Fundamentalist Islam—the political movement that holds that "Islam is the solution" -is the one vibrant anti-American ideology extant in the world today. As such, it represents a phenomenon Americans need to know about. In brief compass, here are seven of its central characteristics:
Radical utopian ideology. While fundamentalist Islam differs from other utopian ideologies both in origin (being anchored in a religious creed) and in detail (calling for adherence to a religious way of life), it closely resembles them in scope and ambition. Revealingly, fundamentalists compare Islam not to other religions but to other ideologies; for example, Egypt's Muslim Brothers assert they are neither socialists nor capitalists, but "Muslims."
Totalitarian. Seeing Islam as the basis of a political system touching every aspect of life, fundamentalist Muslims transform Islam from a personal faith into a ruling system that knows no constraints. Outside their own movement, fundamentalists see every existing political system in the Muslim world as deeply compromised, corrupt, and mendacious. Therefore, Muslims true to God's message must reject the status quo and build wholly new institutions. To do this, fundamentalists proclaim their intent to do whatever they must; they openly flaunt an extremist sensibility. Their devotion to Islam's sacred law (the shari'a) permits them to interfere in any and all aspects of life, from politics to family relations. "There are no such terms as compromise and surrender in the Islamic cultural lexicon," a spokesman for Hamas declares.
Anti-democratic. Like Hitler and Allende, who exploited the democratic process to reach power, fundamentalists are actively taking part in elections; like those earlier figures, too, they sometimes do well (most recently, in Turkey). The vital question is: once in power, would they remain democrats? There is not a lot of hard evidence on this point, but statements by fundamentalist spokesmen from widely dispersed countries suggest an open disdain for popular sovereignty. Ahmad Nawfal, a Muslim Brother from Jordan, says that "[i]f we have a choice between democracy and dictatorship, we choose democracy. But if it's between Islam and democracy, we choose Islam." Hadi Awang of PAS (Partai Islam Se-Malaysia, The Pan-Malayan Islamic Party) makes the same point more bluntly: "I am not interested in democracy, Islam is not democracy, Islam is Islam." Fundamentalists are unlikely to relinquish power once they win it.
Anti-Semitic. Consistent with Hannah Arendt's observation about totalitarian movements necessarily being anti-Semitic, fundamentalist Muslims bristle with hostility to Jews . They accept virtually every Christian myth about Jews seeking control of the world, then add their own twist about Jews destroying Islam.
Anti- Western. Unnoticed by most Westerners, war has been unilaterally declared on Europe and the United States. Fundamentalists are responding to what they see as a centuries-long conspiracy by the West to destroy Islam . Inspired by an alleged Crusader-style hatred of Islam and an imperialist greed for Muslim resources, the West has for centuries tried to neuter Islam. It has done so by luring Muslims away from Islam through both its vulgar culture (blue jeans, hamburgers, television shows, rock music) and its higher culture (fashion clothes, French cuisine, universities, classical music). In this spirit, a Pakistani fundamentalist group recently deemed Michael Jackson and Madonna "cultural terrorists" and called for the two Americans to be brought to trial in Pakistan. 'Ali Belhadj of Algeria's FIS (Front lslamique du Salut) ridicules Western civilization as "syphilization."
Not willing to co-exist. Hatred against the West inspires a struggle with it for cultural supremacy. Fundamentalists see the rivalry as cultural, not political. "It is a struggle of cultures," a Muslim Brotherhood leader explains, "not one between strong countries and weak countries. We are sure that the Islamic culture will triumph." But how is this victory to be achieved? By producing better music or coming up with a cure for cancer? Hardly, as Kalim Siddiqui, a spokesman for Iran in London, vividly makes clear: "American Gls clutching photos of their girlfriends would be no match for the soldiers of Islam clutching copies of the Qur'an and seeking shahada [martyrdom]." Islam will triumph, in other words, through will and steel.
Belligerent. Fundamentalist Islam spurs violent and aggressive behavior. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have repeatedly targeted Israelis and other Jews, killing some hundred and fifty individuals in the past two and a half years. Since 1983, fundamentalist groups have used violence against the West. Americans have been targeted in the U.S. embassy in Beirut (twice), the Marine barracks in Beirut, the embassy in Kuwait, and the World Trade Center.
Mischief by fundamentalists in the West pales, however, in comparison to their aggression in the Middle East. Like other revolutionaries, very soon after taking power fundamentalists try to expand at the expense of their neighbors. The Khomeinists almost immediately sought to overthrow non-fundamentalist Muslim regimes in Bahrain and Egypt. In like spirit, Afghan-based fundamentalists invaded Tajikistan. Their Sudanese counterparts reignited the civil war against Christians and animists in t
Fundamentalist Islam—the political movement that holds that "Islam is the solution" -is the one vibrant anti-American ideology extant in the world today. As such, it represents a phenomenon Americans need to know about. In brief compass, here are seven of its central characteristics:
Radical utopian ideology. While fundamentalist Islam differs from other utopian ideologies both in origin (being anchored in a religious creed) and in detail (calling for adherence to a religious way of life), it closely resembles them in scope and ambition. Revealingly, fundamentalists compare Islam not to other religions but to other ideologies; for example, Egypt's Muslim Brothers assert they are neither socialists nor capitalists, but "Muslims."
Totalitarian. Seeing Islam as the basis of a political system touching every aspect of life, fundamentalist Muslims transform Islam from a personal faith into a ruling system that knows no constraints. Outside their own movement, fundamentalists see every existing political system in the Muslim world as deeply compromised, corrupt, and mendacious. Therefore, Muslims true to God's message must reject the status quo and build wholly new institutions. To do this, fundamentalists proclaim their intent to do whatever they must; they openly flaunt an extremist sensibility. Their devotion to Islam's sacred law (the shari'a) permits them to interfere in any and all aspects of life, from politics to family relations. "There are no such terms as compromise and surrender in the Islamic cultural lexicon," a spokesman for Hamas declares.
