April 08, 2008
Are Islamists on the Left or Right?
David Thompson tackles the question as one left-of-center journalist described Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Egyptian Sunni scholar, as "right-wing":
What catches the eye is Tatchell’s description of Qaradawi as ‘right-wing’. Is this bearded little sadist also in favour of free markets, a small state, low taxation and individual freedom? If so, this is news. It seems to me Qaradawi is in fact a totalitarian collectivist par excellence - a man who, like his stated inspiration, Syed Abul A’ala Mawdudi, dreams of a world in which a person’s most intimate affairs are governed by the state, in this case an Islamic one. Mawdudi’s Islamic Law & Constitution, published in 1960, includes dozens of passages like the following: ‘An Islamic state is all embracing… [it] cannot restrict the scope of its activities… It seeks to mould every aspect of life… In such a state no-one can regard any field of his affairs as personal and private.’ [read the rest]To call Islamists, in general, right-wing is simply to not understand what it means to be either 'right' or 'left'.
By Rusty Shackleford, Ph.D. at 01:57 PM |
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