Is a whale a fish or a gorilla a monkey?

Submitted by RMcGuinness (Republic Of Korea), Dec 11, 2002 at 20:19

I feel it somewhat ridiculous to compare Islam to Communism and furthermore include Fascism in this bracket. How can one compare such fundamentally different entities?
Anyone with even the most basic knowledge of the nature of Fascism would know that it has no ideology, no philosophical or religious base, specific doctrine or manifesto. Essentially Fascism is a manifestation of hatred, more a phenomenon than a movement. Exemplified by Mussolini, Franco and Hitler, Fascism aquired a recognizable form only through the upheavals of the Twentieth Century.

Communism is a carefully formulated economic system, requiring a political framework to facilitate it. Theoretically, it is neither religious nor violent in nature. Karl Marx was an academic and never a despot or terrorist. Lenin (and his successors) on the other hand possessed all of the tendencies that epitomise tyranny and essentially ran Communism through the gutter.

Of course I respect the dedication of one who has studied an area in such depth, but I just feel all three titles have been misinterpreted and abused by the power hungry throughout history. From the Crusaders to Kim jong Il, those with the motivation have led horribly mutated forms of their belief systems.

It seems the only similarities between any extreme movement are that the same type of people always work their way to the top and strive to wield their personal might over others.

I for one am not interested in buying political or historical spiel of a fictional or speculative nature, and would be most deeply upset by such comments if I were commited to Islam, Communism or indeed Fascism, whatever it's manifestation.

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