And then there is the great controversy about Islam and terror and something called ‘Islamic fascism’ Beware of this word ‘Fascism’ George Orwell pointed out years ago that this was now a meaningless word, except insofar as it always meant ‘a person I don’t like, and you shouldn’t like either’. There are a number of conservative commentators who are convinced that Islamic militants are at war with ‘the West’ and that something called ‘Al Qaeda’ is constantly seeking ways of making physical war on us. I am unconvinced. And though I do think there is an Islamic danger to Europe, I think it is of a different kind.

I do not think there has ever been any such organisation as Al Qaeda, which is at most an ideology (see Jason Burke’s illuminating book on the subject). Muslim militants confuse the issue by adopting the name ‘Al Qaeda’ on various websites for various groupings in various places, but this is in a long tradition of people adopting the names their enemies have given them. There is no bearded Bond Movie villain sitting in a cave controlling all Islamic terrorism like a vast spider’s web. ~Peter Hitchens