This article is about the Islamic political and religious movement known as Islamism. This article lists various controversies related to Islam and Muslims. Arguments critical to religion in general or specific to monotheism such as the Existence of God, are not dealt with here Criticism of Muhammad has existed since the 7th century when Muhammad was attacked by his non-Muslim Arab contemporaries for preaching Monotheism, Muslims believe that the Qur'an is the literal word of God as recited to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. See also Islamism This article is about criticism of the Islamic political and religious movement known as Islamism Criticism of Islamism A dhimmi ( ذمي, collectively أهل الذمة, ahl al-dhimma, the people of the dhimma or pact of protection Ottoman Turkish Eurabia is a political Neologism used to refer to a Europe which allies itself to and becomes subsumed by the Arab World. See also Islam and Judaism Islam and antisemitism looks at the teaching of Islam relating to Jews and Judaism and the attitudes of the The relationship between Islam and domestic violence is disputed Islamophobia is a Neologism that refers to Prejudice or Discrimination against Islam or Muslims The term itself dates back to the Jihad (جهاد ʤɪhæːd an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. Persecution of Muslims refers to the Religious persecution inflicted upon Muslims Persecution may refer to beating torture confiscation or destruction Qutbism (also Kotebism Qutbiyya or Qutbiyyah is the radical strain of Islamist ideology and activism based on the thought and writings of Sayyid Qutb, an Islamist The Satanic Verses controversy refers to the controversy surrounding Salman Rushdie 's novel The Satanic Ayaan Hirsi Ali ( Ayaan Xirsi Cali; born Ayaan Hirsi Magan 13 November 1969 in Mogadishu, Somalia) is a Dutch Irshad Manji (born 1968 is a Canadian Feminist, Author, journalist, activist and professor of leadership Daniel Pipes (born September 9 1949 is a American historian and political commentator who particularly focuses on the Middle East and Islam. Ibn Warraq (born 1946 is the Pen name of a Secularist author of Pakistani origin and founder of the Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society Philippe de Villiers (born Viscount Philippe Le Jolis de Villiers de Saintignon on March 25, 1949) was the Mouvement pour la France Geert Wilders ('xert 'ʋildərs 'ʋildəʁs}} born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch Politician. Robert Bruce Spencer (born 1962 is an American author who writes articles and books relating to Islam and Islamic terrorism. Theo van Gogh (ˈteːjoː vɑnˈxɔx ( July 23, 1957 – November 2, 2004) was a Dutch Film director, Television producer Afshin Ellian (born 27 February, 1966 in Tehran, Iran) is a Dutch professor of law, Philosopher, and Poet Not to be confused with the pseudonym of L Frank Baum Hugh Fitzgerald is the vice-president of Jihad Watch. Susanne Winter is a lawyer and politician for the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria in the southern Austrian city of Graz. Moazzam Begg (born 1968 is one of nine British Muslims who were held in Extrajudicial detention in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, in Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7 2001 as the U The Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp is a controversial United States Detention center operated by Joint Task Force Guantanamo since 2002 in Guantanamo March 11, 2002 Mecca girl's schools fire killed at least fourteen students but was especially notable for complaints made that Saudi Arabia's religious police stopped The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign The Qur'an desecration controversy of 2005 began when Newsweek's April 30 issue contained a report about U On October 30, 2005, Theresia Morangke (15 Alfita Poliwo (17 and Yarni Sambue (17 were beheaded by militants in the Poso region on the Indonesian island Fox News Channel journalists Olaf Wiig, a New Zealander Photojournalist, and Steve Centanni, an American reporter Beginning in 2004 accounts of Abuse, Torture, Sodomy and Homicide of Prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq The Egyptian identification card controversy resulted from a ruling of the Supreme Administrative Council of Egypt on December 16, 2006 against the The Flying Imams controversy (sometimes humorously referred to as sheiks on a plane, a reference to the movie Snakes on a Plane) is a controversy concerning The In mid-June 2007 Salman Rushdie, British - Indian novelist and author of controversial novel The Satanic Verses, was bestowed the honour of being The Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy arose from a lecture delivered on 12 September 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI at the University of Regensburg The Lars Vilks Muhammad drawings controversy began in July 2007 with a series of Drawings by Swedish artist Lars Vilks which depicted the Fitna is a 2008 short film by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders.

For the religion of Islam, see Islam. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation.

For scholarship on the subject of Islam, see Islamic studies. This is a sub-article to Religious education, Academic discipline, and Islam.

Islamism (Arabic: al-'islāmiyya) is a term that denotes a set of political ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system; that Muslims must return to their roots of their religion, and unite politically. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos A political system is a System of Politics and Government. It is usually compared to the Law system, Economic system, Cultural

Islamism is a controversial term and definitions of it vary. Leading Islamist thinkers emphasized the necessity of applying parts of sharia, or Islamic law, to modern society; of pan-Islamic political unity; and of the elimination of western military, economic, political, social, or cultural influences in the Muslim world, which they believe to be incompatible with Islam. Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings The term Muslim world (or Islamic world) has several meanings

Some observers suggest Islamism's tenets are less strict and can be defined as "support for identity, authenticity, broader regionalism, revivalism, [and] revitalization of the community;"^[1] while still others define it as "an Islamic militant, anti-democratic movement, bearing a holistic vision of Islam whose final aim is the restoration of the caliphate. Distinguish from the suffix -holism, which describes addictions A caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa) is the political leadership of the Muslim community in classical and medieval Islamic history "^[2] Attributes of sharia law supported by many Islamists include "enforcement of Islamic punishments, including prohibitions on charging interest on loans, playing music, showing television,"^[3] and enforcing traditional dress and prayer attendance. Hudud ( Arabic حدود also transliterated hadud, hudood; singular hadd, حد Riba ( Arabic: ربا rɪbæː means Usury and is forbidden in Islamic economic jurisprudence. Islamic music is Muslim religious Music, as sung or played in public services or private devotions Adherents of Islam are concerned with Clothing in two contexts clothing for everyday inside and outside the house and clothing required in specifically Ṣalāt ( Arabic: صلاة‎, pl ṣalawāt, Qur'anic Arabic: صلوة ṣalawah) (also munz in Pashto and ^[4]

Central figures of modern Islamism include Muhammad Iqbal, Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Abul Ala Maududi, Sayyid Qutb and Ayatollah Khomeini. Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi (Urdu سید ابو الاعلىٰ مودودی - alternative spellings of last name Maudoodi, and Mawdudi) ( -) also known Sayyid Qutb (ˈsaɪjɪd ˈqʊtˁb (also Saïd Syed Seyyid Sayid or Sayed last name also Koteb (rather common Qutub Kotb or Kutb (سيد قطب October 9, 1906 Seyyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini ( Persian:, pronounced muːsæviː-je xomejniː}}( September 24, 1902 – June 3 1989 ^[5]

