In an op-ed on the Globe & Mail (December 3, 2018), Shimon Koffler Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), argued that “Islamism [is] a political ideology distinct from the religion of Islam.” and that it “is a complex challenge that must be addressed in partnership with Muslim communities, which are directly threatened by it.”
Fogel highlighted two groups, the Islamic State (ISIS, Daesh) and Hamas, that exercise “violence inspired by Islamism” and implicitly suggested that both groups are “distinct from the religion of Islam” in their political ideology.
Here are excerpts from Fogel’s article:
…The Islamic State is one prominent example, as the group has radicalized a number of Canadians using videos and online forums. Violence inspired by Islamism (a political ideology distinct from the religion of Islam) is a complex challenge that must be addressed in partnership with Muslim communities, which are directly threatened by it – but we must reject the suggestion that online hate and radicalization is the domain of any single religious or political movement…
Hamas, like the Islamic State, is a banned terrorist entity in Canada and various countries. And yet, Twitter has ignored calls to remove Hamas’ multiple official accounts, despite having taken down swaths of accounts associated with the Islamic State. Even a staunch libertarian can agree that private social media companies have a right to maintain policies banning hateful content and the glorification of violence. Those policies should be enforced with consistency…