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John Esposito explains Islamism and rising anti-Americanism
In a new article, John Esposito, no doubt one of the world’s foremost experts on political Islam, tries to explain the roots of anger in the Islamic world, but also the roots and goals of Islamism more generally. Washington’s failure to distinguish between moderate and extreme Islamism -- in his opinion -- is feeding th
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Wednesday, April 18,2007 00:00 | |||||||||
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In a new article, John Esposito, no doubt one of the world’s foremost experts on political Islam, tries to explain the roots of anger in the Islamic world, but also the roots and goals of Islamism more generally. Washington’s failure to distinguish between moderate and extreme Islamism -- in his opinion -- is feeding the cycle of extremism:
He implicitly mocks the Washington doctrine of supporting democracy, but only if their favorite candidates win and enforce their favorite policies:
The article includes reference to a detailed Gallup study of opinions in the Muslim world. His final conclusion comes as no surprise to most Muslims and careful observers of the Muslim scene, and clearly contradicts the "clash of civilizations" view that "they hate our way of life". In fact, they mostly want a similar way of life, but feel that failed and malicious policies by their own and foreign governments are frustrating their aspirations to better economic and political conditions. Of course, as in most cases, the true cause of the problem is economic in nature:
For better understanding the role of oil in U.S. foreign policy toward the Islamic world, especially in recent years, there is no better reference than Kevin Phillips’ recent book: American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century. Esposito concludes:
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Posted in Reform Issues |
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