The Neo-cons' America, and their Fascism against Islam

ALI H. ASLAN

08.21.2006 Monday - ISTANBUL 01:22

Known for his progressive views, former US Vice-President Henry A. Wallace wrote in an article entitled “The Danger Of American Fascism,” published by “The New York Times” in 1944 that “The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information.”

Wallace’s second sentence proved to be true. Unfortunately: however, his foresight about the use of violence was mistaken. Strengthening their grip on American foreign policy during the Bush administration, the neo-fascist Neo-cons have not only poisoned information channels, but they also took the lead role in encouraging the use of violence.

Portrayed as an innocent act of defense after the September 11th attacks, the “war against terror” was actually a very calculated plan of attack and expansion. Its principal authors were the individuals who gathered around the “Project for New American Century” in 1997, many of whom hold key positions in the Bush administration now. An evident desire to change or overthrow rebellious regimes is apparent in the foundation of the Neo-cons’ ideology, making the US the only dominant world power and using its huge military power for this purpose, first and foremost in the Middle East. With their fascist and colonizing mentality, the Neo-cons stated in documents entitled “Rebuilding America’s Defenses” that this transformation could not be easily realized without a catastrophic event like Pearl Harbor. The September 11 attacks were more than enough!

Under the mask of a global struggle against terrorism and through public poisoning and disinformation tactics, the global plans of the Neo-cons have set U.S. official policy in a short time. Not to mention the contributions of the fascist-dominant evangelical Christians and pro-Israel lobbies. The wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon and plans for regime changes in Syria and Iran are all a part of the “Project for New American Century.” The “New Middle East” is their dream.

With its constitutional immune system greatly deteriorating after the September 11th attacks, the U.S. today is experiencing a feverish illness under the influence of a fascist virus. Inhumane crimes such as Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and Haditha were perpetrated as the fever rose to their heads. Those stricken with the fascism virus use the reflection tactic of psychology, that is, they attempt to appropriate their illness to others. Fascist scorn is showered on Islam and Muslims, which are seen as obstacles to the “Project for New American Century.”

The increasingly common juxtaposition of the words “Islam” and “fascism” in America is a result of the efforts to poison public opinion by the Neo-cons. They cut the White House to fit their own lines. President Bush first used terms with a Neo-con stamp like “Islamo-fascist,” “Islamic radicalism” and “Islamo-fascism” in a speech he made on October 6, 2005 at the National Endowment for Democracy. He later used such terms between the lines on different occasions. This subject caught Turkey’s attention the most last week by way of a statement Bush made after the London terror operation. It was reported by many Turkish press organizations that Bush used the term “Islamist fascist.” Actually, the U.S. president mentioned a war against “Islamic fascists.” The adjective “Islamic” is used in two ways in English. The first means Muslim. The other means something conforming and belonging to the Islamic religion. If the first meaning was intended, it points to certain Muslims encouraging fascism. In the second meaning, fascism is directly linked to Islam. While Neo-cons, most of whom are enemies of both Muslims and Islam, say “Islamo-fascism,” let there be no doubt that they intend the latter meaning. I hope Bush, who frequently says that Islam is a religion of peace, didn’t use the term in the same meaning.

Just like the term “Islamic terror,” Bush’s juxtaposition of the words fascism and Islam, the spirits of which are completely opposite, pleases Islam’s enemies and troubles Muslims. Fascist and fanatic segments in America target Muslims. There is inevitably a rise in hate attacks on mosques and Islamic cultural centers following such talk.

Officials of the Council on American-Islam Relations (CAIR) respectfully warned Bush about the matter at a press conference held last week at the National Press Club. They complained the usage of these controversial terms without defining them yield to generalizations about ordinary Muslims who perform their worship and have no connection to any violent movements. They reminded the public that authorities in England, another country under the threat of terror, don’t use these kinds of ideologically compounded expressions. (Because there are no Neo-cons in England!)

Unmistakably, it’s not Islam and fascism that suit each other, but Neo-conservatism and fascism. Yes, some Muslims can have fascist mentalities. However, most of these are Muslims who call themselves religious, but actually don’t understand Islam, or those who are not religious at all. In fact, the malady of fascism was introduced to our geography from the West. During the Cold War, weren’t anti-Communist fascist movements and regimes protected?

August 14, 2006

08.21.2006

e-mail:a.aslan@zaman.com.tr

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