Islamism is by no means a united movement and spans the range from reformists who seek change within an electoral process, to radicals who oppose democracy and use violence against dissenters. Moderate Islamist voices that accept the democratic process include the Justice and Development Party of Turkey and Tunisian author and reformer Rashid Al-Ghannouchi. The Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi or AK Parti, or AKP) is the incumbent Turkish Political party, which describes Rashid al-Ghannushi is a Tunisian Islamist who contributed to founding the Ḥizb al‐Nahḍah the Tunisian Renaissance Party. The Islamist group Hezbollah in Lebanon participates in both elections, and armed attacks against Israel. Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Groups such as the Jamaat-e-Islami of Pakistan and the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood favored a top-down road to power by military coup d'état. Jamaat-e-Islami ( Urdu: جماعتِ اسلامی, " Islamic Block " Jamaat, JI) is an Islamist Dr Hassan 'Abd Allah al-Turabi (الدكتور حسن عبد الله الترابي in Arabic) commonly called Hassan al-Turabi (sometimes transliterated ^[6] The radical Islamists al-Qaeda and Egyptian Islamic Jihad oppose democracy entirely, takfir fellow Muslims and preach violent jihad, urging and organizing attacks on civilians. Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The The Egyptian Islamic Jihad ( الجهاد الإسلامي المصري) ( EIJ) formerly called simply Islamic Jihad ( الجهاد Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system For the Salafist extremist group see Takfir wal-Hijra In Shia terminology "takfir" Jihad (جهاد ʤɪhæːd an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. Another major division within Islamism is between the fundamentalist "guardians of tradition" of the Salafism or Wahhabi movement, and the "vanguard of change" centered on the Muslim Brotherhood. Wahhabism ( Arabic: Al-Wahhābīyya الوهابية or Wahabism is a conservative reformist call of Sunni Islam attributed to The Muslim Brothers ( Arabic: الإخوان المسلمون al-ikhwān al-muslimūn, full title The Society of the Muslim Brothers, often simply الإخوان ^[7] Different Islamist groups have come to blows in places such as present day Iraq.

The usage of the term is controversial. Those labeled Islamists often, if not always, oppose use of the term, maintaining that they are simply Muslims, and that their beliefs are a straightforward expression of Islam as a way of life. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Similarly, at least one famous scholar argues the correct term for what is called Islamism is "activist Islam"^[8] or "political Islam". ^[9] Some people find it troublesome that a word derived from "Islam" is applied to organisations they consider radical and extreme. Political radicalism or simply radicalism is adherence to radical views and principles in Politics. Extremism is a term used to describe the actions or ideologies of individuals or groups outside the perceived political center of a society or otherwise claimed to violate

An Islamic Flag, known as the 'Flag of Islam' ('Alam al-Islam) or 'Flag of Shahada' ('Alam al-Shahada) featuring the first Kalimah, the Shahada, widely used by Muslims. An Islamic flag is a Flag that complies with Islamic rules Traditionally Islamic flags were solid colour Alam is commonly a Muslim Surname. It can be etymologically traced back from the Mughals. Alam is commonly a Muslim Surname. It can be etymologically traced back from the Mughals. See also Shahadah The Six Kalimas (or Six "Words" are recorded in various books of knowledge and are recited (and remembered by Muslims across the The Shahada ( Arabic: ar الشهادة, from the verb ar شهد "to testify" is the Islamic Creed. White flags with black lettering symbolically represent 'Dar al-Salam/Islam' and Black flags with white lettering symbolically represent 'Dar al-Harb/Kufr

Relation between Islam and Islamism

The concept Islamism is controversial, not just because it posits a political role for Islam, but also because Islamists believe their views merely reflect Islam, and the idea that Islam is, or can be, apolitical is an error. The house of divisions in Islam such as "Dar al-Islam" and "Dar al-Harb" does not appear in the Koran or the Hadith. The house of divisions in Islam such as "Dar al-Islam" and "Dar al-Harb" does not appear in the Koran or the Hadith. Scholars and observers who do not believe Islam is a political ideology include Fred Halliday and John Esposito. Fred Halliday (born 1946 in Dundalk, Republic of Ireland) is a British academic and author specialising in the Middle East and International relations John Louis Esposito (born 19 May 1940 Brooklyn, New York City) is a professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University

Islamists ask the question, "If Islam is a way of life, how can we say that those who want to live by its principles in legal, social, political, economic, and political spheres of life are not Muslims, but Islamists and believe in Islamism, not [just] Islam"?^[10]

On the other hand, Muslim-owned and run media have used the terms "Islamist" and "Islamism" - as distinguished from Muslim and Islam - to distinguish groups such as the Islamic Salvation Front in Algeria^[11] or Jamaa Islamiya in Egypt,^[12] which actively seeking to implement Islamic law, from other Muslim groups. The Islamic Salvation Front ( Arabic: الجبهة الإسلامية للإنقاذ al-Jabhah al-Islāmiyah lil-Inqādh) (Front Islamique du Salut is an outlawed For the Southeast Asian organization of the same name see Jemaah Islamiyah.

Another source distinguishes Islamist from Islamic "by the fact that the latter refers to a religion and culture in existence over a millennium, whereas the first is a political/religious phenomenon linked to the great events of the 20th century. " Islamists have, at least at times, defined themselves as "`Islamiyyoun/Islamists`" to differentiate themselves from `Muslimun/Muslims. "^[13]

According to Bernard Lewis, Islamists, or as he terms them "activist Muslims", follow the role the Prophet Muhammad played as "rebel" during his time in Medina:^[14]

There are in particular two political traditions, one of which might be called quietist, the other activist. Bernard Lewis (born May 31, 1916 in London, England) is a British - American Medina mɛˈdiːnə (المدينة المنورة ælmæˈdiːnæl muˈnɑwːɑrɑ or المدينة ælmæˈdiːnæ also transliterated into English as The arguments in favor of both are based, as are most early Islamic arguments, on the Holy Book and on the actions and sayings of the Prophet. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics The quietist tradition obviously rests on the Prophet as sovereign, as judge and statesman. But before the Prophet became a head of state, he was a rebel. Before he traveled from Mecca to Medina, where he became sovereign, he was an opponent of the existing order. He led an opposition against the pagan oligarchy of Mecca and at a certain point went into exile and formed what in modern language might be called a "government in exile," with which finally he was able to return in triumph to his birthplace and establish the Islamic state in Mecca. Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored . . The Prophet as rebel has provided a sort of paradigm of revolution—opposition and rejection, withdrawal and departure, exile and return. Time and time again movements of opposition in Islamic history tried to repeat this pattern.

