Manifesto against "Islamism" Posted by: McQ
on Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Salman Rushdie and 11 others have signed a manifesto which declares "Islamism" the new totalitarianism and encourages the west to fight it and overcome it.
After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new totalitarian global threat: Islamism.
We, writers, journalists, intellectuals, call for resistance to religious totalitarianism and for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values for all.
The recent events, which occurred after the publication of drawings of Muhammed in European newspapers, have revealed the necessity of the struggle for these universal values. This struggle will not be won by arms, but in the ideological field. It is not a clash of civilisations nor an antagonism of West and East that we are witnessing, but a global struggle that confronts democrats and theocrats.
Like all totalitarianisms, Islamism is nurtured by fears and frustrations. The hate preachers bet on these feelings in order to form battalions destined to impose a liberticidal and unegalitarian world. But we clearly and firmly state: nothing, not even despair, justifies the choice of obscurantism, totalitarianism and hatred. Islamism is a reactionary ideology which kills equality, freedom and secularism wherever it is present. Its success can only lead to a world of domination: man's domination of woman, the Islamists' domination of all the others. To counter this, we must assure universal rights to oppressed or discriminated people.
We reject « cultural relativism », which consists in accepting that men and women of Muslim culture should be deprived of the right to equality, freedom and secular values in the name of respect for cultures and traditions. We refuse to renounce our critical spirit out of fear of being accused of "Islamophobia", an unfortunate concept which confuses criticism of Islam as a religion with stigmatisation of its believers.
We plead for the universality of freedom of expression, so that a critical spirit may be exercised on all continents, against all abuses and all dogmas.
We appeal to democrats and free spirits of all countries that our century should be one of Enlightenment, not of obscurantism. [emphasis mine]
12 signatures
Ayaan Hirsi Ali Chahla Chafiq Caroline Fourest Bernard-Henri Lévy Irshad Manji Mehdi Mozaffari Maryam Namazie Taslima Nasreen Salman Rushdie Antoine Sfeir Philippe Val Ibn Warraq
Key points: It's time to call it what it is and quit dancing around the problem. Islamism is a totalitarian ideology to be resisted by all freedom loving people. Islamism does not equal Islam, but is, instead, a totalitarian movement which improperly uses Islam as a basis of its legitimacy (something which must be rejected). Islamism is a reactionary ideology bent on world domination. The end-state would be a totalitarian theocratic regime. And most important, a rejection of a fairly pernicious western disease called 'moral relativism', which equates all cultures and ideologices as morally neutral.
Islamism is no more morally neutral than was Stalinism or Nazism. The fact that it is a theocratic totalitarian ideology vs. a secular one gives it no higher moral standing than the other two had.
So how will this "call to arms" be viewed through out the western and Islamic worlds? I'm sure it will find support among much of the US and some of Europe. My guess, however, is it will be rejected or ignored by much of the Islamic world which is still in the state of denial concerning the damage Islamists are doing to their religion. They haven't, as of yet, admitted that a high jacking is taking place, and, as such aren't really prepared to confront the situation as Rushdie and the others are calling. Most likely Rushdie will find another fatwa on his head. And, of course, there will be multicultural "fellow travelers" within the western community who'll downplay the threat as a manifestation of western xenophobia. Just hide and watch.
But, you never know ... perhaps it will stimulate more conversation within both communities and work toward developing an understanding between them which might lead to a plan for neutralizing Islamism's threat.
it will be rejected or ignored by much of the Islamic world which is still in the state of denial concerning the damage Islamists are doing to their religion. They haven’t, as of yet, admitted that a high jacking is taking place
Muslim moderates are aware of another document that clearly spells out the goals of the Islamists. It is readily available to them so they should not have to be in denial of this "high jacking." Its called the Koran.
I think it is us in the west who are in denial about this. Krauthammer had a good article a few weeks ago, "the Curse of the Moderates" where he argues that Muslims who agree with the goals of Islamists, but not the means (i.e. terrorism and jihad) are still extremists, becuase Sharia law is backward and extreme. Unfortunately, more and more "moderates" fall into this category.
The problem is, Osama bin Laden (and other Islamists) are true muslim fundamentalists. A traditional 7th century muslim, he is living in the light of Omar the Great and Abu Bakr, the first muslim caliphs who were also warlords and friends of Mohammad (pbuh).
Islam needs to get "high-jacked" the way Judaism got highjacked in the 3rd century with Talmudic law, which allowed the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy to be interpreted, rather than followed as instructions for civil order.
islamism is codeword for Islam. These secular fundamentalists are at war with Islam and are going to fail. The same goes for all other antiislamic loonies in this world.
Hear, Hear! Aamir Ali my brother in mujahideen! We will fight against those who have been given the scriptures yet do not believe in the prophet nor the last day, until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued!!
Those who prevent us from waging war against the infidel are Islamaphobic, which is no different from racism! How dare they protest when we force them to pay jaizya or wear the zanar or chador! Who do they think they are when the adulteresses and homosexuals resist as we throw stones at them until they are dead! They profess only ignorance and bigotry when they block our blows as we beat them for preaching christianity or buddhism!
Islam is the religion of peace. Anyone who says otherwise should be killed according to islamic law. Those who object to how we deal with apostates and blasphemers are anti-islamic loonies. Any questions?
