Washington is getting enthusiastic about an ideological war these days: not between Democrats and Republicans — that’s old news — but rather between Americans and radical Islam. Many of those who spent the past several weeks insisting that we label jihadi terrorists “Islamic” now urge that we fight them on the ideological front. It’s the right arena, but such a struggle would be different from past wars of ideas and could lead to some surprising recommendations for action.

It’s difficult to remember today that for decades, tens of millions of people around the world were greatly attracted to communism. Some of the West’s greatest intellectuals — such as playwright George Bernard Shaw and novelist and historian H.G. Wells — wrote sympathetically about it. By the 1930s, when democracy seemed to be foundering and fascism was on the march, many thought socialism was the obvious answer to the world’s woes. In the first elections after World War II, Communist parties got about a quarter and a fifth of the vote in France and Italy, respectively, leading many to worry that those countries would become communist. Around the developing world, the call of socialism and communism was real and strong.

Radical Islam, by contrast, is severely limited in its global appeal. Almost by definition, it is deeply unattractive to all non-Muslims. What Christian would want the forced imposition of sharia law? Even within the Muslim world, radical Islam does not resonate. In the half of that world that holds elections — including Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Iraq, even Pakistan — such ideologies have not garnered many votes. The Muslim Brotherhood’s electoral success in Egypt is a partial exception to this rule, but it fared well for a variety of reasons unrelated to its Islamic ideology (which was also not nearly as radical as Egypt’s military dictatorship claims).

Because the ideas at stake are potentially seductive only to Muslims, the ideological war today is really a struggle within Islam. It’s a cultural war that has to be waged by Muslims. If outsiders such as the United States want to play a role, they should listen to and support Muslims fighting the good fight. One such person is the king of Jordan, Abdullah II, whom I interviewed this week in Amman.

President Obama is inclined not to describe the Islamic State as “Islamic,” and the king supports this, saying, “They’re looking for legitimacy that they don’t have inside of Islam.” But the truth is that it’s irrelevant what Obama wants to call these terrorists. What matters is what the king and other locals here in Jordan and across the Arab world call them. And uniformly, they choose not to call it the Islamic State, ISIS or ISIL. Instead, they call it Daesh, a rough acronym that is seen as derogatory because it sounds like the Arabic word “daes,” which means to crush underfoot. The word that King Abdullah prefers is “khawarij,” which translates to “outlaws” or “renegades” of Islam.

confuzzled dude wrote:

Washington is getting enthusiastic about an ideological war these days: not between Democrats and Republicans — that’s old news — but rather between Americans and radical Islam. Many of those who spent the past several weeks insisting that we label jihadi terrorists “Islamic” now urge that we fight them on the ideological front. It’s the right arena, but such a struggle would be different from past wars of ideas and could lead to some surprising recommendations for action.

It’s difficult to remember today that for decades, tens of millions of people around the world were greatly attracted to communism. Some of the West’s greatest intellectuals — such as playwright George Bernard Shaw and novelist and historian H.G. Wells — wrote sympathetically about it. By the 1930s, when democracy seemed to be foundering and fascism was on the march, many thought socialism was the obvious answer to the world’s woes. In the first elections after World War II, Communist parties got about a quarter and a fifth of the vote in France and Italy, respectively, leading many to worry that those countries would become communist. Around the developing world, the call of socialism and communism was real and strong.

Radical Islam, by contrast, is severely limited in its global appeal. Almost by definition, it is deeply unattractive to all non-Muslims. What Christian would want the forced imposition of sharia law? Even within the Muslim world, radical Islam does not resonate. In the half of that world that holds elections — including Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Iraq, even Pakistan — such ideologies have not garnered many votes. The Muslim Brotherhood’s electoral success in Egypt is a partial exception to this rule, but it fared well for a variety of reasons unrelated to its Islamic ideology (which was also not nearly as radical as Egypt’s military dictatorship claims).

Because the ideas at stake are potentially seductive only to Muslims, the ideological war today is really a struggle within Islam. It’s a cultural war that has to be waged by Muslims. If outsiders such as the United States want to play a role, they should listen to and support Muslims fighting the good fight. One such person is the king of Jordan, Abdullah II, whom I interviewed this week in Amman.

