IN THE FACE OF EVIL

Film tracks record of the evils in 'isms'
Raymond J. Keating
September 28, 2004

Evil has been at work since the dawn of mankind. A new documentary looks at the political responses over the past century. One reaction ignores or denies evil's existence. Another seeks to cut a deal. The third, though, challenges evil.
"In the Face of Evil: Reagan's War in Word and Deed" opens in limited release Friday, and should be in the New York metropolitan area by mid-October. Much of the film tracks Ronald Reagan's stand against communism, from his Hollywood days to the Oval Office.
The documentary also traces a common strand over time running through communism, fascism and now, as the filmmakers call it, "Islamic fascism." Each has sought to squash intellectual inquiry, individualism, freedom and religion to elevate the state over all else. Stephen K. Bannon, director and co-writer of the documentary, told me he got working on the film after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Bannon said the film offers "a hard look at how the country faced fascism and totalitarianism in the twentieth century." It presents disturbing images of the atrocities committed under fascism and communism. Bannon noted that these are "the same kind of issues that face us today," and that's clear in the film.
With fascism rising in the 1930s, some chose to ignore it. As the documentary points out, Winston Churchill identified evil and was called a reactionary and warmonger for doing so. Churchill, of course, was right.
Then came the spread of communism, with its totalitarian control over all aspects of life. A few in this country foolishly embraced this evil as some kind of utopia. Others sought a balance of power. Reagan was different. The film makes clear that Reagan sought to challenge the Soviet Union on several fronts - economics, politics, the military and psychologically. He called communism a form of "insanity." Like Churchill, many saw Reagan as a nut pushing us to nuclear war. In reality, his strength helped set free millions.With "Islamic fascism," the basic lessons of Churchill and Reagan still apply. Battling terrorism and its enablers takes courage and perseverance to confront evil on various fronts.
But is this latest face of global evil really anti-religion, like its predecessors, given its apparent links to Islam? Salim Mansur, a Muslim, professor of political science at the University of Western Ontario and Islamic scholar, wrote a fascinating paper recently for the Center for Security Policy tracing a bit of Muslim history and concluding that "a politicized Islam became a prescription for Muslim violence against Muslims." He notes that both sides in politically organized violence have made appeals to Islam. Mansur sees the need for the Muslim world to engage "in that brand of politics which will guide them to a democratic future and allow them to construct an alternative vision of Islam than the one that has been so destructive and counter-productive in the making of their history."Can it be done? This is a question in Iraq. According to Peter Brookes of the Heritage Foundation, 11 Muslim majority nations are electoral democracies. Last week, voters went to the polls in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, to select a new president for the first time through a direct ballot. There is hope if one believes in Reagan's vision that the desire for freedom is universal.
"Islamic fascism" not only is engaged against the West, but against most of the Muslim world and against Islam itself. So this latest threat must be confronted economically, militarily, politically, psychologically and theologically. I have no doubt that Reagan and Churchill would have recognized what we now face and pushed forward. I hope our current and future political leaders grasp the lessons illustrated by "In the Face of Evil."


Visit http://inthefaceofevil.com to view the trailer, learn about the movie, and support it by getting the word out.