Community Views
Editor's Notebook
The Debate Over
Fundamentalist Islam
Marilyn Cohn - Please
Remember Her Name
DANIEL PIPES SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
A
n intense debate is in-
creasingly heard in U.S.
foreign policy circles: How
should this country re-
spond to the phenomenon of fun-
damentalist Islam? In a way, it's
a whole new debate, dealing with
such sensitive issues as the role
of religion in politics and whether
the U.S. government should even
have a policy toward a religious-
ly-based movement.
But in another, eerie way, its
the same old debate; Americans
divide on this issue roughly as
they did on the issue of Marxism-
Leninism. Left and Right still ex-
ist, in other words, and they
continue to disagree roughly in
the same way over issues.
Just as the Left paid little at-
tention to the attractions of com-
munist ideology, but held that its
appeal lies in economic depriva-
tion and social problems, so it
now says the same about funda-
mentalist Islam. In both cases, it
advocates dealing with militant
ideology by solving socio-eco-
nomic conditions; in both cases,
it urges close attention to local
causes.
The United States is on the
wrong side of history in trying to
stave off these movements;
Washington would better serve
long-term American interests by
eliminating its rear-guard bat-
tles, accepting the inevitable and
establishing reasonable relations
with the new powers.
If it did so, it would be pleas-
antly surprised: Today's fire-
breathing leaders will turn into
far more accommodating ones to-
morrow, for the other side (once
the former Soviet Union, now
Iran) will no longer fear encir-
clement and will relax.
The Right disputes every one
of these points. The source of rad-
icalism, it says, lies less in pover-
ty and oppression than in a
misguided utopianism.
Daniel Pipes is editor of the
Middle East Quarterly.
Conservatives show little in-
terest in differences between
communists or fundamentalist
Muslims, tending to dismiss
these as tactical and insignificant;
what counts is the big picture.
Conservatives deny that the
communists or fundamentalists
have history on their side; rather,
their regimes are temporary
aberrations, sure to be relegated
to the museum of human experi-
ence. Appeasement does not
work; resolve does. Stick by
friends and never let the other
side think us weak.
In brief, the Left once again ar-
gues in favor of mutual under-
standing and cooption; talk to our
adversaries; bring them into the
system; trade with them. The
Right still instinctively favors
confrontation and containment:
Stand up to our self-declared op-
ponents; isolate and weaken our
enemies; stick by our friends.
Each of these views, of course,
implies a specific foreign policy,
and with a Democrat in the
White House, the U.S. govern-
ment has adopted a liberal out-
look on fundamentalist Islam.
Anthony Lake, the president's
national security adviser, re-
cently declared that "Islamic ex-
tremism poses a threat to our
nation's interests," but dismissed
it as not being a religious phe-
nomenon: "Islamic extremism
uses religion to cover its ambi-
tions." He also stated that "tra-
ditional values" of fundamentalist
Muslims need not conflict with
the West. He concluded with this
noteworthy observation: "There
is absolutely nothing in funda-
mentalism in any religion that
leads to radical behavior."
This interpretation of funda-
mentalist Islam reigns today in
the United States, for it repre-
sents not only the policy of the
government but also the consen-
sus among American scholars of
Islam.
The conservative, or dissident,
PHIL JACOBS ED TOR
view sees a great chasm between
traditional Islam and funda-
mentalist Islam. The one is a way
of life; the other, a radical ideol-
ogy. This view respects tradi-
tional Islam but sees
fundamentalists as an enemy
that must be combatted. There
is no such thing as a fundamen-
talist who simply wants to live
his life quietly, nor who forwards
"traditional values." These are
radicals who intend to turn their
societies upside down. The Right
sees conflict with fundamental-
ist Muslims as close to inevitable,
given how they despise the West
for what it is, not what it does.
The Right responds by advocat-
ing a tough stance against the
fundamentalists and their ideas.
This has several implications for
U.S. policy:
* Do not cooperate with fun-
damentalists; do not encourage
them; and do not engage in dia-
logue with them. Rather, oppose
them.