Importance of Islamism

Few observers contest the influence of Islamism. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, political movements based on the liberal ideology of free expression and democratic rule have led the opposition in other parts of the world – Latin American, Eastern Europe and many parts of Asia – "the simple fact is that political Islam currently reigns as the most powerful ideological force across the Muslim world today. "^[15] Even those who see Islamism as fraught with contradiction, such as the author of the book The Failure of Political Islam, remark "the socioeconomic realities that sustained the Islamist wave are still here and are not going to change: poverty, uprootedness, crises in values and identities, the decay of the educational systems, the North-South opposition, the problem of immigrant integration into the host societies. "^[16]

The strength of Islamism draws from the strength of religiosity in general in the Muslim world. Compared to Western, Latin, or Asian cultures, "[w]hat is striking about the Islamic world is that . . . it seems to have been the least penetrated by irreligion. Irreligion is a lack of religion indifference to religion or hostility to religion " Where other peoples may look to the physical or social sciences for answers in areas their ancestors regarded as best left to scripture, in the Muslim world, religion has become more encompassing, not less, as "in the last few decades, it has been the fundamentalists who have increasingly represented the cutting edge of the culture. "^[17]

In Egypt and the rest of the Muslim world "the word secular, a label proudly worn 30 years ago, is shunned" and "used to besmirch" political foes. ^[18] The small secular opposition parties "cannot compare" with Islamists in terms of "doggedness, courage," "risk-taking" or "organizational skills". ^[19]

In the Middle East and Pakistan, religious discourse dominates societies, the airwaves, and thinking about the world. Radical mosques have proliferated throughout Egypt. Bookstores are dominated by works with religious themes . . . The demand for sharia, the belief that their governments are unfaithful to Islam and that Islam is the answer to all problems, and the certainty that the West has declared war on Islam; these are the themes that dominate public discussion. Islamists may not control parliaments or government palaces, but they have occupied the popular imagination. ^[20]

Sources of its strength

Reasons for the strength of Islamism in the Muslim world include:

Alienation from the West

Muslim alienation from Europe and its ways, including its political ways. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings

• The memory in Muslim societies of the many centuries of "cultural and institutional success" of Islamic civilization that have created an "intense resistance to an alternative `civilizational order`", such as Western civilization,^[21]

Outside Islamdom, Christian missionaries from Europe usually succeeded in making converts. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes. Whether for spiritual reasons or material ones, substantial numbers of American Indians, Africans, Hindus, Buddhists, and Confucians accepted the Gospels. For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Confucianism ( is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of the fifth century B This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament But Muslims did not. "^[22]

• The proximity of the core of the Muslim world to Europe and Christendom where it first conquered and then was conquered. Iberia in the seventh century, the Crusades which began in the eleventh century, then for centuries the Ottoman Empire, were all fields of war between Europe and Islam. Al-Andalus (الأندلس was the Arabic name given to those parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Muslims or The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish ^[23]

The Islamic world was aware of European fear and hatred:

For almost a thousand years, from the first Moorish landing in Spain to the second Turkish siege of Vienna, Europe was under constant threat from Islam. In the early centuries it was a double threat – not only of invasion and conquest, but also of conversion and assimilation. All but the easternmost provinces of the Islamic realm had been taken from Christian rulers, and the vast majority of the first Muslims west of Iran and Arabia were converts from Christianity . . . Their loss was sorely felt and it heightened the fear that a similar fate was in store for Europe. ^[24]

and also felt its own anger and resentment at the much more recent technological superiority of westerners who,

are the perpetual teachers; we, the perpetual students. Generation after generation, this asymmetry has generated an inferiority complex, forever exacerbated by the fact that their innovations progress at a faster pace than we can absorb them. An inferiority complex, in the fields of Psychology and Psychoanalysis, is a feeling that one is inferior to others in some way . . . The best tool to reverse the inferiority complex to a superiority complex . Superiority complex refers to a subconscious neurotic mechanism of compensation developed by the individual as a result of feelings of inferiority . . Islam would give the whole culture a sense of dignity. ^[25]

For Islamists, the primary threat of the West is cultural rather than political or economic. Cultural dependency robs one of faith and identity and thus destroys Islam and the Islamic community (ummah) far more effectively than political rule. Ummah (أمة is an Arabic word meaning Community or Nation. It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or (in the ^[26]

• The end of the Cold War has eliminated the common Communist enemy uniting religious Muslims and the capitalist west. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based

Resurgence of Islam

• The resurgence of Islamic devotion and the attraction to things Islamic can be traced to several events. A tenet of the Quran is that Islam will deliver victory and success. ^[27][28][29]
  Yet,

by the end of World War I, there was scarcely such a thing left as a Muslim state not dominated by the Christian West. How could this happen? Only two answers were possible. Either the claims of Islam were false and the Christian or post-Christian West had finally come up with another system that was superior, or Islam had failed through not being true to itself.

Obviously, a redoubling of faith and devotion by Muslims was called for to reverse this tide. ^[30]

• The connection between the lack of an Islamic spirit and the lack of victory was underscored by the disastrous defeat of Arab nationalist-led armies fighting under the slogan "Land, Sea and Air" in the 1967 Six Day War, compared to the near-victory of the Ramadan War six years later. Background Suez Crisis aftermath The Suez Crisis of 1956 represented a military defeat but a political victory for Egypt The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War (מלחמת יום הכיפורים transliterated: Milkhemet Yom HaKipurim or מלחמת יום In that war the military's slogan was "God is Great".

• Along with the Ramadan war came the Arab oil embargo where the (Muslim) Gulf oil-producing states' dramatic decision to cut back on production and quadruple the price of oil, made the terms oil, Arabs and Islam synonymous – with power – in the world, and especially in the Muslim world's public imagination. The 1973 oil crisis began on October 17 1973 when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC consisting of the Arab members of ^[31] Many Muslims believe as Saudi Prince Saud al Faisal did that the hundreds of billions of dollars in wealth obtained from the Persian Gulf's huge oil deposits were nothing less than a gift from God to the Islamic faithful. ^[32]

• As the Islamic revival gained momentum, governments such as Egypt's, which had previously repressed (and was still continuing to repress) Islamists, joined the bandwagon. They banned alcohol and flooded the airwaves with religious programming,^[33] giving the movement even more exposure.

