A suggestion:

[ironphoenix]

Read peristaltor's excellently researched and expressed post on "Islamofascism".

Comments

Eh.

[(Anonymous)]

While I agree that the term "Islamofascism" is misleading, I have to take issue with the post.

The post is well-researched...had it been written in the 1950's. As one can see just from looking up the word "fascism" on dictionary.com, time itself may have changed the essential meaning of the word:

fas·cism (fāsh'ĭz'əm)
n.
1)
a) A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
b)A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.

2) Oppressive, dictatorial control.

- American Heritage Dictionary

I tend to think that this definition is far more indicative of the governments of Iran and Saudi Arabia than of the US. Furthermore, I believe it is not an inaccurate description of the type of government Bin Laden and his ilk would seek to instate, were they in the business of setting up governments (which they aren't, thus the main reason "Islamofascism" in reference to Al Qaeda doesn't make sense as a political term). And while I don't deny that there are people in our government who would probably be happy to see a more "fascist" state, I have to point out that America's local, county, state, and yes, even federal governments continue to be overwhelmingly democratic or democratic republic in nature.

Lastly, I am tired of the Nazi Germany/Bush Administration comparisons. This is a completely false dichotomy. I will not deny that Bush is not a good president and that Cheney deserves to be impeached for his unchecked greed and corruption. We have a lot of rebuilding to do insofar as our economy and foreign relations once they're out. But neither of them are Hitler.

Hitler came to power while Germany was in a terrifying economic depression, mostly brought on by WWI. Bush came to power on the tail end of one of the largest economic booms in American history. Hitler committed genocide. Bush started a stupid war based on greed and legacy. Hitler imposed a complete police state in which opposition and dissent was completely quashed. Bush has tried - and mostly failed - to curtail a few individual freedoms (the fact that I can say simultaneously say "FUCK BUSH!" and "I own guns" in this comment is proof enough of that).

Hitler was a sociopath who believed that what he was doing was for the good of all Germany. I doubt Bush is under any such delusion.


So, is "islamofascism" a misleading term? Probably. But not, in my opinion, for the reasons peristaltor seems to think.

-Sean