Al Qaeda is a non-state entity. Thus, according to Jay's definition, it would not count as Islamofascist, since this requires a "system of government." The problem with the term is not only that it is based on a misleading historical analogy (since fascism was a historical phenomenon of the early to mid-twentieth century), but also that it obscures the complexity of the Middle East. If the US has done anything in Iraq, it has likely sparked a lengthy and bloody conflict between Sunnis and Shiites for regional dominance. But by dividing the world into Manichean categories, the discourse of Islamofascism prevents …
- Joined September 22, 2006
- Last Visit September 22, 2006