Saudi Arabian funding

Starting in the mid-1970s the Islamic resurgence was funded by an abundance of money from Saudi Arabian oil exports. ^[34] The $10s of billions of dollars in "petro-Islam" largess obtained from the recently heightened price of oil funded an estimated "90% of the expenses of the entire faith. "^[35] Throughout the Muslim world, religious institutions for people both young and old, from children's maddrassas to high-level scholarships received Saudi funding,^[36] "books, scholarships, fellowships, and mosques" (for example, "more than 1500 mosques were built with money obtained from public Saudi funds over the last 50 years") were paid for,^[37] along with training in the Kingdom for the preachers and teachers who went on to teach and work at these universities, schools, mosques, etc. "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger ^[38] The funding was also used to reward journalists and academics who followed the Saudis' strict interpretation of Islam; and satellite campuses were built around Egypt for Al Azhar, the world's oldest and most influential Islamic university. Al-Azhar University (pronounced "az-HAR" الأزهر الشريف, "the Noble Azhar" in Egypt, founded in 975 is the chief centre of ^[39]

The interpretation of Islam promoted by this funding was the strict, conservative Saudi-based Wahhabism or Salafism which taught that Muslims should reject absolutely any non-Muslim ideas and practices, including political ones. Wahhabism ( Arabic: Al-Wahhābīyya الوهابية or Wahabism is a conservative reformist call of Sunni Islam attributed to In its harshest form it preached that Muslims should not only "always oppose" infidels "in every way," but "hate them for their religion . . . for Allah's sake," that democracy "is responsible for all the horrible wars of the 20th century," that Shia and other non-Wahhabi Muslims were infidels, etc. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system ^[40] While this effort has by no means converted all, or even most, Muslims to the Wahhabist interpretation of Islam, it has done much to overwhelm more moderate local interpretations, and has set the Saudi-interpretation of Islam as the "gold standard" of religion in Muslims' minds. ^[41]

Dissatisfaction with the status quo

• The original heart of the Muslim world – the Arab world – has been afflicted with economic stagnation. Economic stagnation, often called simply stagnation is a prolonged period of slow Economic growth (traditionally measured in terms of the GDP growth For example it has been estimated that the exports of Finland, a European country of five million, exceeded those of the entire 260 million-strong Arab world, excluding oil revenue. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. ^[42]

• Strong population growth combined with economic stagnation has created urban conglomerations in Cairo, Istanbul, Tehran, Karachi, Dacca, and Jakarta each with well over 12 million citizens, millions of them young and unemployed or underemployed. Cairo () which means "the Vanquisher" or "the Triumphant" is the capital and largest city of Egypt. Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see the other Names of Istanbul) is the largest city of Turkey Tehran (or Teheran) ( Persian: تهران Tehrān) is the capital and largest City of Iran, and the administrative center of (ڪراچي) is the largest city in Pakistan. It is the world's second largest city proper behind Mumbai in terms of population which exceeds 10 million Dhaka (also known as Dacca ( Bangla: ঢাকা ɖʱaka is the Capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka District. Jakarta (also DKI Jakarta) is the Capital and largest city of Indonesia. ^[43] Such a demographic, alienated from the westernized ways of the urban elite, but uprooted from the comforts and more passive traditions of the villages they came from, is understandably favorably disposed to an Islamic system promising a better world^[44] – an ideology providing an "emotionally familiar basis for group identity, solidarity, and exclusion; an acceptable basis for legitimacy and authority; an immediately intelligible formulation of principles for both a critique of the present and a program for the future. Westernization or occidentalization (from occident, see wiktionary) is a process whereby societies come under or adopt the Western "^[45]

Shelter of the mosque

While dictatorial regimes can preempt opposition nationalist or socialist campaigns by closing down their networks and headquarters, the center for Islamist political organizing is the mosque. The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger It is exempt from government crackdowns in the Muslim world (and often in the non-Muslim world) by virtue of its sacredness. "It is in the mosque where [Islamists] canvas neighborhoods in the course of providing social services, spread their political messages and campaign for votes where permitted to participate. "^[46][47]

Charitable work

Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood, "are well known for providing shelters, educational assistance, free or low cost medical clinics, housing assistance to students from out of town, student advisory groups, facilitation of inexpensive mass marriage ceremonies to avoid prohibitively costly dowry demands, legal assistance, sports facilities, and women's groups. The Muslim Brothers ( Arabic: الإخوان المسلمون al-ikhwān al-muslimūn, full title The Society of the Muslim Brothers, often simply الإخوان " All this compares very favorably against incompetent, inefficient, or neglectful governments whose commitment to social justice is limited to rhetoric. ^[48]

Power of identity politics

Islamism can also be described as part of the religiously-oriented nationalism that emerged in the Third World in the 1970s: resurgent Hinduism in India, ultra-Orthodox Judaism in Israel, militant Buddhism in Sri Lanka, resurgent Sikh nationalism in the Punjab, `Liberation Theology` of Catholicism in Latin America, and of course, Islamism in the Muslim world. Identity politics is Political action to advance the interests of members of a group whose members are oppressed by virtue of a shared and marginalized Identity (such Hindu nationalism is a nationalist Ideology that sees the modern State of the Republic of India as a Hindu Polity India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Haredi or Chareidi Judaism is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Origins of the Sri lankan civil war is highlighted by the continuous political rancor between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale (ਜਰਨੈਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਭਿੰਡਰਾਂਵਾਲੇ ʤəɾnɛl sɪ́ŋg pɪ̀ɳɖɾɑnʋɑɺ̡e (February 12 1947 &ndash June 6 1984 was Punjab ( ਪੰਜਾਬ پنجاب, पंजाब پنجاب also Panjab (پنجاب meaning "Land of the Five Rivers") (c Liberation theology is a school of Theology within Christianity, particularly in the Roman Catholic As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described "^[49] (This is distinguished from ethnic or linguistic-based nationalism which Islamism opposes. ) These all challenged Westernized ruling elites on behalf of `authenticity` and tradition.

Grand Mosque Seizure

The strength of the Islamist movement was manifest in an event which might have seemed sure to turn Muslim public opinion against fundamentalism, but did just the opposite. Fundamentalism refers to a "deep and totalistic commitment" to a belief in and strict adherence to a set of basic principles (often Religious in nature a reaction In 1979 the Grand Mosque in Mecca Saudi Arabia was seized by an armed fundamentalist group and held for over a week. The Grand Mosque Seizure on November 20, 1979, was an armed attack and takeover by armed Islamic fundamentalist Dissidents of the Al-Masjid Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi Scores were killed, including many pilgrim bystanders in a gross violation of one of the most holy sites in Islam (and one where arms and violence are strictly forbidden).

