Martin Amis on Islamism

Shortly after 9/11, I appeared on television with Martin Amis to discuss the action in Afghanistan. His answers seemed to me rather cloudy, sufficiently cloudy, indeed, that when we were in the green room afterwards I asked him to elucidate. "We should stare Bin Laden down" he said. "Mmmmmm" is the best way of describing my response.

I still regard as eccentric Amis's view that in the months following 9/11 we over-reacted. But despite this, Amis is among those who sees Islamism with great clarity.

These exchanges with Independent readers are wonderful.

Comments

[Hip Gnosis]

My word, look at that photo -- will someone give the poor dear some uppers, please?

[Paul Dennett]

I think the picture must have been taken after answering those idiotic questions from Independent readers.

[chris smith]

Neat comments by young Amis. Pity he wasn't quizzed on the Christianist menace in all its weird and wacky forms : dominionism, reconstructionism, megachurches, rapture-ready nutjobs etc. Presumably having lived a while in the rogue state, he would have been well-placed to pour some well-deserved scorn on what is best seen as the Christian doomsday cult. Think Aum Shinrikyo with nukes.