How to Kill Fascism

Published on Aug 16, 2026, filed under politics, misc. (Share this post, e.g., on Mastodon.)

Thesis.

Fascism defines itself through an enemy. ^*

The enemy of modern-day fascism is Islam. ^†

The United States has been attacking Islamic countries for decades, including long wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now also Iran.

Israel has built itself around a forever war against—and the colonization of—Islamic countries.

European hostility against migrants is fed by Islamophobia, with deportation primarily targeting people from Islamic countries.

From this angle, modern-day fascism in Western countries isn’t new, at all—one can argue that it only changed form, shifting from Jews to Muslims.

However, there’s something here that suggests a way to kill fascism:

Fascism depends on an enemy.

Take the enemy away, and fascists drown in their own manure.

Deny fascists their “enemy.”

Embrace the “enemy.”

In our case, embrace Muslims.

Respect them. Invite them. Integrate them. Work with them. Love them. Fight for them.

And when the fascists then look for another enemy, respect, invite, and love that enemy, too.

This is how we kill fascism. This is how fascism dies.

^* An enemy does not appear in definitions like that by Wikipedia, but I challenge that: If fascism didn’t define any enemies, it wouldn’t offer something to rally behind (or sell its harshness with). Nothing can exist without a contrast to see it against.

^† There’s also a varying degree of racism involved, motivating attacks on other groups of people—people of color, people of other religions—, but the main target, as per the thesis here, is Islam.

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m an engineering lead, guerrilla philosopher, and indie publisher. I’ve worked as a technical lead and engineering manager at various companies (e.g., Google); I’m an active web and tool developer (code optimization, digital defense), a contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and a book author (O’Reilly, Frontend Dogma).

I love trying things—in web development and engineering management, but also in politics and philosophy, where I hold to one idea in particular: that we can only be well if we take good care of everyone. Here on meiert.com I talk about some of my perspectives and experiences. (Please share feedback: Interpret charitably, keep it friendly, but do be critical.)