Instead of prompting a backlash against the movement from which the attackers originated, however, Saudi Arabia, already very conservative, responded by shoring up its fundamentalist credentials with even more Islamic restrictions. Crackdowns followed on everything from shopkeepers who did not close for salah and newspapers that showed photos of women, to the selling of dolls, teddy bears (images of animate objects are considered haraam), and dog food (dogs are considered unclean). Ṣalāt ( Arabic: صلاة‎, pl ṣalawāt, Qur'anic Arabic: صلوة ṣalawah) (also munz in Pashto and Haraam (حرام is an Arabic term meaning "forbidden" ^[50]

In other Muslim countries, blame for and wrath against the seizure was directed not against fundamentalists, but against Islamic fundamentalism's foremost geopolitical enemy – the United States. Ayatollah Khomeini sparked attacks on American embassies when he announced:

It is not beyond guessing that his is the work of criminal American imperialism and international Zionism

despite the fact that the object of the fundamentalists' revolt was the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, America's major ally in the region. Seyyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini ( Persian:, pronounced muːsæviː-je xomejniː}}( September 24, 1902 – June 3 1989 Anti-American demonstrations followed in the Philippines, Turkey, Bangladesh, India, the UAE, Pakistan, and Kuwait. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed The US Embassy in Libya was burned by protestors chanting pro-Khomeini slogans and the embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan was burned to the ground. Libya ( ليبيا ar-Latn Lībiyā; Libyan vernacular: Lībya; Amazigh:) officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab |name = Islamabad|native_name = |nickname = |settlement_type = Capital City |total_type ^[51]

Criticism

Main article: Criticism of Islamism

Islamism has no shortage of critics and has been attacked on many fronts: for repression of free expression, rigidity, hypocrisy, lack of true understanding of Islam, misinterpreting the Quran and Sunna, and for innovations to Islam (bid‘ah), notwithstanding Islamists' proclaimed opposition to any such innovation. See also Islamism This article is about criticism of the Islamic political and religious movement known as Islamism Criticism of Islamism The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran In Islam, bid‘ah ( is any type of Innovation. Though innovations in worldly matters are acceptable to an extent innovation within the religion is seen as a sin Despite this, Islamism remains very popular.

Post 9/11 Issues

It is important to distinguish between Islamists and Islamist terrorists: "While ignoring the overwhelming majority of Islamists who have nothing to do with terror and making them virtually irrelevant and stigmatized in Western political discourse . . . To ignore the complexity of political Islam and tar all Islamists with the same brush of terrorism guarantees Bin Laden's success. "^[52] International Crisis Group warns that the tendency of "policy-makers . The International Crisis Group ( ICG) is an independent international Non-profit, Non-governmental organization whose mission is to prevent and resolve . . to lump all forms of Islamism together, brand them as radical and treat them as hostile . . . is fundamentally misconceived. "^[53]

History of usage

The term "Islamism" first appeared in eighteenth-century France as a synonym for "Islam". For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. At the turn of the twentieth century, it was being displaced by the latter, and by 1938, when Orientalist scholars completed the Encyclopaedia of Islam, had virtually disappeared from the English language. ^[54] According to the Oxford English Dictionary, usage of the term "Islamism" dates back to 1747. The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED) published by the Oxford University Press (OUP is a comprehensive Dictionary of the English

It was given its modern connotation by French academia in the late 1970s, thence to be incorporated into the English language again, where it has largely displaced "Islamic fundamentalism" as the preferred term. ^[55]

History

Earliest history

Some Islamic militant or revivalist movements and leaders pre-dating Islamism include

• Ibn Taymiyyah, a Syrian Islamic jurist during the 13th and 14th centuries who is often quoted by contemporary Islamists. Taqi ad-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah ( January 22, 1263 &ndash 1328 was a Sunni Islamic scholar born in Harran, located Ibn Taymiyya argued against shirking [Sharia] law, and against practices such as the celebration of the Prophet's birthday or the construction of mosques around the tombs of Sufi sheikhs, believing these were unacceptable borrowings from Christianity: Many Muslims `do not even know of the Christians origin of these practices. Accursed be Christianity and its adherents!`^[56]

• Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi (~1564–1624) was part of "a reassertion of orthodoxy within Sufism" and was known to his followers as the `renovator of the second millennium`. Imam-e-Rabbani Mujaddid Alf Sani Shaykh Ahmad al-Farooqi Sirhindi (~1564&ndash1624 commonly renowned as Mujaddid Alf Sani was an Indian Islamic scholar Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف It has been said of Sirhindi that he `gave to Indian Islam the rigid and conservative stamp it bears today. `^[57]

• Shah Waliullah of India and Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab of Arabia were contemporaries that met each other while studying in Mecca. Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlavi ( Arabic / Persian / Urdu: شاہ ولی الله دهلوی) also known as Shah Waliullah of Delhi Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab at-Tamimi' (1703&ndash1792 ( Arabic: محمد بن عبد الوهاب التميمي)was an Islamic scholar born in Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab preached the stripping away the later accretions like grave worship and getting back to the letter and the spirit of Islam as preached and practised by the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab at-Tamimi' (1703&ndash1792 ( Arabic: محمد بن عبد الوهاب التميمي)was an Islamic scholar born in IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics He went on to found Wahhabism. Wahhabism ( Arabic: Al-Wahhābīyya الوهابية or Wahabism is a conservative reformist call of Sunni Islam attributed to Shah Waliullah was a forerunner of reformists like Muhammad Abduh in his belief that there was "a constant need for new ijtihad as the Muslim community progressed and expanded and new generations had to cope with new problems" and in his interest in the social and economic problems of the poor. Muhammad Abduh (or Muhammad 'Abduh) (محمد عبده ( Nile Delta, 1849 - Alexandria, July 11 1905,) was an Egyptian Ijtihad (Arabic اجتهاد is a technical term of Islamic law that describes the process of making a legal decision by independent interpretation of the legal sources ^[58]

• Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi was a disciple of Shah Waliullah's son and successor and emphasised the `purification` of Islam from un-Islamic beliefs and practices. He anticipated modern Islamists by leading a jihad movement and attempted to create an Islamic state with strict enforcement of Islamic law. Jihad (جهاد ʤɪhæːd an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. While he waged jihad against Sikhs in North-Western India, his followers fought the British after his death and allied itself with the Indian Mutiny. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of Sepoys of British East India Company 's army on the 10th of May 1857 in the town of Meerut, ^[59]

After the failure of the Indian Mutiny some of Shah Waliullah's followers turned to more peaceful methods of preserving the Islamic heritage and founded the Dar al-Ulum seminary in 1867 in the town of Deoband. The Egyptian Dar al-Ulum was founded in 1871 as an educational institution designed to produce students with both an Islamic and modern education on the secondary level WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Deoband ( Hindi: देवबंद Urdu: دیوبند Deoband) is a city and a From the school developed the Deobandi Movement which became the biggest movement of traditional Islamic thought in the subcontinent and lead to the establishment of thousands of madrasahs throughout modern-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially Today, Deobandism is represented in Pakistan by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam organization/political party and its splinter groups. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Assembly of Islamic Clergy or JUI is a Political party in Pakistan.

