Search

The Prophet Muhammad--"peace be upon him" as the BBC has sycophantically taken to adding when the name is mentioned in its broadcasts--with a cartoon bomb in his turban? Well, it's […]

What is the nature of the problem the United States is trying to resolve? What are the methods chosen for the task? And what does the choice show about the [...]

The revivalist Muslims' adoption of a modernist interpretation of the Qur'an has dissipated western concerns of an immanent Islamic threat. A reappraisal of militant strongholds in Iran and Egypt focuses on the absence of a unified structure of religious and political beliefs among revivalist Muslim groups and political parties. Localized threats from Islamic militants in Israel continue to cause concern, although their disparate nature has eroded fears of Islamic hegemony in the Middle East. Fundamentalist Muslim states that reject militant Islam can be said to encourage a limited form of democracy.

Western analysts view the resurgence of Islam in vital geopolitical regions such as the Middle East as a potential threat to European interests. The politicized nature of revivalist Islam rests on the reinterpretation of basic beliefs, which analysts claim are contradictory to western norms. However, such perceptions of Islamic militants' intents are unfounded in the absence of a monolithic Islamic entity. While posturing by Muslim fundamentalists may constitute a long-term threat to the West, a less confrontational approach can help ease tensions between the historically hostile blocs.

The presence of Islamic activists in the US, Britain and France has become a political issue as some activists indulge in acts against the host country. This has led to stricter immigration laws which seek to distinguish exiles persecuted in the homeland for no justifiable reason, from those who wish to use the host country as a base to launch attacks against the government of their native country.

Lumping all Islamic countries under the rubric of Islamic fundamentalism amounts to a simplistic portrayal of a large and diverse region. Islamic movements which have gained popularity since the 1970s had indigenous roots and responded to different national conditions. A number of Islamic movements have evolved. Iran realizes it exists in a pluralist Moslem world and its economic problems are too great to allow a push for paramountcy in the region. Thus, fears that Islamic movements form a regional front in opposition to the West are simplistic and unwarranted.

The perceived threat of Islamic fundamentalism to world peace and security is based on politically and ideologically motivated misinterpretation of the reformist nature of Islamic revival. The portrayal of Iran as a radical Islamic terrorist state by the US has strengthened the extremists and weakened democratic, reformists groups in Iran. The spread of democracy and the introduction of socio-political reforms in the Middle East, especially in Iran, will undermine US domination over the region.

It may be only a matter of years before the tyrannical regime that is ruining Iran will be overthrown. The various mullahs and ayatollahs have succeeded only in undermining the worth of Iran's international credit. Its military could not stand up to Saddam Hussein, and there is increasing dissidence among the general populace. Bill Clinton needs to shape his foreign policy towards Iran in such a way as to encourage a greater role for the more moderate forces in the country. He also must commit the US to stopping the transfer of military high technology to enable the Iranians to develop weapons of mass destruction.

On November 3, 2006, Alexandr Vondra, foreign minister of the Czech Republic, addressed a conference in Prague on 'Religion and Politics--Islam in Europe, Europe in Islam,' organized by the Obeansky [...]

The increasing military and political dominance of the Islamic fundamentalist organization Taliban in Afghanistan is opposed by Central Asian nations who fear that a Taliban victory would destabilize the entire region. The reunification of Afghanistan under a stable Taliban regime, however, could actually prove beneficial to the Central Asian states. Taliban military successes in Afghanistan have already fostered peace negotiations in Tajikistan's civil war. A reunified Afghanistan also provides Central Asia with an alternative trade route, bypassing Russia and Iran, that could spur foreign investment.

On October 22, 2002, Oriana Fallaci addressed an audience at the American Enterprise Institute. Following are short excerpts from her talk. Ms. Fallaci, a native of Florence, Italy and a [...]