How Muslims themselves use “Islamist”

Regarding my statement that there is no such thing as “Islamism,” Ken Hechtman writes:

This might sound like a silly question but … where did you look?

If you’d done a Google search on “I am an Islamist” and “We are Islamists,” you would have found Sufi feminists, Al Qaeda affiliates and most everything in between. The distinction exists in Arabic too. If someone says he’s a “Mussulman,” he’s telling you how he prays. If he says he’s an an “Islamyi” (used as a noun), he’s also telling you how he votes.

My reply to Mr. Hechtman:

Thanks for these many quotes, which in fact prove my point. “Islamist” as used by the people you quote does not mean what Westerners mean by “Islamism,” a belief system distinct from Islam itself. Rather, it’s just a way of saying, “I am someone who believes in Islam, in the importance of Islam.” As you yourself point out, extremist Muslims use it, feminist Muslims use it, and in-between Muslims use it. “Islamist” is basically a synonym for “Islamic.” Maybe some people use it in the sense you mean, of favoring Islamic political parties, but, one, that usage doesn’t seem consistent, and, two, it does not convey the meaning attributed to the word by Western intellectuals and journalists, that is, pertaining to a political ideology based on 20th century totalitarianism aimed at gaining world power for Islam through the use of terror, and encompassing specifically such groups and movements as the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, al Qaeda, and the Iranian Revolution. And in any case, I don’t think you will be able to find Muslims who call themselves “Islamofascists,” which, of course, the neocons use interchangeably with “Islamist.”

Here are the quotes Mr. Hechtman provided:

Ibrahim Sarsur, Chairman of the United Arab List—Ta’al Party (Israel):

“I declare that I am an Islamist who believes that the whole Muslim world should unify in order to achieve its goals, exactly as China, the United States and India did, and this has no connection to Israel,”

Faisal Bodi, Al Jazeera reporter (Britain):

“Last month, when it became clear that the US-led drive to war was irreversible, I—like many other British journalists—relocated to Qatar for a ringside seat. But I am an Islamist journalist, so while the others bedded down at the £1m media centre at U.S. central command in As-Sayliyah, I found a more humble berth in the capital Doha, working for the internet arm of al-Jazeera.”

Hamid Gul, ISI chief and godfather of the Taliban (Pakistan):

“I am an Islamist. Islam is the final destiny of mankind. Islam is moderate, Islam is progressive. Islam is everything that man needs. It is not necessary to become a Muslim but it is necessary to adopt the principles of Islam. Naseem Azavi and Iqbal’s writings have influenced my thinking.”

Abu Hamza, imam of the Finsbury Park mosque (Britain):

“I am an Islamist, and it does not matter if this fact would violates or complies with their view. The important thing is that to be in the context of Islam.”

Ahmed Ben Bella, first prime minister of Algeria:

“I am an Islamist. And I am an Islamist Pan-Arabist before I am an Algerian. The West tried hard and long to obliterate our Arab and Islamic culture. We Algerians are only too aware of this historical fact. That is why being a Muslim is an essential, a sacrosanct component of our identity.”

Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah (Lebanon):

“We are Islamists, believing in the religion of Mohamed (peace be upon him), but we can still cooperate with a Marxist believing in Marx or Lenin.”

Bassam Jamil al-Khadher, Jiddah city councillor (Saudi Arabia)

“We are people known for our public service. It is only natural that we will get such support. We are an Islamic country and we are Islamists.”

Nadia Yassine, Justice and Spirituality Party leader (Morocco) She’s the Sufi feminist and she can’t catch a break. The government locked her up as an extremist and the Salafis excommunicated her as an apostate.

“Are we Islamists? If being Islamist means defining oneself in relation to an Islamic system of reference, then we are Islamists. […] To be Islamist for our movement is first of all to find one’s roots in a spiritual system of reference (that of the Muslim peoples, of course) and draw from it the requisite legitimacy and consensus to better cope with the realities of the modern world and surpass our political archaistic views.”

Abdelilah Benkiran, Justice and Development Party leader (Morocco):

“We want calm change, not like in Algeria. We are Islamists. That means we must go slowly, be careful and not rock the boat so much that it sinks,”

Hamid al-Bayati, SCIRI spokesman (Iraq):

“Everybody believes in democracy, even Islamists. We are Islamists and we believe that democracy is the only way to ensure freedom.’’

Wajih el-Nazzan, Hamas mayor of Qalqilya (Palestine)

“If and when democracy comes to the Islamic world, it is the task of the Americans to treat people like us—even if we are Islamists—with respect.”

Kaide Magazine, Turkish Al Qaeda affiliate publication:

The leader of the Islamist IBDA-C organization, also known as ‘the Commander’ Salih Mirzabeyoglu’s photograph is on the cover of the new magazine Kaide. In the foreword of the first issue they introduce themselves as: “we are Islamists—we are IBDA!”

Posted by Lawrence Auster at March 22, 2006 07:40 PM | Send