The Clash with the West

Sayyid Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī

The end of the 19th century saw the slow disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, a time of religious and cultural decline. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish The empire was financially and militarily dependent on European powers, including Britain, France, and Germany. In this context, the publications of Jamal ad-din al-Afghani (1837–97), Muhammad Abduh (1849–1905) and Rashid Rida (1865–1935) became popular among small groups of followers who considered their messages important and thought about indigenous alternatives to the political, economic, and cultural decline of the empire. Muhammad Abduh (or Muhammad 'Abduh) (محمد عبده ( Nile Delta, 1849 - Alexandria, July 11 1905,) was an Egyptian Muhammad Rashid Rida ( September 23, 1865, Syria - August 22, 1935, Egypt) is said to have been "one of the most influential Muhammad Abduh and Rashid Rida formed the beginning of the Salafist movement.

Their ideas included the rejection of any changes to Islam after 855 AD, and in their purist form this even included the Islamic schools of fiqh (Madh'hab) since they were considered to be post-Salaf innovations from Islam. Fiqh ( Arabic: فقه, fɪqəh is Islamic Jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the Sharia Islamic law—based directly on the Madhhab or Mazhab ( Arabic مذهب mæðhæb pl مذاهب mæðæːhıb) is an Islamic school of thought, or This article is on the group of early Muslims For the article on the contemporary Islamic movement see Salafi Salaf or They believed that society should return to the true messages of Islam, remove the wrong interpretations and additions of the past centuries, and create a truly Islamic society under sharia law. Unlike some later Islamists, Salafists strongly emphasized the restoration of the Caliphate. A caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa) is the political leadership of the Muslim community in classical and medieval Islamic history ^[60]

Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi

Main article: Abul Ala Maududi

Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi was a "Deobandi alumni"^[61] and an important early twentieth-century figure in the Islamic revival in India, and then after independence from Britain, in Pakistan. Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi (Urdu سید ابو الاعلىٰ مودودی - alternative spellings of last name Maudoodi, and Mawdudi) ( -) also known Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi (Urdu سید ابو الاعلىٰ مودودی - alternative spellings of last name Maudoodi, and Mawdudi) ( -) also known India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Trained as a lawyer he chose the profession of journalism, and wrote about contemporary issues and most importantly about Islam and Islamic law. He was instrumental in turning Indian Muslims against a united India in favor of a separate Muslim state of Pakistan,^[62] and was an inspirational figure for modern Islamist groups in South Asia and elsewhere.

Maududi founded the Jamaat-e-Islami party in 1941 and remained its leader until 1972. Jamaat-e-Islami ( Urdu: جماعتِ اسلامی, " Islamic Block " Jamaat, JI) is an Islamist Although Maududi was educated at Deobandi institution(s)^[63] his party is a long-time rival of the Deobandi party/group Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Assembly of Islamic Clergy or JUI is a Political party in Pakistan.

Abul Ala Maududi.

Maududi had much more impact through his writing than through his political organizing. His extremely influential book,Towards Understanding Islam (Risalat Diniyat in Arabic), placed Islam in a modern context and influenced not only conservative ulema but liberal modernizers such as al-Faruqi, whose "Islamization of Knowledge" carried forward some of Maududi's key principles. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Ulema ( ar علماء,, singular ar عالِم,, "scholar" refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several Isma'il Raji Mahmoud Shohdan al-Faruqi ( Arabic: تقغض ﮔﭽگ ﭙﭐ آؤا ( January 1, 1921 &ndash May 27, 1986) was a Islamization of knowledge is a term which describes a variety of attempts and approaches to synthesize the ethics of Islam with various fields of modern thought

Maududi believed that Islam was all emcompassing "Everything in the universe is 'Muslim' for it obeys God by submission to His laws. . . The man who denies God is called Kafir (concealer) because he conceals by his disbelief what is inherent in his nature and embalmed in his own soul. This article is on the Islamic religious term For the pejorative racial slur see Kaffir (ethnic slur. "

Maududi also believed that Muslim society could not be Islamic without Sharia, and Islam required the establishment of an Islamic state. This state should be a "theo-democracy,"^[64] based on the principles of: tawhid (unity of God), risala (prophethood) and khilafa (caliphate). Risāla means "message" in Arabic. It is also an Islamic term that has a broader meaning A caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa) is the political leadership of the Muslim community in classical and medieval Islamic history ^[65][66][67]

Because Islam is all-encompassing, Maududi believed that the Islamic state should not be limited to just the "homeland of Islam", it is for all the world:

Islam wishes to destroy all States and Governments anywhere on the face of the earth which are opposed to the ideology and programme of Islam regardless of the country or the Nation which rules it. The purpose of Islam is to set up a State on the basis of its own ideology and programme, . . . the objective of Islamic 'Jihad' is to eliminate the rule of an un-Islamic system"^[68]

Although Maududi talked about Islamic revolution,^[69] he was both less revolutionary and less politically/economically populist than later Islamists like Qutb. ^[70]

The Muslim Brotherhood

Hassan al-Banna

Main article: Muslim Brotherhood

Roughly contemporaneous with Maududi was the founding of the Muslim Brotherhood in Ismailiyah, Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al Banna. The Muslim Brothers ( Arabic: الإخوان المسلمون al-ikhwān al-muslimūn, full title The Society of the Muslim Brothers, often simply الإخوان Hassan al-Banna ( October 14, 1906 – February 12, 1949, Arabic:حسن البنا was an Egyptian social and His was arguably the first, largest and most influential modern Islamic political/religious organization. Under the motto "the Qur'an is our constitution,"^[71] it sought Islamic revival through preaching and also by providing basic community services including schools, mosques, and workshops. Like Maududi, Al Banna believed in the necessity of government rule based on Shariah law implemented gradually and by persuasion, and of eliminating all non-Muslim imperialist influence in the Muslim world. Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. Jihad was declared against European colonial powers. Jihad (جهاد ʤɪhæːd an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims.

Some elements of the Brotherhood, though perhaps against orders, did engage in violence against the government, and its founder Al-Banna was assassinated in 1949 in retaliation for the assassination of Egypt's premier Mahmud Fami Naqrashi three months earlier. Hassan al-Banna ( October 14, 1906 – February 12, 1949, Arabic:حسن البنا was an Egyptian social and ^[72] The Brotherhood has suffered periodic repression in Egypt and has been banned several times, in 1948 and several years later following confrontations with Egyptian president Gamal Abdul Nasser, who jailed thousands of members for several years. Gamal Abdel Nasser (جمال عبد الناصر Gamāl ‘Abd an-Nāṣir; - January 15 1918 September 28 1970) was the second President In recent years its status has usually been described as "semi-legal. "^[73] Despite periodic repression, the Brotherhood has become one of the most influential movements in the Islamic world,^[74] particularly in the Arab world. The term Muslim world (or Islamic world) has several meanings Along with being the most powerful opposition group in Egypt, it has fostered several offshoot organizations in many other countries. ^[75]