President Obama is inclined not to describe the Islamic State as “Islamic,” and the king supports this, saying, “They’re looking for legitimacy that they don’t have inside of Islam.” But the truth is that it’s irrelevant what Obama wants to call these terrorists. What matters is what the king and other locals here in Jordan and across the Arab world call them. And uniformly, they choose not to call it the Islamic State, ISIS or ISIL. Instead, they call it Daesh, a rough acronym that is seen as derogatory because it sounds like the Arabic word “daes,” which means to crush underfoot. The word that King Abdullah prefers is “khawarij,” which translates to “outlaws” or “renegades” of Islam.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/an-ideological-war-america-must-watch-not-fight/2015/02/26/6290938c-bdf8-11e4-bdfa-b8e8f594e6ee_story.html

confuzzled dude wrote:

Washington is getting enthusiastic about an ideological war these days: not between Democrats and Republicans — that’s old news — but rather between Americans and radical Islam. Many of those who spent the past several weeks insisting that we label jihadi terrorists “Islamic” now urge that we fight them on the ideological front. It’s the right arena, but such a struggle would be different from past wars of ideas and could lead to some surprising recommendations for action.

It’s difficult to remember today that for decades, tens of millions of people around the world were greatly attracted to communism. Some of the West’s greatest intellectuals — such as playwright George Bernard Shaw and novelist and historian H.G. Wells — wrote sympathetically about it. By the 1930s, when democracy seemed to be foundering and fascism was on the march, many thought socialism was the obvious answer to the world’s woes. In the first elections after World War II, Communist parties got about a quarter and a fifth of the vote in France and Italy, respectively, leading many to worry that those countries would become communist. Around the developing world, the call of socialism and communism was real and strong.

Radical Islam, by contrast, is severely limited in its global appeal. Almost by definition, it is deeply unattractive to all non-Muslims. What Christian would want the forced imposition of sharia law? Even within the Muslim world, radical Islam does not resonate. In the half of that world that holds elections — including Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Iraq, even Pakistan — such ideologies have not garnered many votes. The Muslim Brotherhood’s electoral success in Egypt is a partial exception to this rule, but it fared well for a variety of reasons unrelated to its Islamic ideology (which was also not nearly as radical as Egypt’s military dictatorship claims).

Because the ideas at stake are potentially seductive only to Muslims, the ideological war today is really a struggle within Islam. It’s a cultural war that has to be waged by Muslims. If outsiders such as the United States want to play a role, they should listen to and support Muslims fighting the good fight. One such person is the king of Jordan, Abdullah II, whom I interviewed this week in Amman.

President Obama is inclined not to describe the Islamic State as “Islamic,” and the king supports this, saying, “They’re looking for legitimacy that they don’t have inside of Islam.” But the truth is that it’s irrelevant what Obama wants to call these terrorists. What matters is what the king and other locals here in Jordan and across the Arab world call them. And uniformly, they choose not to call it the Islamic State, ISIS or ISIL. Instead, they call it Daesh, a rough acronym that is seen as derogatory because it sounds like the Arabic word “daes,” which means to crush underfoot. The word that King Abdullah prefers is “khawarij,” which translates to “outlaws” or “renegades” of Islam.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/an-ideological-war-america-must-watch-not-fight/2015/02/26/6290938c-bdf8-11e4-bdfa-b8e8f594e6ee_story.html

rawemotions wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:

Washington is getting enthusiastic about an ideological war these days: not between Democrats and Republicans — that’s old news — but rather between Americans and radical Islam. Many of those who spent the past several weeks insisting that we label jihadi terrorists “Islamic” now urge that we fight them on the ideological front. It’s the right arena, but such a struggle would be different from past wars of ideas and could lead to some surprising recommendations for action.

It’s difficult to remember today that for decades, tens of millions of people around the world were greatly attracted to communism. Some of the West’s greatest intellectuals — such as playwright George Bernard Shaw and novelist and historian H.G. Wells — wrote sympathetically about it. By the 1930s, when democracy seemed to be foundering and fascism was on the march, many thought socialism was the obvious answer to the world’s woes. In the first elections after World War II, Communist parties got about a quarter and a fifth of the vote in France and Italy, respectively, leading many to worry that those countries would become communist. Around the developing world, the call of socialism and communism was real and strong.

Radical Islam, by contrast, is severely limited in its global appeal. Almost by definition, it is deeply unattractive to all non-Muslims. What Christian would want the forced imposition of sharia law? Even within the Muslim world, radical Islam does not resonate. In the half of that world that holds elections — including Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Iraq, even Pakistan — such ideologies have not garnered many votes. The Muslim Brotherhood’s electoral success in Egypt is a partial exception to this rule, but it fared well for a variety of reasons unrelated to its Islamic ideology (which was also not nearly as radical as Egypt’s military dictatorship claims).

Because the ideas at stake are potentially seductive only to Muslims, the ideological war today is really a struggle within Islam. It’s a cultural war that has to be waged by Muslims. If outsiders such as the United States want to play a role, they should listen to and support Muslims fighting the good fight. One such person is the king of Jordan, Abdullah II, whom I interviewed this week in Amman.

