Is Islamism Fascism? -- Martin Kramer Presents the Analyses for of Manfred Halpern, Maxime Rodinson, & Said Amir Arjomand

Can we really, honestly describe Islamism as fascistic or a form of fascism?

Martin Kramer quotes Manfred Halpern:

The neo-Islamic totalitarian movements are essentially fascist movements. They concentrate on mobilizing passion and violence to enlarge the power of their charismatic leader and the solidarity of the movement. They view material progress primarily as a means for accumulating strength for political expansion, and entirely deny individual and social freedom. They champion the values and emotions of a heroic past, but repress all free critical analysis of either past roots or present problems.

Halpern continued:

Like fascism, neo-Islamic totalitarianism represents the institutionalization of struggle, tension, and violence. Unable to solve the basic public issues of modern life—intellectual and technological progress, the reconciliation of freedom and security, and peaceful relations among rival sovereignties—the movement is forced by its own logic and dynamics to pursue its vision through nihilistic terror, cunning, and passion. An efficient state administration is seen only as an additional powerful tool for controlling the community. The locus of power and the focus of devotion rest in the movement itself. Like fascist movements elsewhere, the movement is so organized as to make neo-Islamic totalitarianism the whole life of its members.

See Martin Kramer here. Kramer also quotes Maxime Rodinson & Said Amir Arjomand to the same effect.

I would point out that Joseph Schumpeter writes about Arab imperialism as one form of the phenomenon in his book on the subject.

Many researchers have written books and articles on Arab-Nazi collaboration:

Daniel Carpi, Elias Cooper, Martin Cuppers, Zvi El-Peleg, Jonathan C Friedman, Klaus Gensicke, Elliott A Green, Sylvia Haim, Lukasz Hirszowicz, Elie Kedourie, Majid Khadduri (1960), Mathias Kuentzel, Bernard Lewis, Klaus-Michael Mallmann,Rafael Medoff, Robert Melka, Milos Mendel, Joseph Nevo, Francis Nicosia, Monte Penkower, Anwar Sadat (1957), Joseph Schechtman, George H Stein, Simon Wiesenthal, & David Yisraeli.