Sayyid Qutb

Sayyid Qutb

Main article: Sayyid Qutb

Maududi's political ideas influenced Sayyid Qutb, one of the key philosophers of Islamism, and a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood movement. Sayyid Qutb (ˈsaɪjɪd ˈqʊtˁb (also Saïd Syed Seyyid Sayid or Sayed last name also Koteb (rather common Qutub Kotb or Kutb (سيد قطب October 9, 1906 Sayyid Qutb (ˈsaɪjɪd ˈqʊtˁb (also Saïd Syed Seyyid Sayid or Sayed last name also Koteb (rather common Qutub Kotb or Kutb (سيد قطب October 9, 1906 The Muslim Brothers ( Arabic: الإخوان المسلمون al-ikhwān al-muslimūn, full title The Society of the Muslim Brothers, often simply الإخوان Qutb believed things had reached such a state that the Muslim community had literally ceased to exist. It "has been extinct for a few centuries,"^[76] having reverted to Godless ignorance (Jahiliyya). Jahiliyyah, al-Jahiliyah or jahalia ( Arabic: جاهلية) is an Islamic concept of "ignorance of divine guidance" or "the

See also: Qutbism

To eliminate jahiliyya, Qutb argued Sharia, or Islamic law, must be established. Qutbism (also Kotebism Qutbiyya or Qutbiyyah is the radical strain of Islamist ideology and activism based on the thought and writings of Sayyid Qutb, an Islamist Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. Sharia law was not only accessible to humans and essential to the existence of Islam, but also all-encompassing, precluding "evil and corrupt" non-Islamic ideologies like socialism, nationalism, or liberal democracy. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Qutb preached that Muslims must engage in a two-pronged attack of converting individuals while also waging jihad to forcibly eliminate the "structures" of Jahiliyya – not only from the Islamic homeland but from the face of the earth. Jihad (جهاد ʤɪhæːd an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims.

See also: Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq

Qutb was both the most famous member of the brotherhood and enormously influential in the Muslim world at large. Ma'alim fi al-Tariq, also Ma'alim fi'l-tareeq, ( Arabic: معالم في الطريق) or Milestones, first Qutb is considered by some to be "the founding father and leading theoretician" of modern jihadis, such as Osama bin Laden. Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March ^[77][78] Ironically, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and in Europe has not embraced his vision of armed jihad, something for which they have been denounced by more radical Islamists. ^[79]

The Six Day War of 1967

The quick and decisive defeat of the Arab troops during the Six-Day War by Israeli troops constituted a pivotal event in the Arab Muslim world. Background Suez Crisis aftermath The Suez Crisis of 1956 represented a military defeat but a political victory for Egypt The defeat along with economic stagnation in the defeated countries, was blamed on the Arab nationalism of the ruling regimes. A steep and steady decline in the popularity and credibility of both secular and nationalist politics ensued. Ba'athism, Arab Socialism, and Arab Nationalism suffered, and Islamist movements inspired by Mawlana Maududi, and Sayyid Qutb gained ground. The Arab Socialist Ba'th Party (also spelled Baath or Ba'ath; Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي was founded in Damascus Arab Socialism (الاشتراكية العربية al-ishtirākīya al-‘arabīya) is a political ideology based on an amalgamation of Pan-Arabism and Arab nationalism ( Arabic: القومية العربية is a Nationalist ideology which rose to prominence amongst Arabs from the early 20th century onwards Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi (Urdu سید ابو الاعلىٰ مودودی - alternative spellings of last name Maudoodi, and Mawdudi) ( -) also known Sayyid Qutb (ˈsaɪjɪd ˈqʊtˁb (also Saïd Syed Seyyid Sayid or Sayed last name also Koteb (rather common Qutub Kotb or Kutb (سيد قطب October 9, 1906 ^[80]

Islamic Republic in Iran

See also: Iranian Revolution

See also: Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists

Imam Khomeini

The first Modern Islamic state (with the possible exception of Zia's Pakistan^[81]) was established among the Shia of Iran. The Iranian Revolution' (mostly known as the Islamic Revolution, Persian: انقلاب اسلامی Enghelābe Eslāmi was the Revolution that transformed Islamic leadership|Ja'fari jurisprudence Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists ( Arabic: ولاية الفقيه, Persian: ولایت فقیه Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. In a major shock to the rest of the world, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini led the Iranian Revolution of 1979 to overthrow the oil-rich, well-armed, Westernized and pro-American secular monarchy ruled by Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi. Ayatollah ( Persian: آيت‌الله, âyato-llâh, from Arabic: آية الله, āyatu 'llāh, meaning 'the sign of Seyyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini ( Persian:, pronounced muːsæviː-je xomejniː}}( September 24, 1902 – June 3 1989

Khomeini's beliefs were similar to Sunni Islamic thinkers like Mawdudi and Qutb: He believed that imitation of the early Muslims and the restoration of Sharia law were essential to Islam, that secular, Westernizing Muslims were actually agents of the West serving Western interests, and that the "plundering" of Muslim lands was part of a long-term conspiracy against Islam by the Christian West. Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. ^[82]

But they also differed:

• As a Shia, the early Muslims whom Khomeini looked to were Ali ibn Abī Tālib and Husayn ibn Ali, not Caliphs Abu Bakr, Omar or Uthman. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH Ḥusayn ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar حسين بن علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب)‎ (third of Shaban 4 AH / 8th January 626 AD at Medina Early life Abu Bakr was born at Mecca some time in the year 573 CE, in the Banu Taym branch of the Quraysh tribe Uthman (a=عثمان|t=Othman Osman Usman Ozman is a male Arabic given name meaning "the chosen one amongst the tribe of brave and noble people" "honest"
• Khomeini talked not about restoring the Caliphate, but about establishing an Islamic state where the leading role was taken by Islamic jurists (ulama) as the successors of Shia Imams until the Mahdi returned from occultation. A caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa) is the political leadership of the Muslim community in classical and medieval Islamic history This is a sub-article to Imamah (Shi'a doctrine and is specifically about the Shi'a Twelver conception of the term According to Twelver Shi'as Imam Hujjat al-Mahdī ( ar المهدى) (or Hujjat ibn Hasan ibn Ali is the twelfth Imam and the His concept of velayat-e-faqih ("guardianship of the [Islamic] jurist"), held that the leading Shia Muslim cleric in society – which Khomeini and his followers believed to be himself – should serve as head of state in order to protect or "guard" Islam and Sharia law from “innovation" and "anti-Islamic laws" passed "by sham parliaments. Islamic leadership|Ja'fari jurisprudence Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists ( Arabic: ولاية الفقيه, Persian: ولایت فقیه ”^[83]
• The revolution was influenced by Marxism through Islamist thought and also by writings that sought either to counter Marxism (Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr's work) or to integrate socialism and Islamism (Ali Shariati's work). Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muḥammad Bāqir al-Ṣadr (Arabic آية الله العظمى السيد محمد باقر الصدر) ( March 1, 1935 Ali Shariati ( علی شريعتی‎) ( November 23, 1933 &ndash 1977 was an Iranian sociologist and Revolutionary, well A strong wing of the revolutionary leadership was made up of leftists or "radical populists", such as Ali Akbar Mohtashami-Pur. Hojatoleslam Ali Akbar Mohtashami-Pur is a Twelver Shi'a Hojatoleslam cleric who was active in the 1979 Iranian Revolution and later ^[84]

