Juan Cole has an analysis of the soon-to-be cabinet and their views on political islam, a term he has a little trouble with, since it’s often used (my interpretation) in a context that ignores obvious (?) parallels with political movements in other religions.
He points out that whereas the term is used to whip up right-wing hysteria, it fits alongside what we might call political judaism and political christianity.
Political Islam is the attempt to make Islam the basis for a political ideology that would dictate government policy. It is analogous to Zionism, which makes Jews the basis for a political ideology. It is also analogous to the Christian Right in the US, which makes Christianity a political ideology and pursues the Christianization of American law (e.g. striving to ban abortion, to outlaw sex outside Christian marriage, etc.)
So to connect the dots, we should be equally hysterical about christianists who yearn for a christian caliphate.
Christian caliphate!? What on earth are you talking about, man!?
Well, have you ever seen this bumper sticker?
Stop and think about this for a second.
The key phrase is in that order, subtly rendered in a small font at the bottom but proudly rendered in red. The driver declares that their christian religious values trump their conservative political ones and that those trump their American ones (pun intended).
This is a proclamation that constitutional values are subservient to christian ones — equivalent to a call for a christian caliphate.
So why isn’t that cause for hysteria?