Islam as a mirror of the American right

An article about Islam recently published by the Washington Post has caused some controversy. It is an article that presents Islam from a positive point of view and questions what has happened for a part of the American right to suddenly look favorably upon this religion, and in some cases present it as an alternative to the prevailing liberal Judeo-Christian model in the West.

This approach is surprising in a large and recognized media outlet in the United States, considering that the American right has always viewed Islam as a threat to Western Judeo-Christian civilization, even the greatest threat. Well, now it turns out that a part of this right sees liberal modernity as the great enemy ideology of the West, as the cause of conflicts and decline.

The approach found in the Washington Post clashes not only with the predominant view in the West but also with the hardening of this traditional position following the attacks of September 11, 2001, in the US. At that time, Islam in general was demonized more than it already was, to the point that some sectors called for the country to be closed to Muslim immigration.

Matthew Schmitz's article points out that some figures on the American right, such as Nick Fuentes or Tucker Carlson, have stopped criticizing Islam and have even praised some aspects of Sharia, or Muslim religious law. There have been figures who have criticized the right's hostility towards Islam, and there have been members of the radical right who have converted to Islam after considering that Western social structure and values are disintegrating.

The new current, which some define as "Islamic-Christian right," criticizes "Judeo-Christian civilization" due to its liberal and democratic values, as seen in Western societies, which are said to have entered a period of decline and even deep crisis. The new Islamic-Christian right rejects the liberal values and pluralism associated with Judeo-Christian civilization, and seeks a more conservative social structure, especially in relation to family and gender relations.

Clarity of gender roles

Perhaps ideally, this new current views Muslim societies with more positive eyes. It celebrates social cohesion and clarity of social roles: how women and men, women and women, and men and men should behave among themselves, a guide they believe is absent in Western societies. An example is the case of the strong male model present in Muslim societies.

All this has a dimension that is also political and allows for criticism of the liberal world order, and liberal elites in particular, an attitude present in the new Islamic-Christian right. Within this current, there are even sectors that see Sharia as an alternative to capitalism and call for an approach to Muslim countries in order to establish an alliance that can confront the decline of Judeo-Christian civilization.

But the author of the article warns that these positions may be too selective and idealistic, and questions the real situation in Arab and Islamic countries, which would be very different from the situation projected by the ideologues of the new philo-Islamist current. In any case, it is noted that a new debate has opened in the American right that did not exist until now, and that does not yet exist in Europe.