PRESIDENT BUSH used the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks to remind Americans of the nature of the fight against radical Islam. “It’s been called a clash of civilizations,” Bush said. “It is a struggle for civilization.” The president warned that a terrorist victory over the United States would bring a “desert of despotism” and “a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom.” Yet he stopped short of repeating the phrase he used last month–“Islamic fascists”–to describe terrorist groups such as al Qaeda. The administr
ation ought to reprise the phrase as a legitimate and important tool in the war of ideas.

Many liberals think this rhetoric too simplistic, that it is a moralistic ploy to justify military adventurism. Others, such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Council of Britain, fear it will spark hate crimes and divide communities. “In the Muslim world you’re going to have a difficult time having the mainstream community marginalize extremists when they feel that their faith and their culture is under attack,” complained Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR. “And phrases like ‘Islamic fascist’ make people feel like the entire faith of Islam is under attack.”