Co-authors disagree

Submitted by JMH (United States), Apr 13, 2003 at 22:41

There does appear to be disagreement between Daniel Pipes and Mr. Fuller. The former says "moderate Islam is the solution" and later "there is no such thing as a moderate Islamist",while the latter speaks of "moderate Islamists" whom the US should support "even if they do not explicitly renounce violence..."

I am no expert on Islam, but my experience in the United States has taught me that only by discrediting the radical elements in society can one hope for a common good and a stable society. You cannot get rid of violent or dangerous extremists, nor should you ever support them. You can, however, shove them to the fringes and try to keep them there. This can only be done if the people are offered something manifestly better than what the radicals of whatever stripe are offering. In the US, for example, unreconstructed Southerners have been discredited, radical feminism is criticized by women, affirmative action is denounced by African-Americans and the left-overs from the sixties look passé. This because something better, truer, more rational and more just has been offered. However, the subversive elements are always there...waiting.

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