Anti-democratic. Like Hitler and Allende, who exploited the democratic process to reach power, fundamentalists are actively taking part in elections; like those earlier figures, too, they sometimes do well (most recently, in Turkey). The vital question is: once in power, would they remain democrats? There is not a lot of hard evidence on this point, but statements by fundamentalist spokesmen from widely dispersed countries suggest an open disdain for popular sovereignty. Ahmad Nawfal, a Muslim Brother from Jordan, says that "[i]f we have a choice between democracy and dictatorship, we choose democracy. But if it's between Islam and democracy, we choose Islam." Hadi Awang of PAS (Partai Islam Se-Malaysia, The Pan-Malayan Islamic Party) makes the same point more bluntly: "I am not interested in democracy, Islam is not democracy, Islam is Islam." Fundamentalists are unlikely to relinquish power once they win it.
Anti-Semitic. Consistent with Hannah Arendt's observation about totalitarian movements necessarily being anti-Semitic, fundamentalist Muslims bristle with hostility to Jews . They accept virtually every Christian myth about Jews seeking control of the world, then add their own twist about Jews destroying Islam.
Anti- Western. Unnoticed by most Westerners, war has been unilaterally declared on Europe and the United States. Fundamentalists are responding to what they see as a centuries-long conspiracy by the West to destroy Islam . Inspired by an alleged Crusader-style hatred of Islam and an imperialist greed for Muslim resources, the West has for centuries tried to neuter Islam. It has done so by luring Muslims away from Islam through both its vulgar culture (blue jeans, hamburgers, television shows, rock music) and its higher culture (fashion clothes, French cuisine, universities, classical music). In this spirit, a Pakistani fundamentalist group recently deemed Michael Jackson and Madonna "cultural terrorists" and called for the two Americans to be brought to trial in Pakistan. 'Ali Belhadj of Algeria's FIS (Front lslamique du Salut) ridicules Western civilization as "syphilization."
Not willing to co-exist. Hatred against the West inspires a struggle with it for cultural supremacy. Fundamentalists see the rivalry as cultural, not political. "It is a struggle of cultures," a Muslim Brotherhood leader explains, "not one between strong countries and weak countries. We are sure that the Islamic culture will triumph." But how is this victory to be achieved? By producing better music or coming up with a cure for cancer? Hardly, as Kalim Siddiqui, a spokesman for Iran in London, vividly makes clear: "American Gls clutching photos of their girlfriends would be no match for the soldiers of Islam clutching copies of the Qur'an and seeking shahada [martyrdom]." Islam will triumph, in other words, through will and steel.
Belligerent. Fundamentalist Islam spurs violent and aggressive behavior. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have repeatedly targeted Israelis and other Jews, killing some hundred and fifty individuals in the past two and a half years. Since 1983, fundamentalist groups have used violence against the West. Americans have been targeted in the U.S. embassy in Beirut (twice), the Marine barracks in Beirut, the embassy in Kuwait, and the World Trade Center.
Mischief by fundamentalists in the West pales, however, in comparison to their aggression in the Middle East. Like other revolutionaries, very soon after taking power fundamentalists try to expand at the expense of their neighbors. The Khomeinists almost immediately sought to overthrow non-fundamentalist Muslim regimes in Bahrain and Egypt. In like spirit, Afghan-based fundamentalists invaded Tajikistan. Their Sudanese counterparts reignited the civil war against Christians and animists in the south, then made the Sudan a staging ground for other violence (e.g., an attack on the life of Egypt's President Husni Mubarak).
These activities pose a very real danger. The fundamentalist seizure of power, even in just a few countries, would likely create a new political order in the Middle East with potentially disastrous consequences. Israel would probably face a return to its unhappy condition of days past, beleaguered by terrorism and surrounded by enemy states. Civil unrest in oil-producing regions could lead to a dramatic run-up in the cost of energy. Rogue states, already numerous in the Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya) would multiply, leading to arms races, more international terrorism, and wars, lots of wars. Massive refugee outflows to Europe could well prompt a reactionary political turn that would greatly increase the already worrying appeal of fascists such as Jean-Marie Le Pen, who won 15 percent of the French vote in last year's presidential election.
Given these characteristics, it behooves us to see fundamentalist Islam for the hostile force it is, and not turn it into something we would wish it to be.
Daniel Pipes is the editor of the Middle East Quarterly and the author of three books on Islam and politics.
he south, then made the Sudan a staging ground for other violence (e.g., an attack on the life of Egypt's President Husni Mubarak).
These activities pose a very real danger. The fundamentalist seizure of power, even in just a few countries, would likely create a new political order in the Middle East with potentially disastrous consequences. Israel would probably face a return to its unhappy condition of days past, beleaguered by terrorism and surrounded by enemy states. Civil unrest in oil-producing regions could lead to a dramatic run-up in the cost of energy. Rogue states, already numerous in the Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya) would multiply, leading to arms races, more international terrorism, and wars, lots of wars. Massive refugee outflows to Europe could well prompt a reactionary political turn that would greatly increase the already worrying appeal of fascists such as Jean-Marie Le Pen, who won 15 percent of the French vote in last year's presidential election.
Given these characteristics, it behooves us to see fundamentalist Islam for the hostile force it is, and not turn it into something we would wish it to be.
Daniel Pipes is the editor of the Middle East Quarterly and the author of three books on Islam and politics.
