Some people are upset that the president and others refer to our enemies in the War on Terror as Islamofascists. They say that (1) these terrorists are not true Muslims and that (2) the term unnecessarily demeans all followers of Islam. To me, the term makes sense, because it distinguishes between ordinary followers of Islam and those who use the teachings of Islam to justify their fascist and murderous attempts to conquer the world in the name of Allah. These people may not be “good Muslims” (though they would say they are), but they are undeniably Muslims. After all, don’t they perform the “five pillars” of Islam–praying, giving alms, going to Mecca, reciting the creed, and observing the fast?
If we cannot give regular Muslims the benefit of the doubt by qualifying the faith of terrorists as Islamofascism, then we have only one alternative. We have to call them all Muslims.
About Stan Guthrie
Stan Guthrie is an editor at large for Christianity Today magazine and for the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. His latest book is God's Story in 66 Verses. He also is author of All that Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us, Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century, and A Concise Guide to Bible Prophecy. He is co-author of The Sacrament of Evangelism. Besides authoring, writing, and editing books, Stan is a literary agent, bringing together good authors, good books, and good publishers.
Stan writes the monthly Priorities colum for BreakPoint.org. He has appeared on National Public Radio's Tell Me More, WGN's Milt Rosenberg program, and many Christian shows, including The Eric Metaxas Show and Moody Radio's New Day Florida. A licensed minister and an inspirational speaker, he served as moderator for the Christian Book Expo panel discussion, Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does It Make?
