DANIEL PIPES

from page 34

Islamism

This is the body of ideas that takes the
religion of Islam and makes it the basis
of a radical utopian ideology along the
lines of fascism and Marxism-
Leninism. It has ambitions to replace
capitalism and liberalism as the reign-
ing world system.
Islamism accounts for the anti-
American hatred coming out of places
remote from the Arab-Israeli conflict,
like Nigeria and Afghanistan.
Adherents of this outlook are not, as
one might expect, self-consciously
aggressive but see themselves sur-
rounded and besieged by the West.
Around the world, Islamists feel,
they are stymied by an arrogant and
imperialist West. In the words of an
Egyptian, the Americans "have us by
the throat."
Islamists discern a long list of coun-
tries
Algeria, Turkey, Egypt and
Malaysia are prominent examples —
‘vhere they believe local Muslim rulers
are doing the West's dirty business in
suppressing their movement. They also
have another list — Kashmir,
Afghanistan, and Sudan rank high
here — where they see the West
actively suppressing the best Islamist
efforts to establish a just society ,.
Whenever Muslims move towards
the emergence of an Islamic State, one
Islamist explains, the "treacherous
hands of the secular West are always
there in the Muslim world to bring
about the defeat of the Islamic forces. -
The solution lies in fundamentally
changing the nature of the United
States, so that it becomes sympathetic
ro such Islamist efforts.
-
It bears noting that while Palestinian
nationalists and Islamists share a
hatred of all things American, their
goals are different: the former merely
aspire ro a change in the country's for-
eign policy, whereas the latter seek to
change the very nature of the country.
In the meantime, however, both can
take indecent pleasure from American
suffering. That Palestinian nationalists
and Islamists have so crudely revealed
their enmity to the United States gives
clear proof of their attitudes and
intentions.
This has an obvious policy signifi-
cance for Westerners: It means that we
know who some of our most devoted
enemies are.
Western governments had for years
fooled themselves into thinking that
they could appease these extremist
movements or maybe simply ignore
them. At least now, after so many
thousands of lost lives, we know what
a bitter falsehood that i s .

This war has been brought to the heart of
America. Everyday we lose lives. The time
right now is extremely critical. Israel needs
our support now more than ever.

Join us for a crucial evening with

guest speaker

Israel's Chief of Staff

Lieutenant General Shaul Mofaz.

Fifth Annual Solidarity Dinner
Thursday, October 4, 2001
6:30 in the evening
Congregation Shaarey Zedek

Southfield, Michigan

Honoree

Robert R Aronson

Dinner Chairpersons:

Special guest speaker

Penny & Harold

Blumenstein

Shari & Alon

Lisa & Gary

Kaufman

Shiff man

Lieutenant General
Shaul Mofaz

Israel's Chief of Staff

P.R. Chairperson: Uri Segal
Specialty Chairperson: Patricia Haron

For more information, please call Anat (248) 203 2060

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cp

/SRAa

01

2001

35

