Opinion | Columnists
Bush's Islamo-fascist remark is off the mark
US President George W. Bush will find it difficult to justify comment that shows his true feelings towards Muslims.
- By Duraid Al Baik, Foreign Editor
- Published: 00:00 August 17, 2006
- Image Credit: Gulf News
The shocking statement on August 10 by US President George W. Bush, linking Islam with fascism, provided indisputable evidence about the nature and roots of the war this administration launched, on what it labelled as terrorism after the 9/11 attacks on the United States.
Unlike previous incidents when Bush described his war against terrorism as a crusade that invited heavy criticism from Muslims around the world, this time, Bush aides have very little room to manoeuvre in order to clean up the mess he has created by his statement.
It is clear that Bush, who picked up quickly on John Reid's announcement about a foiled attempt to blow up 10 planes by 24 young British Muslims, had little time to prepare his statement in a way that enabled him to cloak his negative opinion about Islam behind more diplomatic declaration.
He opted to attack Islam and Muslims instead of addressing the roots of terrorism that have been growing unchecked even in Europe and amongst Europeans because of unwise policies.
Bush, instead should have targeted the genuine fascists who had been destroying Lebanon for almost a month on the day the terrorist plot was uncovered.
However, Bush is free to speak his mind the way he feels about fascists and fascism, but he should take care not to mix up facts and destroy the foundation of logical thinking, especially when it comes to the religious beliefs of more than one billion people.
Such statements by a world leader such as Bush will definitely widen the rift between Muslims and the West and will intensify terrorism rather than solve the problem that hurts the US more than any other country.
It is hard to understand why Bush decided to connect fascism with Islam. It is an unfounded allegation, in this particular case, because the suspects who are said to have been involved in the attempt to smuggle explosives in their handbags and blow up planes were all Europeans of second or third generation Asian descent in addition to one Caucasian Briton, who embraced Islam months ago.
No one would believe that embracing Islam for a period less than a year would turn someone from a peaceful Christian to a fascist Muslim!
The unfounded conclusions should not have been stated by the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth, who is expected to know the difference between Islam and fascism.
On his arrival at the Austin Straubel International Airport in Wisconsin, Bush is reported to have said: "The recent arrests that our fellow citizens are now learning about, are a stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation."
However, Bush's opinion about Islam and Muslims is not new. Five years ago, a few days after the September 11 attacks, Bush had first shocked the Islamic world when he said: "This crusade", referring to "the war on terrorism".
Slip of tongue
At that time, Bush's advisers explained to Muslims that the president had never intended to recall the crusades against Muslims in his war against terrorism. They insisted that the statement was just a slip of tongue.
The administration went ahead in cleaning up the negative environment created by the statement by arranging a presidential visit to the Islamic Centre in Washington DC.
Flanked by Muslim community leaders, Bush said: "The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace. They represent evil and war."
Laura Dawn Lewis, Washington Post columnist and writer, once wrote: "Fascism is a government structure with its most notable characteristic including the separation and persecution or denial of equality to a specific segment of the population based upon superficial qualities or belief systems."
She said: "A fascist government always has one class of citizens that is considered superior (good) to another (bad) based upon race, creed or origin. It is possible to be both a republic and a fascist state. The preferred class lives in a republic while the oppressed class lives in a fascist state."
Since its independence and until 1962, the US was a fascist state and since its creation and up till today Israel is fascist according to Laura's definition.
No hints
Fascism, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is slightly different, but there are still no hints of linking a religion with fascism as Bush did.
The dictionary prints: Fascism is a political philosophy, movement or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralised autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation and forcible suppression of opposition.
Islam as well as Muslims believe in total equality amongst all members of human race regardless of origin, colour and religion. Islam never approves killing others because they are Jews or Christians.
If Bush failed to see the 33-day barbaric war launched by the state of Israel against Lebanon as a fascist act then he definitely has a problem and he has to fix the definition of fascism before using the word.
Picking on a bunch of European youngsters, who studied and grew up in Europe and relating them to Islamic fascism is not correct by any means.
If the US president's statement on the crusades was a slip of tongue, this time the statement is definitely a case of poor vision or even blindness.
The 37 massacres against innocent civilians committed by the Israel Defence Forces, which has the most sophisticated and intelligent weapons in the world, is the true picture of fascism. Meanwhile, Islam remains the religion of peace.
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