President Obama is inclined not to describe the Islamic State as “Islamic,” and the king supports this, saying, “They’re looking for legitimacy that they don’t have inside of Islam.” But the truth is that it’s irrelevant what Obama wants to call these terrorists. What matters is what the king and other locals here in Jordan and across the Arab world call them. And uniformly, they choose not to call it the Islamic State, ISIS or ISIL. Instead, they call it Daesh, a rough acronym that is seen as derogatory because it sounds like the Arabic word “daes,” which means to crush underfoot. The word that King Abdullah prefers is “khawarij,” which translates to “outlaws” or “renegades” of Islam.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/an-ideological-war-america-must-watch-not-fight/2015/02/26/6290938c-bdf8-11e4-bdfa-b8e8f594e6ee_story.html

Leaving aside the inconsistencies in the article, since he says this is a war within Muslims, can he also clarify what Muslims in USA, Indonesia, India, Malaysia must do to fight ISIS/ISIL/Khwaraji ? Their ideology is not confined to Iraq and Syria. Thanks to modern communication, it is in everybody's home.

What about the folks like Zakir Naik/Geelani/Owaisi/Some of the leadership in AIMPLB/Anjem Choudary/Deoband/Tableeghi Jamaat/Hizb Ul Tarir/LeT/JeM/IM/Hefajat-E-Islam/ and other IS supporters in these democracies, who essentially want to enforce  Sharia in democracies. What must Muslims do to fight them ?

Propagandhi711 wrote:

rawemotions wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:

Washington is getting enthusiastic about an ideological war these days: not between Democrats and Republicans — that’s old news — but rather between Americans and radical Islam. Many of those who spent the past several weeks insisting that we label jihadi terrorists “Islamic” now urge that we fight them on the ideological front. It’s the right arena, but such a struggle would be different from past wars of ideas and could lead to some surprising recommendations for action.

It’s difficult to remember today that for decades, tens of millions of people around the world were greatly attracted to communism. Some of the West’s greatest intellectuals — such as playwright George Bernard Shaw and novelist and historian H.G. Wells — wrote sympathetically about it. By the 1930s, when democracy seemed to be foundering and fascism was on the march, many thought socialism was the obvious answer to the world’s woes. In the first elections after World War II, Communist parties got about a quarter and a fifth of the vote in France and Italy, respectively, leading many to worry that those countries would become communist. Around the developing world, the call of socialism and communism was real and strong.

Radical Islam, by contrast, is severely limited in its global appeal. Almost by definition, it is deeply unattractive to all non-Muslims. What Christian would want the forced imposition of sharia law? Even within the Muslim world, radical Islam does not resonate. In the half of that world that holds elections — including Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Iraq, even Pakistan — such ideologies have not garnered many votes. The Muslim Brotherhood’s electoral success in Egypt is a partial exception to this rule, but it fared well for a variety of reasons unrelated to its Islamic ideology (which was also not nearly as radical as Egypt’s military dictatorship claims).

Because the ideas at stake are potentially seductive only to Muslims, the ideological war today is really a struggle within Islam. It’s a cultural war that has to be waged by Muslims. If outsiders such as the United States want to play a role, they should listen to and support Muslims fighting the good fight. One such person is the king of Jordan, Abdullah II, whom I interviewed this week in Amman.

President Obama is inclined not to describe the Islamic State as “Islamic,” and the king supports this, saying, “They’re looking for legitimacy that they don’t have inside of Islam.” But the truth is that it’s irrelevant what Obama wants to call these terrorists. What matters is what the king and other locals here in Jordan and across the Arab world call them. And uniformly, they choose not to call it the Islamic State, ISIS or ISIL. Instead, they call it Daesh, a rough acronym that is seen as derogatory because it sounds like the Arabic word “daes,” which means to crush underfoot. The word that King Abdullah prefers is “khawarij,” which translates to “outlaws” or “renegades” of Islam.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/an-ideological-war-america-must-watch-not-fight/2015/02/26/6290938c-bdf8-11e4-bdfa-b8e8f594e6ee_story.html

Leaving aside the inconsistencies in the article, since he says this is a war within Muslims, can he also clarify what Muslims in USA, Indonesia, India, Malaysia must do to fight ISIS/ISIL/Khwaraji ? Their ideology is not confined to Iraq and Syria. Thanks to modern communication, it is in everybody's home.

What about the folks like Zakir Naik/Geelani/Owaisi/Some of the leadership in AIMPLB/Anjem Choudary/Deoband/Tableeghi Jamaat/Hizb Ul Tarir/LeT/JeM/IM/Hefajat-E-Islam/ and other IS supporters in these democracies, who essentially want to enforce  Sharia in democracies. What must Muslims do to fight them ?

obama's got zero credibility and inspires so little confidence. good thing for him he got lucky with the economic upcycle. he's a right leaning jimmy carter with tons of luck