---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whatever else their faults may be, they…"
description: "\"Whatever else their faults may be, they were not radical Islamist states - Iraq was not, Syria is not, Libya was not. The most radical fundamentalist I..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/arundhati-roy-346_america_whatever-else-their-faults-may-be-they-w_479679.png"
---

#  Whatever else their faults may be, they were not radical…

![“Whatever else their faults may be, they were not radical Islamist states - Iraq was not, Syria is not, Libya was not. The most radical fundamentalist Islamist state is, of course, your America's Saudi Arabia.” quote by Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/arundhati-roy-346_america_whatever-else-their-faults-may-be-they-w_479679.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/arundhati-roy-346_america_whatever-else-their-faults-may-be-they-w_479679.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/arundhati-roy-346_america_whatever-else-their-faults-may-be-they-w_479679.png)

> “Whatever else their faults may be, they were not radical Islamist states - Iraq was not, Syria is not, Libya was not. The most radical fundamentalist Islamist state is, of course, your America's Saudi Arabia.”

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

She argues that the United States, not Middle Eastern nations, is the most radical fundamentalist Islamist state.

**In simple terms:** America is the most radical Islamist state.

Key Takeaway

Critically examine national policies.

Themes

politics critique fundamentalism

Mood

critical provocative

Type

political opinion

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- activism
- academic debate

Key Concepts

imperialism religious rhetoric geopolitics

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports this claim?
- How does this view affect discourse?

A Different Perspective

The statement is highly controversial and may oversimplify.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Arabia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arabia/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Faults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faults/) [Fundamentalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentalist/) [Fundamentalist Islamist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentalist-islamist-4127059/) [Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Islamist State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamist-state-4127058/) [Islamist States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamist-states-4127057/) [Islamists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamists/) [Libya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libya/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical/) [Radical Fundamentalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical-fundamentalist-4127060/) [Radical Islamist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical-islamist-929795/) [Saudi arabia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saudi-arabia/) [Saudis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saudis/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Syria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/syria/)

## Related quotes

> [Radical Islamist extremists surely hope that an attack on Iraq will kill many people and destroy much of the country, providing recruits for terrorist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/radical-islamist-extremists-surely-hope-that-an-attack-on-iraq-will/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Radical Islamist terror is a crime against the entire free world, including against Israel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tzipi-livni/radical-islamist-terror-is-a-crime-against-the-entire-free-world/)

[Tzipi Livni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tzipi-livni/)

> [The greatest threat facing humanity is a radical Islamist regime meeting up with nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/the-greatest-threat-facing-humanity-is-a-radical-islamist-regime/)

[Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/)

> [Conservatives believe that we need to defeat radical Islam not because we want war but because ISIS and other radical Islamist are enemies of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatives-believe-that-we-need-to-defeat-radical-islam-not/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [Mr. Assad is not going to be able to feel like there is a moderate opposition that actually threatens him. Currently, the Assad government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/mr-assad-is-not-going-to-be-able-to-feel-like-there-is-a-moderate/)

[Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/)

> [We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world - including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-will-convey-our-deep-appreciation-for-the-islamic-faith-which-has/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [“Malaysia, then, offers an example of what happens when socalled moderate Islamists are appeased by the liberal elite. They provide cover for their more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/malaysia-then-offers-an-example-of-what-happens-when-socalled/)

[John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/)

> [To Arab Sunni Islamists, Iranians are gabrs (Zoroastrians) while Shi'ites, including Arab ones, are rafidis (heretics) who must be “re-converted” or put to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amir-taheri/to-arab-sunni-islamists-iranians-are-gabrs-zoroastrians-while-shi/)

[Amir Taheri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amir-taheri/)

> [No one is as murderously 'Islamophobic' as Islamists are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cohen/no-one-is-as-murderously-islamophobic-as-islamists-are/)

[Nick Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cohen/)

> [There are those... who enter the world in such poverty that they are deprived of both the means and the motivation to improve their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aga-khan-iv/there-are-those-who-enter-the-world-in-such-poverty-that-they-are/)

[Aga Khan IV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aga-khan-iv/)

> [In April I founded the Constitution Party. With the Social Democrats and all liberal powers we will combine against the Islamists. We still have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/in-april-i-founded-the-constitution-party-with-the-social-democrats/)

[Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/)

> [Progressives and Islamists are indeed on the same side. Their common disdain for Christianity explains why left-wing judges in America find any inkling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/progressives-and-islamists-are-indeed-on-the-same-side-their-common/)

[Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/)

> [What's important to do is we must deal frontally with this threat of radical Islamists, especially from ISIS. This is the most sophisticated terror…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/what-s-important-to-do-is-we-must-deal-frontally-with-this-threat-of/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [I'm very grateful that Barack Obama as president very much put protection of privacy on the agenda today, due to the fact of Islamist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/i-m-very-grateful-that-barack-obama-as-president-very-much-put/)

[Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/)

> [I really don't want to portray the Islamists as simply evil, the way it's often done in the west.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-really-don-t-want-to-portray-the-islamists-as-simply-evil-the-way/)

[Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/)

## More by Arundhati Roy

> [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [Poverty is a crime and the poor are terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/poverty-is-a-crime-and-the-poor-are-terrorists/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [Flat muscled and honey coloured. Sea secrets in his eyes. A silver raindrop in his ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/flat-muscled-and-honey-coloured-sea-secrets-in-his-eyes-a-silver/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [Fiction and non-fiction are only different techniques of story telling. For reasons I do not fully understand, fiction dances out of me. Non-fiction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/fiction-and-non-fiction-are-only-different-techniques-of-story/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [NGOs have a complicated space in neoliberal politics. They are supposed to mop up the anger. Even when they are doing good work, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/ngos-have-a-complicated-space-in-neoliberal-politics-they-are/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [I've never been that person who thought that because I've written one novel, I should write another and another. It's only when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-ve-never-been-that-person-who-thought-that-because-i-ve-written-one/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [It is such a supreme folly to believe that nuclear weapons are deadly only if they're used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/it-is-such-a-supreme-folly-to-believe-that-nuclear-weapons-are-deadly/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [I think one of the saddest things that's happening to literature is that it's getting over-simplified by this diet of simple political ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-think-one-of-the-saddest-things-that-s-happening-to-literature-is/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [The only dream worth having, I told her, is to dream that you will live while you're alive and die only when you're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-only-dream-worth-having-i-told-her-is-to-dream-that-you-will-live/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [But what was there to say? Only that there were tears. Only that Quietness and Emptiness fitted together like stacked spoons. Only that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/but-what-was-there-to-say-only-that-there-were-tears-only-that/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [Truly, there's no alternative to stupidity. Cretinism is the mother of fascism. I have no defence against it, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/truly-there-s-no-alternative-to-stupidity-cretinism-is-the-mother-of/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [“...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-secret-of-the-great-stories-is-that-they-have-no-secrets-the/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [“stilts, the ground floors given over to parking. It’s a good idea in this car-maddened city,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/stilts-the-ground-floors-given-over-to-parking-it-s-a-good-idea-in/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [“Perhaps it’s true that things can change in a day. That a few dozen hours can affect the outcome of whole lifetimes. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/perhaps-it-s-true-that-things-can-change-in-a-day-that-a-few-dozen/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

[Explore all 628 Arundhati Roy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

## More America quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/)

[Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

[Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Whatever else their faults may be, they were not radical Islamist states - Iraq was not, Syria is not, Libya was not. The most radical fundamentalist Islamist state is, of course, your America's Saudi Arabia.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Arundhati Roy"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/whatever-else-their-faults-may-be-they-were-not-radical-islamist/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/whatever-else-their-faults-may-be-they-were-not-radical-islamist/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/arundhati-roy-346_america_whatever-else-their-faults-may-be-they-w_479679.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/arundhati-roy-346_america_whatever-else-their-faults-may-be-they-w_479679.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/arundhati-roy-346_america_whatever-else-their-faults-may-be-they-w_479679.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Whatever else their faults may be, they were not radical Islamist states - Iraq was not, Syria is not, Libya…” — Arundhati Roy",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Arundhati Roy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Whatever else their faults may be,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/whatever-else-their-faults-may-be-they-were-not-radical-islamist/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/whatever-else-their-faults-may-be-they-were-not-radical-islamist/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
