Islamofascism

"Islamofascism" is a portmanteau of the words fascism and Islamism or Islamic fundamentalism,[1][2] which advocate authoritarianism and violent extremism to establish an Islamic state, in addition to promoting offensive Jihad.[3] For example, Qutbism has been characterized as an Islamofascist and Islamic terrorist ideology.[3]

Interactions between Muslim figures and fascism began as early as 1933, and some used the term fascism to describe as diverse phenomenon as the Pakistan independence movement,[4] Gamal Abdel Nasser's Arab nationalism in Egypt,[5] religious appeals used by Arab dictatorships to stay in power,[6] and the Young Egypt Party (a fascist era-group inspired by Italian fascism).[7] The invention of the term has been variously attributed to Khalid Duran, Lulu Schwartz, and Christopher Hitchens.[8] Beginning in the 1990s, some scholars have described fascist influences to refer to violent Islamist movements such as those of Ruhollah Khomeini and Osama bin Laden, and "reached its apogee" following the September 11 attacks,[9] but by 2018 it had "largely" disappeared from use among policymakers and academics.[9]

The term Islamofascism to refer to the varying distinctions between Islam and fascism has been criticized for allegedly besmirching the Islamic religion by associating it with a violent ideology (i.e. being used as a name for Islam),[10][11] and defended as a way of distinguishing traditional Islam from Islamic extremist violence (i.e. being used as a name for Islamism, a variety of Islam).[12] In April 2008, the Extremist Messaging Branch of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center under the Bush Administration issued an advisory to branches of the U.S. federal government to avoid using the term, among other terms, in part because it was "considered offensive by many Muslims" that the U.S. government was trying to reach.[13]

  1. ^ Zuckerman 2012, p. 353.
  2. ^ Falk 2008, p. 122.
  3. ^ a b Eikmeier, Dale C. (Spring 2007). "Qutbism: An Ideology of Islamic-Fascism" (PDF). The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters. 37 (1). Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Army War College Foundation Press: 84–97. doi:10.55540/0031-1723.2340. ISSN 0031-1723. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  4. ^ Görlach 2011, p. 151.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hitler was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Hitchens 2007
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fascism in Interwar Egypt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Falk 2008, p. 123
  9. ^ a b Bar-on, Tamir (17 October 2018). "Islamofascism: Four Competing Discourses on the Islamism-Fascism Comparison". Fascism. 7 (2): 241–274. doi:10.1163/22116257-00702005. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  10. ^ Ruthven 2002, pp. 207–8.
  11. ^ Ruthven 2012, p. x
  12. ^ Safire 2006
  13. ^ Associated Press 2008

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