40 readers online now

99,258 comments by 26,347 readers

Go to Mobile Site

It has been easier to describe the enemy than to name it
Reader comment on item: Dr. Daniel Pipes of the Middle East Forum discusses the reluctance of the media to call Islamic perpetrators of terror "

Submitted by John Pruitt (United States), Sep 22, 2004 at 18:03

Perhaps the media's relunctance to name the "enemy" and the Administration's difficulty in giving it a name is contributed to by our value of religious freedom. When war aggression and conquest is done by a nation or nationality, it is an easy matter to name (and perhaps propagandize against) the nationality. Japan is a good example. But when the group who is waging war for world domination is a radical subgoup of one of the world's largest religious groups and is transnational in nature, it becomes much more difficult to put a name with the face. Not all radical muslims are Arabic. Not all Arabic muslims are radical. Even to the point that subgroups within the religion violently oppose each other. To make matters worse, not all Islamic terrorists are fighting for the world-wide Caliphate. It has been easier to describe the enemy, than it has been to name it.

Sempre fi.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

Submit a comment on this item

Search by Enter name or date
Search Forum Comments:

Reader comments (7) on this item

Title By Date
Thanks [27 words]abdi hakimApr 16, 2007 05:06
Militant Islam consists of what? [95 words]Milo GardnerOct 11, 2004 20:03
Working for the enemy [139 words]Peter Edgar, AustraliaSep 23, 2004 00:11
⇒ It has been easier to describe the enemy than to name it [151 words]John PruittSep 22, 2004 18:03
Fear and terror [51 words]JuddSep 20, 2004 16:00
Interviewer Override [34 words]William HayesSep 14, 2004 05:40
Thanks for all you are doing [63 words]Tom PensylSep 12, 2004 16:11

Comment on this item

Name
Email Address (optional)
Title of Comments
Comments:

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

See the 25 most recent outstanding comments.

ADVERTISEMENTS

Premium Links by Wikio

Computers
Electronics
Communication
Appliances

eXTReMe Tracker

All materials written by Daniel Pipes on this site © Daniel Pipes. Email: MeqMef@aol.com

You can help support Daniel Pipes' important work by making a tax-deductible donation to the Middle East Forum.