The Perils of NonViolent Islamism
22nd February 2021
As the Egyptian-born child of a Yemeni diplomat, Elham Manea and her family traveled widely. But their move from Morocco to Yemen, when Elham was a young teenager, stands out. She compares it to time travel, leaving a free and modern life for a place where women are veiled and public life is gender segregated. She was told that art, music, poetry, and philosophy were forbidden, and that her new, true family of “sisters” and “brothers” were other Muslims who believed all this.
She was taught to “hate,” Jews in particular, and that it was right to deceive infidels. When she was told that a husband is God to his wife, that she would have to sacrifice her blood family in favor of other true believers, she backed away.
She has been backing away ever since.
In The Perils of NonViolent Islamism, her fourth book in English, the University of Zurich political scientist, author, activist, and consultant offers a warning to the West.
Islam is an oppressive totalitarian ideology in the guise of a religion with which no co-existence is possible. The fact that any particular Muslim is not engaging in violence at any particular time is no guarantee for the future.