Tufts Daily

Issue date: 10/25/07 Section: News

Daniel Pipes spoke last night as part of Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week.

Daniel Pipes talked to a crowded Cohen Auditorium last night about the dangers posed by "a terroristic version of Islam." Pipes, the director of the neoconservative think tank the Middle East Forum, came to Tufts as part of Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week.

But before he took the stage, about 30 students stood outside of the auditorium to express their opposition to his views. They held flyers that read "This is a hate-free campus" and signs questioning "Islamo-fascism or Islamophobia?"

"He seems like he has a very moderate message, but underneath opposition to Islamic terrorism, he includes policies that would treat Muslims as below the law," freshman Philip Bene said. "I'm going to go and listen to his talk, but I also want to register my position."

The tension caused by Pipes' appearance was evident even as members of the community entered Cohen, as they had to pass through a metal detector. Earlier in the day, Tufts University Police Department Captain Mark Keith said that university officials determined this precaution was necessary after examining "the circumstances surrounding the event."

Pipes began his speech by addressing the title of the week, saying he is "not really a fan of the term Islamo-Fascism" and prefers any number of phrases including radical Islam and totalitarian Islam.

He then brought up the question "Who is the enemy?" While some people give an establishment answer and cite terrorism or extremism, Pipes disagrees with such an abstract response.

"First of all it's a euphemism," he said. "Second of all it's inaccurate."

Terrorism is a tactic of the enemy, according to Pipes, and not the only tactic.

Pipes also disagreed with the view that Islam is the enemy because he said such a claim is historically inaccurate.

"It assumes they've always been the enemies," he said. "That is certainly not the case. [Furthermore,] from an American point of view, it allows for no policy."

Pipes proposed a third answer somewhere between the two responses: The enemy is "a terroristic version of Islam."

This version of Islam is new in many ways, he said, in that it has tried to apply Islam to every aspect of life, even those in which the religion has not traditionally had a role.

Pipes described the transition as "a faith turned into a totalitarian ideology" as Islam becomes Islamism.

Continued...

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