On Mon, 4 Feb 2008, Doug Henwood wrote:
> Let's talk about something less controversial, like Islamism.
Apropos, Juan Cole had something I thought was interesting over the weekend over the distinction between "Islamic" and "Muslim:"
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/02/01/islamophobia/
Salon.com
Feb 1, 2008
Blowback from the GOP's holy war
The 2008 Republican race has left a bitter legacy of sloganeering
against Muslims. It may well haunt the party this November.
By Juan Cole
<snip>
But the failure of Islamophobia as a campaign strategy is no better
illustrated than by the spectacular flame-out of Rudy Giuliani.
Throughout his campaign (deep-sixed after his dismal showing in
Tuesday's Florida primary), the former New York mayor evoked the Sept.
11 attacks at an absurd rate. Giuliani and his advisors appeared to
revel in demonizing Muslims. They also reveled in their own ignorance
-- never learning the difference between "Islamic" and "Muslim."
"Islamic" has to do with the religion founded by the prophet Mohammed.
We speak of Islamic ethics or Islamic art, as things that derive from
the religion. "Muslim," on the contrary, describes the believer. It
would be perfectly all right to talk about Muslim terrorists, but
calling them Islamic terrorists or Islamic fascists implies that the
religion of Islam is somehow essentially connected to those extremist
movements.
Giuliani complained that during their debates, Democratic rivals "never
mentioned the word 'Islamic terrorist,' 'Islamic extremist,' 'Islamic
fascist,' 'terrorist,' whatever combination of those words you want to
use, [the] words never came up." He added, "I can't imagine who you
insult if you say 'Islamic terrorist.' You don't insult anyone who is
Islamic who isn't a terrorist."
But people are not "Islamic," they are Muslim. And one most certainly
does insult Muslims by tying their religion to movements such as
terrorism or fascism. Muslims perceive a double standard in this
regard: Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols would never be called
"Christian terrorists" even though they were in close contact with the
Christian Identity Movement. No one would speak of Christofascism or
Judeofascism as the Republican candidates speak of Islamofascism.
Muslims point out that persons of Christian heritage invented fascism,
not Muslims, and deny that Muslim movements have any link to the mass
politics of the 1930s in Europe.
Giuliani's pledge to take the United States on an offensive against
Islamic fascism, which he also said would be a long-term battle, failed
to excite the imagination of voters. It may well have alarmed them in a
way different from what Giuliani intended: If, by Giuliani's logic, the
United States is only on the "defensive" now, with wars in Afghanistan
and Iraq, what would being on the offensive look like? Would Giuliani
have started four wars? Interestingly, Giuliani did especially poorly
in Florida among retired and active-duty military personnel.
<end excerpt>
Full at: http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/02/01/islamophobia/
Michael