"Islamic Imperialists" or "Islamic Supremacists", not "Islamists"

Submitted by Peg (United States), Aug 25, 2006 at 09:23

The term "Islamists" is not good because, to the ear of the average English speaker, it sounds like a synonym for "Muslims", i.e. as if it referred simply to the adherents of a particular religion -- the way "Buddhists", "Taoists", and "Shintoist" refer simply to the adherents of those religions.

The term "Islamists" does not conjure up any political or militaristic overtones in the mind of the average English speaker, who is not acquainted with the fact that "jihad" and "dhimmitude" are among the tenets of Islam.

"Islamic imperialists" is better because it conveys much more effectively that there is an objective of taking over the world.

"Islamic supremacists" might also be good, because it conveys the concepts of intolerance and the will to dominate -- especially for an American audience, who will immediately think of "white supremacists" as an analogy.

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