Greetings,
Some good, thought provoking posts by KAding and Fishman.
Let's look at the supposed attributes of "fascist" Islam that haven't been addressed:
corporatism,
authoritarianism, extreme nationalism,
militarism, anti-anarchism, anti-communism and
anti-liberalism. Isn't Islam all of these things?
Firstly, a reminder that these attributes are being listed as a way of persuading people that Islam constitutes some kind of fascism. Fascism, it seems to me, has become more of a term of abuse rather than a distinct ideology. These days, it would be a brave politician who sought to encourage support under a platform that called itself fascist. The term has consequently become rather meaningless, so any characterisation of Islam as being fascist is more likely to indicate some sort of bias in the speaker rather than being any sort of meaningful description.
Let's look at the charges though:
Corporatism
This term refers to a corporative state or system - one whose principal organising factor is that of a corporation. A corporation is, according to dictionary.com:
1. "A body that is granted a charter recognizing it as a separate legal entity having its own rights, privileges, and liabilities distinct from those of its members" or
2. "Such a body created for purposes of government" or
3. "A group of people combined into or acting as one body".
I don't know enough about Islam to answer to the charge given, but I would guess that (3) is a given, and that if such an organising principle was the sole criterion justifying the charge of corporatism, then Islam would fall into it (at least in its ideal state). Would the same be true of definitions (1) and (2)?
Authoritarianism
Once again, dictionary.com:
1. Characterized by or favoring absolute obedience to authority, as against individual freedom: an authoritarian regime.
2. Of, relating to, or expecting unquestioning obedience.
With its total reliance on the Qur'an and Sunnah for guidance and the answers to all of life's issues, I don't see how Islam can be described as anything other than an authoritarian system.
Militarism
1. Glorification of the ideals of a professional military class.
2. Predominance of the armed forces in the administration or policy of the state.
3. A policy in which military preparedness is of primary importance to a state.
(You guessed it - dictionary.com)
I'm really not sure about this one, so it'll be up to people who are better informed than me to answer the charge.
In Islamic culture, the
mujahideen are given huge respect by many adherents, but are they a "professional military class"? I don't know the answer to that question, so I'll leave it open.
In an Islamic society, do the armed forces predominate? I would think not. Surely imams and scholars would be the primary motivating forces.
(3) is more of an issue. I'm sure that religious instruction would be of primary importance in an Islamic state, but given the amount of military orders given in the Qur'an, an outsider could be forgiven for thinking that this formed a major part of the religion.
Anti-Liberalism
First of all, here's liberalism according to dictionary.com:
1. The state or quality of being liberal.
2.
1. A political theory founded on the natural goodness of humans and the autonomy of the individual and favoring civil and political liberties, government by law with the consent of the governed, and protection from arbitrary authority.
2. often Liberalism The tenets or policies of a Liberal party.
3. An economic theory in favor of laissez-faire, the free market, and the gold standard.
4. Liberalism
1. A 19th-century Protestant movement that favored free intellectual inquiry, stressed the ethical and humanitarian content of Christianity, and de-emphasized dogmatic theology.
2. A 19th-century Roman Catholic movement that favored political democracy and ecclesiastical reform but was theologically orthodox.
And my own
precis of the same:
In political terms, liberalism stands for individual autonomy, free intellectual inquiry and public consent to government laws; in economic terms,
laissez-faire capitalism, and, in its (dominant) Protestant form, the rejection of dogmatism, whether religious or otherwise.
With the exception of public consent to government laws, is it not the case that Islam is opposed to all of these things?
We've witnessed a good debate on some of the charges levelled against "fascist" Islam - I'd be interested to hear what people have to say about these other ones.
Peace