"Islamist" vs. "Islam"

Submitted by Barry Wolfe (United States), Apr 11, 2006 at 12:40

"An Islamist is anyone who believes, and actively attempts to implement, the notion that the Qur'an and the tradition of the Hadith should be used to help guide the way societies and governments are run."

How does this definition of "Islamist" differ from Islam in the mainstream? Most of the Qu'ran concerns questions of government. Our new democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq seek to make sharia the basis of the legal code. And what has been the dream of mainstream Islam since its inception but the global caliphate?

Our enemy is not some off-shoot perversion of an otherwise great religion. Our enemy is a perverse religion. If we've had such trouble finding the "moderates," there is only one logical conclusion - they don't exist. Messrs. Pipes and Fuller are quite correct that we must first recognize the enemy. They need to follow their own advice.

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