* Use the many instruments
of leverage to press fundamen-
talist states — the Sudan, Iran,
Afghanistan — to reduce their
aggressiveness.
* Celebrate and support Mus-
lim individuals and institutions
who stand up to the fundamen-
talist scourge with the immense
prestige of the United States as
well as the funds in its informa-
tion and development agencies.
* Stand by those Muslim gov-
ernments in combat with the fun-
damentalists. In the case of
Algeria, join the French in mak-
ing it clear that we don't want the
fundamentalists to take power.
As old divisions of the Cold
War revive in a new context, as
liberals and conservatives offer
arguments that echo those of
yore, it's important to keep in
mind who was right the last time
around, for that offers a strong
indication who will be right this
time, too.
It's
difficult eral from the Jewish commu-
enough for many nity, visited her, read to her and
in this "who you held conversations.
know" world of
Knowing this helped Rabbi
ours to imagine Freedman when he buried
what it must be Marilyn Cohn. Still, there was
like to be alone. no family to celebrate Marilyn
We've all known Cohn's life. There was no one
or even worried for Rabbi Freedman to console,
about a relative, no one's hand to hold.
maybe even an elderly parent
For Rabbi Freedman, a man
or grandparent, who lives who many in this city know as
alone.
almost always upbeat, Marilyn
What about dying alone?
Cohn's' death was a horrible
When Marilyn Cohn was blow. It made life seem empty
laid to rest recently at the He- and meaningless. No one be-
brew Memorial Park, there sides Rabbi Freedman cried.
were three people at her funer- Who will remember Marilyn
al. Two were Hebrew Memor- Cohn?
ial employees. The third was
That question we pose to you.
Rabbi Bunny Freedman, the di- If there is anyone out there who
rector of Jewish services for knew this woman and can give
Hospice of Southeastern Michi- us more information, be it from
gan. There were no family
members to contact. Ms.
Cohn was never married.
The 64-year-old Detroiter
had no siblings to call. She
was truly alone. Rabbi Freed-
man as well as Hebrew
Memorial made sure that
Marilyn Cohn received a
proper Jewish funeral. Yeshi-
va Beth Yehudah students
will say Kaddish for her.
The cause of death was
cancer. Three weeks ago,
while I was working on an-
other story at Hospice's
Franklin Care Center in De-
troit, Rabbi Freedman intro- Rabbi Bunny Freedman
duced me to Marilyn Cohn.
She was in a room with two a friendly exchange or a long-
other patients. When Rabbi term relationship, please call
Freedman talked to her, she re- me at 810-354-6060. Marilyn
sponded with a smile. Her eyes Cohn should not have died
were as big as saucers search- alone. Perhaps as Jews there
ing desperately for contact.
are lessons to be learned here
that life isn't meaningless
through a lonesome death. We
can't run around talking about
our close community and find
it acceptable that anyone fall
through the cracks, especially
at death.
A friend recounts the story
In the short time she was a of his mother's death in 1984.
Hospice resident, she told Rab- A victim of MS, he was in and
bi Freedman of how she grew out of the hospital with her for
up at Shaarey Zedek. She men- years. When she died, it was at
tioned her rabbi, the late Rab- 6 a.m. He regrets to this day
bi Morris Adler. Marilyn Cohn that the closest he could be to
would say words and expres- his beloved mother's last breath
sions particularly Jewish, such was a phone call from the hos-
as "L'Shana Tova," to Rabbi pital.
Freedman.
A year later, faced with the
Marilyn Cohn's lonely end same dire possibilities con-
had a somber effect on Rabbi cerning his ailing father, he and
Freedman. This is a man who his family chose hospice. His fa-
has been with scores of the Jew- ther died in his son's house. At
ish terminally ill and their fam- least there was a family con-
ilies as they face death. He nection this time to a passage.
works to teach an uplifting,
Maybe, just maybe, any in-
hopeful lesson from life. During formation you can provide will
her time under the care of Hos- help us all resolve the pain that
pice of Southeastern Michigan, we should collectively feel when
Marilyn was not alone. Staff a member of our community
members and volunteers, sev- dies...alone.
- Three persons
attended her
funeral.