Responding to Fitzgerald on Clash of Civilizations
Recently Fitzgerald at Jihad Watch criticized the short comings of the term “Clash of Civilizations” to describe the “Global War on Terror”, offering the alternative view that “truthful description of the conflict as one motivated by a belief-system, the belief-system of Islam”. (link)
I took a differing view on this at Jihadwatch here…and here is a rebuttal by a follow poster.
My Response (with minor corrections):
The term “Clash of Civilizations” and the “Global War on Terror” are short-sighted and misleading. I think Fitzgerald and I agree on that.
But, Fitzgerald and I differ when he states that the “truthful description of the conflict as one motivated by a belief-system, the belief-system of Islam”.
Au contraire, I think its far more complicated than that…
Islam is being exploited as a vehicle for fighting what many see as their continuing oppression of Muslims by non-Muslims and/or oppressive governments. Look at Thailand, Philippines, Bosnia, Chechnya, Palestine, Kosovo, Muslims in Eurrope and so on. Conflicts there can be easily seen (true or not) as a conflict between oppressed Muslims and non-Muslims or the government. Additionally, in Uzbekistan and elsewhere, Islam is seen as the alternative and solution to an otherwise corrupt and inept government system.
