Islamism: What Policy?

by Daniel Pipes
Middle East Forum
April 8, 1998

https://www.danielpipes.org/19345/islamism-what-policy

Translations of this item:

Italian

What is the proper American response to Islamism? Before getting to specifics, several introductory comments are necessary.

Background

First, a great battle is indeed underway but it's a battle not between the West and Islam as, Samuel Huntington would have it. Rather, it's over the soul of Islam and the contestants are two kinds of Muslims – Islamists versus those who reject their totalitarian program. It is ultimately a fight between secularists and Islamist, symbolically one between Atatürk of Turkey and Khomeini of Iran. In this battle, we who are not Muslims are mostly bystanders. We are affected by its outcome and have a role to play in helping one side or the other, but ultimately our role is secondary.

Second, we must distinguish Islam the religion and Islamism the political ideology. This means always condemning Islamism, never Islam as a faith.

Third, because Islamists think us morally corrupt and politically flabby, we in the West must show that, indeed, we do have principles and will. We are not as they think we are. That means taking strong stands and implementing clear actions and make it clear that Islamists cannot with impunity attack and harm us.

Finally, Islamism is not just a foreign policy issue for the West but a domestic issue as well, for Islamists are now also present in substantial and growing numbers in the West. This is a somewhat surprising, even perverse development, for Islamists decry the West, often in vitriolic terms – but still they flock to it. The leadership especially tends to move to the West, and in particular to Germany, France, Britain and the United States. The brains of many Islamist organizations have relocated to the West, even as the foot soldiers remain in the home countries. Why so? The West offers many advantages, starting with its many rights and freedoms – freedom of religion, of movement, of speech, and the like. Also, the West is affluent, and so it serves as an excellent place to generate funds. Finally, politicians, courts, and police have only limited interest in what Islamists say, so they can get away with much more than in their home countries.

In sum, Islamism is a profound, up-to-date totalitarian ideology that has the power to do harm not just in the valleys of Afghanistan but right here in the United States.

Foreign Policy

Turning then to policy—what in the West should do, starting with foreign policy:

Support those states, Muslim and otherwise, that resist the Islamist threat, for (in the pithy words of a Turkish general), Islamism is "public enemy number one." This is relatively easy when the states in question are models of rectitude, but it is far less pleasant when they are not, as in the case of Algeria. The Algerian government does not play by rules in its civil war with the Islamists; of course, neither do the Islamists. Given this unpleasant choice, we must opt for the government even as we tell the government what we don't like and push it to improve its behavior.
Pressure Islamist states to reduce their aggressiveness towards us. This means letting them know that they can't hurt us with impunity.
Celebrate and support those in the Muslim world who stand up to the Islamists. They are lonely people that look to the West for support and succor.
Label the Islamist groups who engage in violence for what they are, namely terrorist organizations, and battle them accordingly.
Treat these groups for what they are -- extremist organizations that have declared war on us. Do not cooperate, encourage, or engage in dialogue with them, which simply plays their game of gaining legitimacy.
Promote civil society, not elections. This is a tricky point. Experience shows, most dramatically in Algeria, that if a government holds snap elections, Islamists do very well, for they alone have an organization already in place. Therefore, we should see elections not as the beginning of a process but its culmination. First comes the long process of building civil society, with its voluntary institutions, rule of law, minority rights, property rights and the like. Only after the gradual development of civil society does the proper basis for elections exist.

Domestic Policy

And domestically, Islamism within Western countries calls for a number of steps.

Acknowledge that Islam in itself is a positive force and that the great majority of Muslims are responsible members of society.
Recognize and enhance the moderates, the non-Islamists, and encourage them. This is something for both government and private institutions to do.
Closely scrutinize the Islamists and make every effort to keep them out, starting with strict visa controls. Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman, the man who inspired the assault on the World Trade Centre in 1993, a bombing which in fact only killed six people but clearly was intended to bring down both towers and kill 50,000, was allowed into the United States by a diplomat in Sudan who didn't know his identity.
Enhance information gathering by government agencies and others concerned with the public weal. Too often these groups operate in obscurity without anyone quite knowing what they are doing.
Punish illegal activities, quickly and consistently. Illegal activities must be taken seriously and dealt with appropriately.
Argue back when Islamists wrap themselves in religion and say they're being persecuted.
Build coordination among governments. There's much intelligence to be shared.

Is Islamism a threat? Yes, with fascism and communism marginalized, it is the great totalitarian challenge of this age. History has not ended.

Mr. Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum.

Related Topics: Radical Islam, US policy

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