Can anyone actually demonstrate this exists (besides perhaps the Ba'athist Party), apart from general comparisons of authoritarian/totalitarian ideologies and political structures? Specifically, is there a major Islamist movement that incorporates 1. extreme nationalism (specifically calls for national rebirth) 2. corporativism/corporatism (binding together of economic/social classes into the state) and 3. the supreme power of the state? In other words is there really a 21st century Muslim equivalent to 20th century Clerical Fascism?
I think you just pinned it. Clerical Fascism. Normal fascism is a form of corporatism gone awry. Mussolini assigned a bunch of industry leader and put them higher then elected officials.
So it did not matter who you vote for, ultimately, those you vote for will be under the auspice of an industry leader in Mussoloini's fascist state.
Clerical fascism or theocratic fascism, will be, when you have a cleric on top of whoever you elect. Or like in iran, those you elect are put in the highest authority, but you only get to elect from a pool of clerics. Instead of electing doctors or engineers or teachers or draft dodging ex-wanna-be fighter pilots.
A clerical fascist state can very easily switch to become a totalitarian clerical fascist state. Like in Iran & Saudi & Hamas.
Clerical Fascism === One Way Train ===>> Totalitarian Clerical Fascism
Or alternatively, a totalitarian despotic state can be threatened by clerical fascism:
Totalitarian Despotism === threat ===>> Clerical Fascism
Like in egypt, ex-iraq, algeria, morrocco, and most of the middle east in general. what happened in most of those countries it that, the leaders were very good at silencing all opposition, except the opposition in the mosques. So the only form of opposition that grew, grew inside mosques.
Stupid Despots doing what despots do. Of course a romantic view could be that the clerical fascism is justified, and that it is a change from the stagnating despotism. But it does not have to be this way. Clerical fascism does not not have to be a stepping stone away from despotism. Those despots are at the doorsteps of change anyways, so why accept clerical fascism as the only possible change for them? Why does a step away from despotism, has to be a step down.
Topic: "Islamofascism"?