] The Muslim Student Group at Penn State University, for instance, said it feared "that this Islamophobic program will have hazardous consequences on the Penn State community."[39] At least one campus "Republican" group has also gone on record to distance themselves from the event.[40]

In April 2008, Associated Press reported that US federal agencies, including the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, were advised to stop using the term 'Islamo-fascism' in a 14-point memo issued by the Extremist Messaging Branch, a department of another federal body known as the National Counter Terrorism Center. Aimed at improving the presentation of the war on terrorism before Muslim audiences and the media, the memo states: "We are communicating with, not confronting, our audiences. Don't insult or confuse them with pejorative terms such as 'Islamo-fascism,' which are considered offensive by many Muslims." [41]

[edit] In between: Support of similarity

Author Malise Ruthven, a Scottish writer and historian who focuses his work on religion and Islamic affairs, opposes redefining Islamism as `Islamofascism`, but also finds the resemblances between the two ideologies "compelling," both embracing spirituality and rejecting reason. He compares Islamism first to Marxism but then draws a stronger comparison with fascism.[citation needed]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b The New Oxford American Dictionary, Second Edition, Erin McKean (Editor), 2096 pages, May 2005, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-517077-6
  2. ^ Edgar Alexander, Der Mythus Hitler, Europa-Verlag Zurich 1937. See Walter Laqueur, The Origins of Fascism: Islamic Fascism, Islamophobia, Antisemitism, 2006
  3. ^ Manfred Halpern. The Politics of Social Change in the Middle East and North Africa. Princeton University Press, 1963. See Chapter 8, "Resurrecting the Past: Neo-Islamic Totalitarianism."
  4. ^ Walter Laqueur, The Origins of Fascism: Islamic Fascism, Islamophobia, Antisemitism, 2006
  5. ^ Scardino, Albert. 1-0 in the propaganda war. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2006-04-19.
  6. ^ "Construing Islam as a language", by Malise Ruthven, The Independent, September 8, 1990 "Nevertheless there is what might be called a political problem affecting the Muslim world. In contrast to the heirs of some other non-Western traditions, including Hinduism, Shintoism and Buddhism, Islamic societies seem to have found it particularly hard to institutionalise divergences politically: authoritarian government, not to say Islamo-fascism, is the rule rather than the exception from Morocco to Pakistan."
  7. ^ a b c Schwartz, Stephen. What Is 'Islamofascism'?. TCS Daily. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  8. ^ a b c d Hitchens, Christopher: Defending Islamofascism: It's a valid term. Here's why, Slate, 2007-10-22
  9. ^ William Safire (2006). "Islamofascism Anyone?" International Herald Tribune, Opinion-Editorial. Retrieved August 28, 2007
  10. ^ Michel Onfray: Atheist manifesto. The case against Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Carlton, Vic. 2007, pp. 206-213.
  11. ^ Berman, Paul (2003). Terror and Liberalism. W W Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-05775-5.
  12. ^ a b Wright, Lawrence, Looming Tower, Knopf 2006, p.306
  13. ^ Manfred Halpern, Politics of Social Change in the Middle East and North Africa. Princeton University Press, 1963 quoted in [1]
  14. ^ Mike Huckabee.. "Speeches to 2008 Conservative Political Action Conference". Retrieved on 2008-03-13. 
  15. ^ Clifford May (October 12, 2004). News from CNN with Wolf Blitzer. CNN News Transcript. Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
  16. ^ President Discusses War on Terror at National Endowment for Democracy. Retrieved on 2006-04-19.
  17. ^ William Safire: Islamofascism, The New York Times, October 1, 2006
  18. ^ Christopher Hitchens (October 2007). Defending Islamofascism. It's a valid term. Here's why.. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  19. ^ Walter Laqueur, The Origins of Fascism: Islamic Fascism, Islamophobia, Antisemitism, 2006
  20. ^ Richard Webster. Israel, Palestine and the tiger of terrorism: anti-semitism and history. New Statesman. Retrieved on 2007-06-28. "The idea that there is some kind of autonomous "Islamofascism" that can be crushed, or that the west may defend itself against the terrorists who threaten it by cultivating that eagerness to kill militant Muslims which Christopher Hitchens urges upon us, is a dangerous delusion. The symptoms that have led some to apply the label of "Islamofascism" are not reasons to forget root causes. They are reasons for us to examine even more carefully what those root causes actually are."
  21. ^ Report: 'Islamofascism' blinds U.S. "(Islamofascism) creates the perception that the United States is fighting a religious war against Islam, thus alienating moderate voices in the region who would be willing to work with America towards common goals."
  22. ^ Sobran, Joe. Words in Wartime. Retrieved on 2006-04-18. "Islamofascism is nothing but an empty propaganda term. And wartime propaganda is usually, if not always, crafted to produce hysteria, the destruction of any sense of proportion. Such words, undefined and unmeasured, are used by people more interested in making us lose our heads than in keeping their own."
