Islamofascism

Islamofascism is a phrase used by pro-war commentators to demonise Islamic groups and encourage support for military intervention in the middle east. The phrase invokes the collective memory of the Second World War, suggesting Western militarism to be benevolent and heroic and its Islamist enemies as utterly wicked and implacable. It serves an important function in ridiculing peace activists because of the negative reputation of appeasement in Western political culture.

The use of the Second World War mythology can be seen in other elite discourses and pro-war propaganda such as the portrayal of the Kosovo conflict in the run up to the NATO bombings, or the designation of the aggressors in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq as "the allies".

Origins of the phrase

A Lexis Nexis search suggests that the phrase was coined by Khalid Duran, who used it in an article in The Washington Times, discussing a book he had written for the American Jewish Committee (AJC) interfaith project called Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Islam for Jews.