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The Term Islamist - Is It the Issue?

Reader comment on item: [President Bush and] Naming the Enemy

Submitted by Ira Katz (United States), Aug 17, 2004 at 12:14

I subscribe to and appreciate your column. In this article the effort given to attempt to define or establish a common meaning to the words 'Islamist' and 'Islamism' seems both needed and yet also perhaps academic. I've received and read much literature about the issue and am myself not clear on how to label these militant extremists or Islamic terrorists. It sems many writers use these terms to apply to them. I am also sensitive to the need to distinguish between them and Muslims who seem to live by a peaceful faith. Your paraphrase of Prince Naif's comments - including the statement that he himself is an Islamist suggests to me that the term may be mis-applied. If the Prince is an Islamist but not one if this group, something is wriong with the term or its application. That the movement is totalitarian in its aims is very clear. I don't understand what value would be gained by being very specific about the term. Perhaps the 'term' is not your point. ...
Submitting....

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Reader comments (28) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
1do muslims and islamists follow a different doctrine? [93 words]XavierNov 4, 2005 06:4227769
Aren't Islamists true Muslims according to the Koran? [467 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
William KarkowAug 29, 2004 20:1016574
Must expose the brutality [104 words]S.C.PandaAug 25, 2004 06:1616485
"Does President Bush Really Get It Yet?" [262 words]Ms Judy KeckAug 24, 2004 21:1516475
Ideological war [65 words]D. ConnellAug 24, 2004 09:1916468
Islamo-fascism [61 words]Prof. Victor DanushevskyAug 23, 2004 22:3616465
Identifying Enemies of Democracy [16 words]John Randall PeacherAug 23, 2004 04:0816463
U.N. Role [54 words]F. WexAug 22, 2004 17:4716462
Fellow travellers [242 words]David and Valerea ThomasAug 21, 2004 00:0316451
Another related enemy [117 words]John P ReynoldsAug 20, 2004 22:1416450
Where are they? [45 words]Frank van DeventerAug 20, 2004 17:3316449
Words [147 words]William StenwickAug 20, 2004 13:5116448
The Awakenig [139 words]R MckeeAug 20, 2004 12:0816447
ISLAMISTS [76 words]jaime eisenAug 20, 2004 08:3916445
It's About Time [180 words]Carl BossieuxAug 19, 2004 13:3416434
Very nice article [53 words]BernardzAug 18, 2004 02:4116414
Huntington was right the first time! [197 words]Mike LallatinAug 17, 2004 20:5316409
The truth of Islamic Fascism [526 words]Arlinda DeAngelisAug 17, 2004 19:4816407
Murderers [36 words]F.B.WexelbaumAug 17, 2004 14:5916402
Naming the Enemy [219 words]Geoff GAug 17, 2004 12:4416401
The Term Islamist - Is It the Issue? [172 words]Ira KatzAug 17, 2004 12:1416397
Defining the enemy [289 words]Allen WeingartenAug 17, 2004 12:0916395
Political correctness is tying our hands [68 words]SaeelAug 17, 2004 11:1916392
What's in a "Name!" [214 words]M RothchildAug 17, 2004 09:3816390
Religion is antithetical to life as a human. [72 words]Ralph C. Whaley MDAug 17, 2004 08:3516387
Importance of your work [91 words]Flora SteinmanAug 17, 2004 07:5216386
1Not extremists and not fringe [83 words]Moshe DarAug 17, 2004 05:1816385
Has Bush got the name right? [253 words]Anthony ChaseAug 17, 2004 05:0316384

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