UI – Part 119 – Islamofascism

“[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.” — George W. Bush

‘Islamofascism’ is a term now being used quite often for what I have been calling Islamists, or the more extreme, radical, element of Islam and Muslims.  This may now be a Media PC (politically correct) term of art to avoid having the more religious element of Islam who may refer to themselves as Islamists also separated from the most radical.  Even so in many Muslim circles there have been reactions to this terminology, just as they react to just about anything fearing what they so label as ‘persecution.’

So I have done what most ‘pc’ (meaning computers) users would do, I went to the Internet – beginning with Google and then Wikipedia and so on.  The NOAD (New Oxford American Dictionary) had a definition…”a controversial term equating some modern Islamic movements in Europewith the European fascist movements of the early 20^th Century.”  We4 see now a potential origination inEurope.

But then there are the journalists and other authors that find coining words useful for personal identification or a reflection of their own delineation of facts as they understand and present them.  An avowed and self-defined ‘radical’, Christopher Hitchens, and an ‘American Muslim Journalist’ (reference from Wikipedia), Stephen Schwartz, have used the term ‘Islamofascist’ since Al Qaeda raised its ugly head high on 911.

Some say the term is inaccurate and simplistic, used for propaganda purposes.  There is even an ‘Islamofascist Awareness Week.’

My sense, again, is the use of this term is an attempt to distinguish between traditional Islam and the Terrorists; the Terrorists wanting to destroy the West and anything considered freedom that imposes on the rules to be obeyed by Allah.

In the future I may use both Islamists and Islamofascists interchangeably; however, as I feel they are both out to corner the world for Allah.  I may characterize those Muslims more oriented towards a pluralistic society that can live together, even in Muslim dominated areas, as ‘moderates’ and insure that distinction is made. The moderates are the silent voice that we hear too little from, that need to be heard more, without fear from the Islamists, and who must collectively thwart the vile attacks by the Islamofascists and orientation towards a word where the dar al-Harb have no right to exist.    

The dar al-Harb are areas of the world where Muslims are in the minority and are considered persecuted, which in the West is by their own definition of persecution. It is effectively interpreted as a ‘House of War’, a geographic area, geographic region, geographical area where the goal is to achieve Islam for all, only Islam.  It would then become dar al-Islam, where all citizens would abide by the Islamic rules of law, Sharia.

The problem Muslims have with Freedom will be discussed in the next blog.

As a preview Muslims, the Islamists, see liberty and freedom as a threat to Islam.  Having no concept of original sin Muslims can be good, doing so by following the rules of Allah, as essentially laid down by Muhammad in the Hadiths and elaborated upon further by Islamic Scholars.  A free society would be able to choose not to follow such laws, thus violating the Will of Allah.  More to follow next week.

Christians believe in freedom, the ability to choose voluntarily the path that God has prepared before them.  We cannot be good with or without God, as we are all sinners.  Just read the Beatitudes and discover that they are impossible to meet.  We would all fail God’s test (even Allah’s test) to be good by the rules alone and to find salvation without the Grace of God.  With God’s Grace and a heart for God we strive to obey God; having faith in his substitutionary sacrifice as punishment for all our transgressions we are diligent in our effort to please God, knowing we cannot be perfect.

Grace and Peace

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