Good Cop Bad Cop

Submitted by Daisy (United States), Aug 24, 2005 at 18:28

"... they are counterproductive. That's because radical Islam has two distinct wings - one violent and illegal, the other lawful and political - and they exist in tension with each other. The lawful strategy has proven itself effective, but the violent approach gets in its way."

Dr. Pipes, I am so often in complete agreement with you but on this (above) I beg to differ. It seems to me that the tension that holds the two strategies of radical Islam in cooperative relationship are, on one hand, the violent and illegal wing and on the other, the legal and violent wing. Both wings serve to fly the same agenda.

The two faces of Islamist domination attempts more resemble Good Cop -Bad Cop tactics than true oppositional forces. They use each other to further common goals. When the bombers kill, they drive a certain percentage of people into the arms of the legal, yet violent arm of Islamism. This "Islam is peace" branch is where people go seeking answers to the violent insanity.

In my opinion, such seekers of rational explanation will have come full circle back to irrationality and violence when they find themselves in the arms of legal (but violent) Islamists. Islamism clearly does not mean peace no matter which wing is flapping.

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