Totalitarian ideologies
Reader comment on item: A Better World[, Explains Michael Mandelbaum]

Submitted by Anonymous (Italy), Dec 27, 2002 at 04:58

Fascism and communism despised democracy and freedom. The individual was subordinated to the state and the ideology governed every aspect of her life. War became a central theme in totalitarian systems and society was heavily militarised. Obedience to the state was paramount and -in the name of the state- every atrocity could be justified. Marxism-Leninism despised the individual and saw it as a very unimportant player in modern life. Both fascism and communism (at least in Stalin's Russia) were characterised for a basic contempt for humanity.

Now that 20th century ideologies have disappeared, Militant Islam is the only coherent ideology left. The majority of Muslims are very decent and honest people. However, some support the totalitarian ideology of Militant Islam (not to be confused with real, peaceful Islam). Militant Islam is expanding and yet Europe and America are not recognising the threat. Muslim Extremists are targeting innocent people all over the world: New York, Bali, Pakistan, India. Muslim Extremists believe in a totalitarian ideology and their aim is to beat the world into submission. They hate Jews, Christians and homosexuals; they use violence as a mean of achieving their goals; they intimidate their opponents. Sudan should provide a good example of what this totalitarian ideology can do: Sudanese society has been militarised; children are forced to learn the Koran; slavery has made a come-back; Christians are killed on daily basis. In the beginnigng, nobody took Stalin seriously; as a result of that millions died. How many people have got to die this time?

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