"Clerical fascism"

[Doug Henwood]

Chip Berlet wrote:

>Here is a clip from Griffin's introduction to fascism:
>
>"Fascism [ is a ] modern political ideology that seeks to regenerate the
>social,
>economic, and cultural life of a country by basing it on a heightened
>sense of national belonging or ethnic identity. Fascism rejects liberal
>ideas such as freedom and individual rights, and often presses for the
>destruction of elections, legislatures, and other elements of democracy.
>Despite the idealistic goals of fascism, attempts to build fascist
>societies have led to wars and persecutions that caused millions of
>deaths. As a result, fascism is strongly associated with right-wing
>fanaticism, racism, totalitarianism, and violence."

So ObL is a Saudi, many of his associates are Arabs, and they're all 
holed up in a non-Arab country. Islam isn't a nationalist or a racist 
religion, is it? It's universalist towrds its adherents. Iran is a 
theocracy, but it has elections and a parliament. So we have a 
non-ethnic, non-nationalist, non-statist formation with no 
significant industry aside from a chain of honey retailers - that is 
yet still somehow fascist. I don't get it.

Doug