Comparisons of Islamic Fundamentalism to Fascism
Comparisons of Islamic Fundamentalism to Fascism
This is the age of fear, inequality and extreme forms of government. The 20th century has seen the rise and fall of totalitarian governments and the terror and loss of human lives as a result. Today in the West, there is a new kind of terror – Islamic Fundamentalism, which in many ways mirrors Fascism of the past century. Even thought they are two completely different philosophies, they have some similar goals.
Both ideologies require fanaticism of devotion to the causes of these regimes. Islamic Fundamentalism encourages suicide bombings, like the one we have seen in the tragic events of September 11, promising the one who dies a path to heaven and eternal glory of Allah. Fascism preached that fighting and dying for fatherland, killing Jews and their allies who were “threatening the civilized world” was an honorable thing to do and was strongly encouraged. Fascism tends to celebrate masculinity, mystical unity, and the regenerative power of violence, just like Islamic Fundamentalism.
The ideals of Islamic Fundamentalism are opposed to human rights. Freedom of expression, information, freely choosing, changing and discarding one’s religion and the right to life are some of the fundamental Human Rights, which are threatened by fundamentalism, going to the extent of advocating death for non-believers and freethinkers. Fascism also rejects the liberal doctrines of individual autonomy and rights, political pluralism, and representative government, yet it advocates broad popular participation in politics and may use parliamentary channels in its drive to power.
Both Islamic Fundamentalism and Fascism are involved in dehumanization and scape -goating of the enemy, seeing them as an inferior or subhuman force, perhaps involved in a conspiracy that justifies eradicating them. In the first instance, it is the non- believers and most importantly, it is the U.S. and the Americans, in the latter the hatred of racially inferior people like the Jews, gypsies, mentally disabled, homosexuals or any other group that did not fit a strict set of qualifications as a pure and loyal Aryan. Fundamentalism has been a major source of violent conflict in society. The amount of bloodshed inspired and motivated by religion has been terrible. Apart from open religious wars like crusades and jihad, there is also the problem of what are known as "communal riots" which are between two religious groups. During such riots, persons belonging to one religious group deliberately destroy life and property...