Islamofascism

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The term "Islamofascism" is a controversial political epithet used to discribe certain variants of Islamism alledged to have fascist or totalitarian aspects. is a polemical term whose various deployments have led its meaning to be a family resemblance concept of the fusion of political Islam with totalitarianism.

Although the exact origins of the term are murky, it appears to have been coined either by Khalid Duran, Stephen Schwartz or Christopher Hitchens. The coining or popularisation of the term is frequently attributed to Christopher Hitchens based on his article in The Nation immediately following the 9/11 attacks, where he used the phrase "Islamic fascism". [1]. Hitchens also used the phrases "Islamic fascism" and "theocratic fascism" to describe the fatwa declared against Salman Rushdie for writing The Satanic Verses. After the 9/11 attacks, the concept of the existance "Islamic Fascism" spread throught neoconservative thinkers and the blogosphere.

Those who have attempted to flesh out the epithet often state that "Islamofascism" refers to strands of Wahhabi or Salafi Islam, which are claimed to display some of the signifiers of fascism or totalitarianism. Among the allegations directed towards these forms of Islam are that they :

Promotes the establisment of a global unitary Islamic nation-state under the totalitarian control of Islamic religious authorities enforcing Sharia law.
Propose the existance of an eternal violent conflict between muslims and infidels, that will end with the eventual victory of muslims over the infidels.
Accept and promote terrorism and violence to further their goals.
Are strongly and violently anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist, anti-American, and anti-western. These groups and nations are allegedly perceived by Islamofascists as implacable enemies of Islam that must be must be subjugated or destroyed.
Do not normative western political concepts such as intrinsic human rights and democracy.
Advocate a philosophy of trotskyist entryism to convert/subvert non-Islamic societies from within

Opponents of the term argue that "Islamofascism" is simply a derogatory epithet directed towards Islam as a whole, and not a real political concept or ideology. They claim that the term attempts to conflate the neutral concept of Islamism with the negatively perceived concept of Fascism.

Some applications of the term "Islamofascism" specifically refer to the Muslim Brotherhood and similar movements in Sunni Islam inspired by the writings of Sayyid Qutb, while others use it to refer to all highly politicized strains of Islam, including Shi'a radicalism as practised in Iran. A more common and less loaded term for these politicized strains of Islam, which seek to replace secular governments in Muslim countries with Sharia law, is Islamist. Note, however, that Islamism is a broad political category which covers also political movements such as Turkey's Justice and Development Party which do not seek to overthrow secular constitutions.

Some have argued that this use of the term is a misapplication, as the word "fascism" has been traditionally invoked to describe the merger of state and corporate power. Neoconservative commentators have argued that the fusion of Arab (particularly Saudi and Iranian) oil riches and a totaltarian theocratic movement with global ambitions, could be interpreted as a form of fascism.

Related terms and concepts

Islamism — Islam as a political movement
Islamophobia — irrational fear of Islam or Muslims
Islam and anti-Semitism
Arabs and anti-Semitism
War on Terrorism
Islamist_terrorism

Islamic Concepts

Dhimmi — subjugated non-muslim citizens in Islamic law.
Jihad
Wahhabism — fundamentalist Muslim sect.
Salafi — fundamentalist Muslim sect.

Academics and commentators on Islamofascism

Daniel Pipes — U.S. political scientist
Ibn Warraq — Muslim free-thinker and social critic.
Oriana Fallaci — Italian journalist and author of The Rage and The Pride (La Rabbia e l'Orgoglio) and The Strength of Reason (La Forza della Ragione).
Andrew Sullivan — U.S. journalist and noted blogger
Victor Davis Hanson — U.S. historian and commentator on military affairs
Christopher Hitchens — British journalist.
Natan Sharansky Israeli politician and human rights activist. Author of The Case For Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror
Dore Gold — Israeli political scientist. Author of Hatred's Kingdom: How Saudi Arabia Supports the New Global Terrorism.
Richard Perle — U.S. neoconservative.

Organizations and think tanks

External links

Critical of the concept of Islamofascism

How the right played the fascism card against Islam — The Guardian (4 February, 2005)