  23. ^ Rall, Ted. Bush’s war on history and to…toma…tomatotarianism. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
  24. ^ Paul Krugman. Fearing Fear Itself. New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-10-29. "...there isn’t actually any such thing as Islamofascism — it’s not an ideology; it’s a figment of the neocon imagination. The term came into vogue only because it was a way for Iraq hawks to gloss over the awkward transition from pursuing Osama bin Laden, who attacked America, to Saddam Hussein, who didn’t."
  25. ^ a b Richard Allen Greene. "Bush's language angers US Muslims", 12 August 2006. Retrieved on 2007-06-28. 
  26. ^ Wajahat Ali, 'An Interview with Norman Finkelstein' "'Islamo-fascism' is a meaningless term. If I am not mistaken, it was coined by the commentator Christopher Hitchens. The term is a throwback to when juvenile leftists, myself among them, labeled everyone we disagreed with a 'fascist pig.' So this is a kosher-halal version of that epithet. Fascism used to refer to a fairly precise historical phenomenon, although it's even doubtful that the term accurately encompasses regimes as different as Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany. But when you start using the term to characterize terrorist bands who want to turn the clock back several centuries and resurrect the Caliphate, it is simply a vacuous epithet like 'Evil Empire,' 'Axis of Evil' and the rest.
  27. ^ Larison, Daniel. Term Limits. Retrieved on 2008-03-13. "The word “Islamofascism” never had any meaning, except as a catch-all for whatever regimes and groups the word’s users wished to make targets for military action. Hitchens is also well known for his tendentious misunderstandings of all forms of religion, likening theism to a supernatural totalitarian regime and attributing all of the crimes of political totalitarianism to religion. It was therefore appropriate that he should promote the term “Islamofascism” since it defines a religious movement in the language of secular totalitarianism."
  28. ^ Niall Ferguson Interview: Conversations with History). Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley (2006). Retrieved on 2007-10-12. "…what we see at the moment is an attempt to interpret our present predicament in a rather caricatured World War II idiom. I mean, “Islamofascism” illustrates the point well, because it’s a completely misleading concept. In fact, there’s virtually no overlap between the ideology of al Qaeda and fascism. It’s just a way of making us feel that we’re the “greatest generation” fighting another World War, like the war our fathers and grandfathers fought. You’re translating a crisis symbolized by 9/11 into a sort of pseudo World War II. So, 9/11 becomes Pearl Harbor and then you go after the bad guys who are the fascists, and if you don’t support us, then you must be an appeaser."
  29. ^ Eric Margolis (August 2006). The Big Lie About 'Islamic Fascism'. Retrieved on 2007-07-28. "There is nothing in any part of the Muslim World that resembles the corporate fascist states of western history. In fact, clan and tribal-based traditional Islamic society, with its fragmented power structures, local loyalties, and consensus decision-making, is about as far as possible from western industrial state fascism. The Muslim World is replete with brutal dictatorships, feudal monarchies, and corrupt military-run states, but none of these regimes, however deplorable, fits the standard definition of fascism. Most, in fact, are America’s allies."
  30. ^ U.S. Muslim group's head says Bush's term 'Islamic fascism' adds to misunderstanding of Islam. The Associated Press (September 1, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
  31. ^ 'Islamo-Fascism Week' Stokes Debate
  32. ^ U. disavows ties to Horowitz's program
  33. ^ The BC Heights (October 2007). Controversial 'awareness week' draws criticism: 'Islamofascism' gets mixed reponses. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  34. ^ The Daily Cardinal (October 2007). Diversity forum tackles advocacy issues. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  35. ^ The Daily Californian (October 2007). Republican Group’s Event Plans Under Fire. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  36. ^ The Dartmouth (October 2007). ‘Islamo-fascism’ speaker met with controversy. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  37. ^ The Daily Bruin (October 2007). [http://dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2007/oct/22/weeks-focus-stirring-controversy/ Week’s focus stirring controversy: Bruin Republicans’ “Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week” met with criticism from Muslim students]. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  38. ^ Esther Kaplan, The Nation (October 2007). The Culture War Descends on Columbia. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  39. ^ Muslim Student Association's Response to Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week (IFAW)
  40. ^ Harvard Crimson (October 2007). ‘Islamo Fascism’ Week Fails To Gain Traction. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  41. ^ 'Jihadist' booted from US government lexicon. Associated Press (April 25, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-04-25.

[edit] External links

[edit] Further reading