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[Previous entry: "Diversions"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "'Conan, what is best in life?'"] 08 August 2003: "Thoughts on 'Islamofascism'"On 20-Sep-2001, The Nation published an article by Christopher Hitchens titled "Against Rationalization." In it, Hitchens wrote the following line: But the bombers of Manhattan represent fascism with an Islamic face, and there's no point in any euphemism about it.Hitchens later encapsulated this concept in the term "Islamofascism," which rapidly gained currency in the world of punditry, both in the mainstream media and in Blogoslavia. The characterisation was never a particularly accurate one, but it served a purpose, which was to convey the point that movements like al-Qaeda or the Taliban are evidently significantly less interested in propagating the teachings of the Prophet Muhammed than they are in establishing authoritarian states under their members' control. It has been fairly well established, for instance, that the Taliban were remarkably ignorant of the contents of the Koran and the Shariah, and that what they actually attempted to impose on the populace of Afghanistan was an extreme version of Pushtunwali, the social code of the Pushtun, which is why they encountered resistance from every neighbouring ethnic group, even—indeed, especially—those who were muslim. Clearly, Hitchens' characterisation struck a chord in the West, and not undeservedly so. But the term has lent itself to perversion through inappropriate usage; this may arguably be attributed to its fundamental flaw, which was the liberty taken with the term "fascism." Increasingly, the term "Islamofascist" is being used indiscriminately, as if the two elements of the term were interchangeable. If a muslim has an opinion which is contrary to that of any given Western commentator, particularly one of a neoconservative bent, said muslim is all too often facilely dismissed as an "Islamofascist"; the characterisation is that he's not really a muslim expressing his religious opinion, but just a fascist masquerading as a muslim. It is noteworthy that Christopher Hitchens himself has been in the forefront of this pattern of misuse; well hey, when you've got a gimmick that gets you exposure... To be blunt, "Islamofascist" has become overused to almost the same extent as the term "fascist," and in a much shorter period. It's a term I'm extremely hesitant to use myself. I've worked with my share of muslim colleagues who were fine human beings, and with my experience working for the ICTY, I cannot help but feel that various people I've helped to indict and put behind bars would have given their right nut to have had a catchy term like "Islamofascist" with which refer to Bosniaks and/or Kosovars, thus justifying their own campaigns of ethnic cleansing and mass murder. Thus, I would urge my fellow bloggers to exercise caution in using it, as well as urging my readers to examine its use with a critical eye. |
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