Writers Warn of Islamic “Totalitarianism”
March 1, 2006, 6:10 pm |
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By Andrew L. Jaffee
Twelve authors, including Salman Rushdie and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, have issued an elegant statement condemning Islamic totalitarianism, penned in reaction to the Muslim rampaging, killing, and burning over the Mohammed cartoons. The letter’s full text, along with a list of its signatories, is shown below, from the BBC. The statement was originally published in the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo, but it should be noted that even Aljazeera covered the statement.
After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new global totalitarian threat: Islamism.
We, writers, journalists, intellectuals, call for resistance to religious totalitarianism and for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values for all.
Recent events, prompted by the publication of drawings of Muhammad in European newspapers, have revealed the necessity of the struggle for these universal values.
This struggle will not be won by arms, but in the ideological field.
It is not a clash of civilisations nor an antagonism between West and East that we are witnessing, but a global struggle that confronts democrats and theocrats.
Like all totalitarian ideologies, Islamism is nurtured by fear and frustration.
Preachers of hatred play on these feelings to build the forces with which they can impose a world where liberty is crushed and inequality reigns.
But we say this, loud and clear: nothing, not even despair, justifies choosing darkness, totalitarianism and hatred.
Islamism is a reactionary ideology that kills equality, freedom and secularism wherever it is present.
Its victory can only lead to a world of injustice and domination: men over women, fundamentalists over others.
On the contrary, we must ensure access to universal rights for the oppressed or those discriminated against.
We reject the “cultural relativism” which implies an acceptance that men and women of Muslim culture are deprived of the right to equality, freedom and secularism in the name of the respect for certain cultures and traditions.
We refuse to renounce our critical spirit out of fear of being accused of “Islamophobia”, a wretched concept that confuses criticism of Islam as a religion and stigmatisation of those who believe in it.
We defend the universality of the freedom of expression, so that a critical spirit can exist in every continent, towards each and every maltreatment and dogma.
We appeal to democrats and free spirits in every country that our century may be one of light and not dark.
Signed by:
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Chahla Chafiq
Caroline Fourest
Bernard-Henri Levy
Irshad Manji
Mehdi Mozaffari
Maryam Namazie
Taslima Nasreen
Salman Rushdie
Antoine Sfeir
Philippe Val
Ibn Warraq
Also from the BBC: Some background on the signatories:
- Salman Rushdie - Indian-born British writer with fatwa issued ordering his execution for The Satanic Verses
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali - Somali-born Dutch MP
- Taslima Nasreen - exiled Bangladeshi writer, with fatwa issued ordering her execution
- Bernard-Henri Levy - French philosopher
- Chahla Chafiq - Iranian writer exiled in France
- Caroline Fourest - French writer
- Irshad Manji - Ugandan refugee and writer living in Canada
- Mehdi Mozaffari - Iranian academic exiled in Denmark
- Maryam Namazie - Iranian writer living in Britain
- Antoine Sfeir - director of French review examining Middle East
- Ibn Warraq - US academic of Indian/Pakistani origin
- Philippe Val - director of Charlie Hebdo
Special Report: Danish Cartoons
Related: Arab/Muslim World, Islam, War Against Islamo-fascism
March 1st, 2006 at 7:25 pm
I found the phrasing of the letter, though noble, a bit clumsy but certainly an important development. I won’t quibble, but, to wit:
“This struggle will not be won by arms, but in the ideological field.”
Only half true. We should always be ready to use either means as time and circumstance warrant. To believe otherwise is too rosy, too adolscent, a politcal style, morally depleting their overall aim and argument. And, exactly, what is the “ideoloigical field”? The intellectual class that has time for ideas? Those who are well versed in the profession of ideas? The democratic collective? Presumably its their own punditocracy.
Sorry to be so pendantic but these guys ARE intellectuals.
Most beautiful line:
“But we say this, loud and clear: nothing, not even despair, justifies choosing darkness, totalitarianism and hatred.”
Indeed.
Thanks for posting it.
March 2nd, 2006 at 10:31 am
“This struggle will not be won by arms, but in the ideological field.”
I agree we should not rule out arms, but as you said, “these guys ARE intellectuals.”
But I believe this is significant, as many of the writers are Muslims, and we haven’t heard much from Islam criticizing the cartoon frenzy (though there are a few exceptions, like Fareed Zakaria).
Also, the letter was published widely, even on Aljazeera — lots of Muslims read Aljazeera — and does compare Islamism with “fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism.” Something I thought I’d never hear from intellectuals, or which would be repeated on state-run Arab media.
Though it is notable, in typical intellectual fashion, not to refer to communism, but only to Stalinism (as if there was a difference).
While not perfect, it is a start. And they do have a point, that somehow we must convince Muslims to turn to peaceful means. But your point is well taken, as it took 2 atomic bombs and massive carpet bombing to convince Japanese and Germans to surrender.
So I think their reference to war was directed not only at the West (e.g., Bush’s invasion of Iraq), but directed at violent Muslims hoping to achieve their aims misguidedly through violence.
March 3rd, 2006 at 12:00 am
The statement says in part:
“This struggle will not be won by arms, but in the ideological field.”
The only way for the West and those Muslims who do reject Islamic radicalism, to win this struggle is for the West to not retreat one inch from defending and acting upon its values, ethics, laws and its freedom of speech.
As important as this statement is, unless western governments recant their appeasing statements to the Muslim world and the MSM publishes those cartoons and unequivocally condemns all the radical Muslims, imams including the radical Danish imam, Laban and the Arab regimes that orchestrated the violent Muslim protests, all these nice sounding words will come to nought.
Even a struggle in the ideological field means a form of war which to be effective must eschew words and policies of political correctness and appeasement.
To win that war, the West’s message must be clear and unequivocal.
The West must defend and promote all that the West believes is right, moral and just and attack those radical Islamic beliefs, perceptions and ways that are an anathema to the West and which are antithetical to Western beliefs, culture, laws, ethics, and morality.
The West’s ideological war must be boldly and unrelentingly taken to the Muslim world until the majority of the Muslim world rejects Islamic radicalism and opts for a path that is compatible with Western ways and that path exudes an ideology of mutual respect and tolerance between the Western and Muslim worlds.
Cross Posted: Israpundit