>The idea that the Taliban and Osama bin Laden
>involve some sort of fascist politics is given
>support in a long article by Douglas Kellner:
>"September 11, Terrorism, and Blowback"
>http://www.publiceye.org/frontpage/911/d-kellner-
>911.htm
------------------------------------------------- The Taliban, of course, were a highly theocratic and repressive fundamentalist regime that some have described as clerical fascism (Chip Berlet), or reactionary tribalism (Robert Antonio). -------------------------------------------------
This is not much of an endorsement. Moreover, it doesn't address any of the issues raised in this discussion. All you have done is given us text wherein someone with more stature than you uses the term you coined. Kellner doesn't deploy it the way that you have and, indeed, he doesn't even say they *are* fascists, but that they *may* be: "The supposed perpetrators of the September 11 events were allegedly both terrorists and fascistic Islamic fundamentalists who support a theocratic state that would abrogate human rights and employ torture and murder in the name of supposedly higher theological values. In the contemporary world, such fascism should opposed and more democratic and progressive modern values and democratic politics should be defended."
One worries about this last statement and those who feel they need to articulate it. Who supports the hijackers? Who thinks they are a force for progressive change? Who is Kellner's statement directed at?
Tanya