Damascinos

Damascinos OP t1_jcaty3i wrote

Reply to comment by PermissiveActionLnk in The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of Politics of Fear - (2004) BBC, part 1 of 3 compares the rise of neoconservative movement and the radical Islamist movement [00:59:11] by Damascinos

I’m sorry I disagree. The fear aspect of the neoconservative movement is prevalent throughout American society. One needs to only turn on the news, irrespective of the channel, national or local.

If you knew how the US was between 1990 and 2001 you would realize how much the neoconservative movement influence has had since 2001 and still has on American society.

And if fear isn’t as prevalent as you want to admit, the American exceptionalism as touted by the neoconservatives is very much prevalent in all manners of society.

These two are proof of the staying power of the neoconservative movement.

As for Trump et al, they are the next step in the neoconservative evolution. They haven’t become popular in a vacuum.

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Damascinos OP t1_jcas31c wrote

Reply to comment by Beat-the-heat in The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of Politics of Fear - (2004) BBC, part 1 of 3 compares the rise of neoconservative movement and the radical Islamist movement [00:59:11] by Damascinos

No, of course they don’t call themselves Islamists, the word doesn’t exist. However they do call themselves adherents of certain schools of Islamic thought led by certain sheiks’ interpretations of the Koran. And that, when you look into their interpretations, is Islamist in nature.

One shouldn’t dismiss the Arab conservatives influence on Islamic resurgence otherwise you wouldn’t be able to explain away the Saudi and Qatari influence throughout the Muslim world post 1990, ie Balkans, Levant and Central Asia (to be fair Iran’s influence has been just as damaging).

As for moral outrage, it’s subjective and not universal. And because of that, manipulation is a lot easier, as has been proven. And that is the real reason why Muslims become militant.

As for your last paragraph, those aren’t the only two options available and your view of either black or white is not fair to those that don’t live in a homogeneous Muslim country, ie Syrians, Palestinians Lebanese, Egyptians, Indians, Chinese etc etc. A secular led government can still have the indigenous interests in mind while still being a productive and independent member on the world stage; Indonesia or Malaysia comes to mind.

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Damascinos OP t1_jcaaxpq wrote

Reply to comment by Beat-the-heat in The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of Politics of Fear - (2004) BBC, part 1 of 3 compares the rise of neoconservative movement and the radical Islamist movement [00:59:11] by Damascinos

I disagree, as someone who grew up in both a Muslim and western culture.

Islamist, as defined, are individuals advocating Islamic fundamentalism in society and laws. Islamic fundamentalists describe themselves as such, as this documentary shows. However, you can still be a Muslim and not prescribe to Islamist beliefs in my opinion, and as history has proven within Muslim countries throughout the Levant and North Africa and even more recently during the Algerian civil war in the 90s and Afghanistan between 1990 and 2001. This documentary explores this and the failings of, during both.

There’s nothing orientalist about using their own words. They only received the extra push and spotlight by the boogeyman the neoconservatives created post 2001.

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