Daniel Pipes asks: “Do terrorist atrocities in the West, such as the attacks of September 11, 2001 and those in Bali, Madrid, Beslan, and London, help radical Islam achieve its goal of gaining power? No, they are counterproductive. That’s because radical Islam has two distinct wings – one violent and illegal, the other lawful and political – and they exist in tension with each other. The lawful strategy has proven itself effective, but the violent approach gets in its way.”
As an example of the efficacy of the “lawful and political” strand of Islamism, Pipes points out that “political imams like Yusuf al-Qaradawi instruct huge audiences on Al-Jazeera television and visit with the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone”.
Surely an argument in favour of the West building links with that wing of Islamism, you might think, in order to isolate and weaken the “violent and illegal” tendencies? Apparently not. According to Pipes, it’s the advances made by “lawful and political” Islamists that pose the greatest threat to western civilisation:
“In tranquil times, organizations like the Muslim Council of Britain and the Council on American-Islamic Relations effectively go about their business, promoting their agenda to make Islam ‘dominant’ and imposing dhimmitude (whereby non-Muslims accept Islamic superiority and Muslim privilege). Westerners generally respond like slowly boiled frogs are supposed to, not noticing a thing…. Terrorism impedes these advances, stimulating hostility to Islam and Muslims. It brings Islamic organizations under unwanted scrutiny by the media, the government, and law enforcement. CAIR and MCB then have to fight rearguard battles.”
So, basically, Pipes regards the likes of Al-Qaida as playing an essentially positive role! This is where the warped logic of Islamophobia leads you.