Islamofascism and Islamic Fascim: wrong term now in use by Bush

The term "Islamic fascism" or "Islamofascism" has been in use for some time, specially by right wing talk shows and Islamophobic web sites.

Now, it has gained currency in the jargon of the Bush administration. President G. W. Bush used it several times in speeches recently, including the recent trans-Atlantic bomb plot.

The term is ambiguous and imprecise, since historically, fascism was confined to secular governments, and not non-official religious groups. It also maligns Islam and Muslims in general by associating fascism with Islam.

The term now joins other conjured up fear inspiring terms, such as the dreaded Caliphate.

Hence the term is only rhetorical, and of no precise meaning. At least not any more than Christofascism, or Christian fascism.

No wonder that Islamophobes, such as Paul Sisk, a Lexington Kentucky Baptist minister, has used the term recently in a tirade against immigrants, saying that the "Islamofascists will not stop coming ...".

And no wonder that a sizable percentage of Americans view Muslims negatively and support them being subjected to more scrutiny at airports, and having them carry a special ID.

Resources

• Wikipedia article on Islamofascism.
• Wikipedia article on Islam fascism.
• MSNBC: Religious groups bristles at Bush term "Islamic fascists".
• AJC: Bush insists on Islamic fascists.
• MSNBC: Escalation in terminology.
• Arab News: Saying "islamic fascists" may defeat Bush's purpose.
• STLToday: Words that sting.
• BBC: Bush's language angers US Muslims.
• St. Petersburg Times: A fascist blast from the past.
• Scripps News: Calling them Islamic fascists can't help.