Islam and "Political Islam"

Just as I have come to recognize a difference between Christians in general and their co-religionists of the evangelical/fundamentalist radical right-wing, so too have I finally come to grips with the problem of "political Islam" and its separation from the majority of Muslims and Islam itself. Though this is hardly a breathtaking flash of brilliance, it is nonetheless important not to conflate these two very different things.

The challenge of this fight with "Political Islam" is described in an excellent article by Daniel Goldhagen in The New Republic (subscription required):

The fight, it cannot be emphasized enough, is not a "clash of civilizations" with Muslims or Arab or Muslim countries. Rather, the fight is with annihilationist and totalitarian political Islam, its political leaders and regimes, and its unknown millions of political adherents across the Islamic world (who, let us not forget, broadly celebrated the destruction of the World Trade Center).

The West must make it clear that it will not treat totalitarian political Islam as legitimate, though it is happy to conduct normal, friendly, and mutually beneficial relations with the many Islamic peoples and countries that are not intolerant and bellicose. Political Islam must not be emboldened by appeasement. Its rhetorical and physical violence must not be tolerated at all.

I note that today's Washington Post refers to a poll indicating the low esteem among 46% of Americans for Islam, and I wonder if we will manage to oppose the nihilism of political Islam without alienating the rest of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims -- whose assistance will be essential to our success in suppressing the intolerance and violence of political Islam.

Our success in this struggle may well depend on recognizing the need to vigorously fight the adherents of political Islam even as we befriend the great number of Muslims who share our desire for peace.

| +Save/Share | |