"Islamism" and "Islamicism" are bigoted terms.

Shane Mage shmage at pipeline.com
Sun Sep 16 19:42:09 PDT 2001


I suggest that a good characterizing phrase for Bin Laden & Co. would be "Islamistic Crusaders." Not only would it accurately capture their mentality (no different in any significant way from that of their brethren Falwell and Robertson) and place their crimes against humanity in an appropriately large historical context, it would also strike them as the most wounding insult possible.

Shane Mage

"In war, the first casualty is always the truth."


>Hi,
>
>I think we should be objecting to the use of the terms "Islamism"
>and "Islamicism" used to describe the small fraction of observant
>Muslims who engage in terrorism. The problem is in the implication
>that anyone whose main ideology is centered on Islamic religious
>beliefs is somehow complicit in fanaticism or terrorism.
>
>Daniel Pipes is one of the key pundits promoting this term, but I am
>seeing more frequently in mainstream reports.
>
>You can see the language problem in terms of relative usage. If
>"Islamicism" is Muslim fanaticism, then is "Judaism" thus Jewish
>fanaticism? I think not.
>
>An "ism" is just a belief structure. Being an observant Muslim or
>even a "fundamentalist" Muslim does not mean that one supports
>theocracy or violence.
>
>Those who perpetrated the terrorist attacks on the WTC towers and
>the Pentagon may turn out to be Fundamentalist Muslim zealots, but
>note that it takes three words to even approach an accurate
>description. Phrases such as demonizing apocalyptic fundamentalist,
>theocratic authoritarian, religious totalitarian, even clerical
>fascist, can be appended to any religion to describe the most
>zealous and violent adherents.
>
>Let's not spread bigotry through careless use of language.
>"Islamism" and "Islamicism" are inherently bigoted terms.
>
>Chip Berlet



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list