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What matters is what they do, not what they say

Reader comment on item: More on the Term "Islamic Fascists"
in response to reader comment: Islamic Fascism Is An Oxymoron: It's Like A Yellow Blackboard!

Submitted by Edward Christie (Austria), Sep 1, 2006 at 22:27

Re to Mr. Mallenbaum. I am surprised to see you stop at the pre-war definition of fascism given by the (then fascist) Italian government itself. If a state lays down exclusive authority over all else it is merely totalitarian. The additional question one must ask is what such a government does once it has set itself up.

In practice the government of Benito Mussolini pursued a policy of international aggression and conquest, exalted Italy's national and ethnic identity at the expense of minorities, passed racist and anti-semitic laws and fought alongside Nazi Germany. The important issue here is that the identity of the majority of the population was exalted and promoted at the expense of the welfare of minorities within the country as well as at the expense of people of different identities in other countries. It is this combination of tyranny and identity-dependent aggression which defines fascism in practice.

Coming now to "totalitarian Islam", I will try to show why it is, in my view, indistinguishable from fascism. Firstly it is in practice impossible to set up a system of government that aims for a total and complete subservience to the will of God without the use of a ruling elite made up of specific individuals who will be in charge of running all state institutions. Such a system of government is also set up in such a way as to prevent any other ideologies, groups or parties from sharing in or coming to power. Since it is the state which is doing this, and because the state takes over the responsibility of ensuring religious compliance, one ends up with a system which is de facto fascist following Mussolini's definition: everything in the state, nothing outside of the state, and nothing against it. However as I argued above this merely defines the system as totalitarian, not necessarily as fascist.

The other crucial aspect is that identity, in this case religious identity, is exalted and promoted at the expense of domestic minorities as well as at the expense of people of different identities in other countries. Just like in fascist states discriminatory laws are passed that instate a lower status and less rights for members of minorities. Furthermore executive orders and plain actions that constitute persecution of minorities are also in evidence both in "totalitarian Islam" and in classical fascist states.

In other words there is nothing substantial that differentiates "totalitarian Islam" from fascism in practice. The only exception that comes to mind is that in "totalitarian Islam" it is possible to convert to Islam, become fully obedient to the authorities and thus become an ordinary citizen. Obviously this option wasn't available in European fascism since the criterion was ethnicity, not religion. But I would argue that this difference is irrelevant if one holds religious freedom to be an inalienable right, in which case Islamic fascism ("totalitarian Islam") is clearly a movement which must be destroyed as surely as it was necessary to destroy European fascism.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (35) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
1Islamo-fascists and the duck! [37 words]dhimmi no moreFeb 16, 2015 16:54221110
Islam is a Misnomer [202 words]Tariq BeyFeb 25, 2015 17:18221110
2Another needy Muslim [1073 words]dhimmi no moreFeb 26, 2015 08:00221110
Islamofascist; what a bunch of tripe [86 words]R.J. ConnorsApr 8, 2008 20:54125121
Islamic Fascism [351 words]E. David LitvakNov 1, 2006 22:3765043
For Dr. Pipes: It seems that there is a madrassa in Queens, NY [234 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
dhimmi no moreAug 21, 2006 06:5853589
The term 'fascist' correctly applied to Bush is co-opted [61 words]LeeAug 19, 2006 18:4153478
Not politically correct. [156 words]Robert LynnAug 18, 2006 05:1553326
When asked why are all the terrorists Muslims [84 words]John PhilipsAug 18, 2006 01:0953307
Islamic Fascism Is An Oxymoron: It's Like A Yellow Blackboard! [586 words]Allan E. MallenbaumAug 17, 2006 20:0053281
It is Fascism in deed if not form [162 words]TiberusAug 18, 2006 22:3453281
You know a great deal, but are still wrong [186 words]AyanAug 19, 2006 16:5553281
"FASCISM" BY MUSLIMS IS DIFFERENT FROM FASCISM BY CHRISTIANS [110 words]Allan E. MallenbaumAug 20, 2006 18:0653281
Thanks for the lesson re: Fascism [66 words]InfidelAug 21, 2006 01:0153281
What matters is what they do, not what they say [496 words]Edward ChristieSep 1, 2006 22:2753281
SAME PAGE [64 words]Allan E. MallenbaumSep 2, 2006 20:2353281
on target... [67 words]donvanMay 28, 2008 11:1053281
Tautology, not oxymoron [19 words]SteveNov 27, 2008 23:2253281
Rebuttal: Tautology, Not Oxymoron [42 words]AllanNov 28, 2008 21:4653281
What to Call Them [114 words]Marc MayersonAug 17, 2006 16:5453259
I like the title "Islamists" too but it is too nice. [227 words]TiberiusAug 17, 2006 16:1353253
Islamic Socialism. [1659 words]RalphAug 16, 2006 20:4853145
Perhaps Islamic Supremacist is a better term? [159 words]K GreenAug 16, 2006 11:5453057
Islamofascists [51 words]YolandaAug 15, 2006 04:0352876
Really? [257 words]PCMadnessAug 15, 2006 23:0452876
Yolanda (rabina yukhaliha) and the kettle and the pot old cliche! [113 words]dhimmi no moreAug 30, 2006 13:1752876
Warped Logic [169 words]YolandaAug 31, 2006 13:3552876
Bush and his lack of respect for other cultures [89 words]YolandaAug 31, 2006 13:4352876
For Yolanda (rabina Yukhaliha) And more about the kettle and the pot [100 words]dhimmi no moreAug 31, 2006 19:1652876
For Yolanda (rabina Yukhaliha) And is islam a culture?part deux [4 words]dhimmi no moreAug 31, 2006 19:1752876
For Yolanda (rabina Yukhaliha) al-faylasoofa al-kabeera and Mr. Occam! [307 words]dhimmi no moreSep 1, 2006 07:1552876
Tyranny [73 words]YolandaSep 2, 2006 02:4052876
What is the historical thrust of Islam? Is that a benchmark to determine what is "normative" for Islam? [55 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
StephenAug 14, 2006 22:2652843
Benchmarks [365 words]Keith R. SnyderAug 18, 2006 20:2952843
"moderate" Islam vs AlQaeda - who has the bigger delta vs. historical Islam? [218 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
StephenAug 20, 2006 14:0452843

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