Understanding and Confronting Islamofascism

This paper’s thesis is: Understanding that the Global Salafi-Islam Jihad (GSIJ) ideology is not a distortion or perversion of Islam, rather a historically accurate and doctrinally legitimate interpretation within mainstream Islam, provides the knowledge to effectively proceed in the “War on Terror”, or more aptly, the “War on Islamofascism” by using the Information Instrument of Power (IOP) to address terminology, “cultural progression”, and support to “moderate” Islam. The paper used the Problem/Solution methodology. The problem included determining: whether Islamofascism is historically accurate and doctrinally legitimate within Islam; its position within mainstream Islam; and how to apply the Information IOP to combat Islamofascism based on a correct understanding of it. The research revealed Islamofascism is a historically accurate and doctrinally legitimate interpretation of Islam that garners mainstream Islamic support and overlaps “moderate” Islam on numerous key Islamic concepts. The solution provided, given the aforementioned understanding, supports US policy to use the Information IOP as the primary way to combat Islamofascism, emphasizing terminology, “cultural progression”, and support to “moderate” Islam within the information arena. Terminology includes use of “Islamofascism” rather than current terms in use, “cultural progression” includes accepting the Islamofascist historical accuracy and doctrinal legitimacy to co-opt its foundation, and support to “moderate” Islam considers the challenge of determining “moderate” Islam and subsequently supporting it through various educational programs.