Support of Islamist parties

Submitted by sara (United States), Jun 28, 2012 at 16:06

Schills.

Therein lies the problem. No, I do not support islamist parties because you fail to take into consideration the degree of corruption and coercion and violence that takes place that is inherent in being an Islamist and believing in Sharia. You are looking at free elections in a vacuum rather than in the context of the Middle East. Not to say there isn't corruption in every govt party, but the consequences are a touch more fatal in the ME. You have seen how incredibly difficult it is to get out from under Muslim rule, and many people in many countries have died. They know the Islamists way better than you or I and most are not willing to risk their lives to speak out.

Thank you for your clarification. I understand better where you are coming from now. But I do not understand why. Perhaps you can explain what your background is that is compelling you to attempt to illustrate the illegitimacy of jihad by dissuading people "like me" from criticising islam? And at what point with you feel it appropriate to approach the jihadists/Islamists with your argument? Sorry to say, but it doesn't sound very realistic to me and will likely get you killed if you pursue it on any meaningful level.

You are separating out the two issues, internal election of Islamist parties (which you mistakenly assume are democratic and therefore valid) and the impact of Islamist parties on external affairs and national relations. The truth is that they are never separate and that is where your westernized viewpoint trips you up. I commend you for trying to find a solution and attempting to implement something, but I hate to tell you that you will be forever stuck on phase 1 (trying to convince us Westerners not to 'attack' Islam) not only because we are, mostly, not attacking islam but the cultural and political ramifications that are impacting us in the rest of the world. but because phase 2 (convincing the 'moderates' not to affiliate with Jihadists) is a no go. Not going to happen. That is the reason why we are so disillusioned and suspicious, those of us who have grown up in the Middle East and know more about the culture have a more realistic perspective. and by the way, join the club because the rest of the West is stuck on phase 1 as well.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".