While initial enthusiasm for the revolution in the Muslim world was intense, it has waned as "purges, executions, and atrocities tarnished its image". ^[85]

As a model for potential Islamic states, the Islamic Republic has not been notably successful in achieving many of its goals:^[86]raising standards of living; ridding Iran of corruption, poverty, political oppression and Westernization,^[87] or even protecting Sharia from innovation. ^[88] Internally, it has been modestly successful in increasing literacy^[89][90] and health care. ^[91]

It has also maintained its hold on power in Iran in spite of the US economic sanctions, and has created or assisted like-minded Shia Islamist groups in Iraq (SCIRI)^[92][93] and Lebanon (Hezbollah),^[94] (two Muslim countries that also have large Shiite populations). The Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC ( Arabic: المجلس الأعلى الإسلامي العراقي (previously known as Supreme Council for the Islamic Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, the Iranian government enjoyed something of a resurgence in popularity amongst the predominantly Sunni "Arab street,"^[95] due to its support for Hezbollah and to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's vehement opposition to the United States and his call for the annihilation of Israel. Background See also Israel-Lebanon conflict The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO had engaged in cross-border attacks from Southern Lebanon Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (محمود احمدی‌نژاد; born October 28, 1956) is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. ^[96]

Lebanon

The Lebanese Civil War gave radical Shia movements in that country a new power and prominence after 1975. The Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990 was a multifaceted Civil war whose antecedents can be traced back to the conflicts and political compromises reached after the end Expatriate Iranian cleric Musa al-Sadr founded the Amal movement well before his native country's own revolution (see below), heading a combination of political party and militia. For the Twelver Shī‘ah Imām, see Mūsá al-Kāżim Sayyid Mūsá aṣ-Ṣadr (1928-1978 (السيد موسى For other uses of Amal see the disambiguation page. Amal Movement ( Arabic: abbreviation of أفواج المقاومة اللبنانية transliterated A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service After his disappearance in 1978 his organization survived, but the opportunity arose for other factions to mobilize potential support from the same social base. The most successful such movement is Hezbollah. Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation Founded in 1985 by Lebanese Shia aided by Iranian Shia Islamists, the movement is dedicated to the expulsion of Western "colonialist entities" from Lebanon and to the destruction of Israel, which it sees as an illegal state that is usurping Islamic territory. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Hezbollah was instrumental in driving the Israeli military from Lebanon in 2000, which heightened its popularity in Lebanon even among non-Shia. Origins Hezbollah originated within the Shiite block of Lebanon society which has lived there for more than a millennium ^[97] In 2006, an Israeli attempt to crush Hezbollah by attacking its strongholds in south Lebanon sustained serious casualties and was considered by many observers to be a failure for Israel. Background See also Israel-Lebanon conflict The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO had engaged in cross-border attacks from Southern Lebanon ^[98]

Pakistan's Islamization campaign

Main article: Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization

In July 1977 General Zia-ul-Haq overthrew Prime Minister Ali Bhutto's regime in Pakistan. On December 2, 1978, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq delivered a nationwide address on the occasion of the first day of the Hijra calendar General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq ( Arabic: محمد ضياء الحق) (b Zulfikar Ali Bhutto ( Urdu: ur '''ذوالفقار علی بھٹو''' Sindhi: ذوالفقار علي ڀُٽو, zʊlfɪqɑːɾ ɑli bɦʊʈːoː Ali Bhutto, a leftist in political competition with Islamists, had banned alcohol, horse-racing, and nightclubs, and announced that the "sharia would be fully applied" within six months, shortly before he was overthrown. ^[99] Ul-Haq was much more committed to Islamism, and "Islamization" or implementation of Islamic law, (aka sharia) became a cornerstone of his eleven-year military dictatorship and Islamism became his "official state ideology. On December 2, 1978, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq delivered a nationwide address on the occasion of the first day of the Hijra calendar Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. " An admirer of Mawdudi, Mawdudi's party Jamaat-e-Islami became the "regime's ideological arm," and its members prospered under ul-Haq. Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi (Urdu سید ابو الاعلىٰ مودودی - alternative spellings of last name Maudoodi, and Mawdudi) ( -) also known Jamaat-e-Islami ( Urdu: جماعتِ اسلامی, " Islamic Block " Jamaat, JI) is an Islamist ^[100]

In Pakistan this Islamization from above was "probably" more complete "than under any other regime except those in Iran and Sudan," but Ul-Haq was also criticized by some Islamists for imposing "symbols" rather than substance, and using Islamization to legitimize his means of seizing power. ^[101] The program was a dramatic reversal of the traditional secularism of Pakistan's founding Muslim League and its leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah, but unlike neighboring Iran, ul-Haq's policies were intended to "avoid revolutionary excess", and not to strain relations with his American and Gulf state allies. Secularism is generally the assertion that governmental practices or institutions should exist separately from Religion or religious beliefs The All India Muslim League ( Urdu: آل انڈیا مسلم لیگ Bengali:?????? ??? founded at Dhaka in 1906 was a political party in British Muhammad Ali Jinnah Urdu: (December 25 1876 – September 11 1948 was a Pakistani politician and leader of the All India Muslim League who founded Pakistan ^[102]

Ul-Haq was killed in 1988 but Islamization is still proceeding in Pakistan.

Afghanistan: Jihad against the Soviets

In 1979 the Soviet Union deployed its 40th Army into Afghanistan, attempting to suppress an Islamic rebellion against an allied Marxist regime in the Afghan Civil War. The Soviet war in Afghanistan, also known as the Soviet-Afghan War or just the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, was a nine-year conflict involving The Civil war in Afghanistan, also known as Afghan Civil War, began in 1978 and has continued The conflict, pitting indigenous impoverished Muslims (mujahideen) against an atheist superpower, galvanized thousands of Muslims around the world to send aid and sometimes to go themselves to fight jihad. A Mujahid (Arabic ar مجاهد, literally "struggler" is a Muslim involved in a Jihad, id est fighting in a war or Jihad (جهاد ʤɪhæːd an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. Leading this pan-Islamic effort was Palestinian sheikh Abdullah Yusuf Azzam. Abdullah Yusuf Azzam (1941 As-ba'ah Al-Hartiyeh British Mandate of Palestine – November 24 1989 Peshawar, Pakistan) (Arabic عبدالله عزام While the military effectiveness of these "Afghan Arabs" was marginal, Azzam's group is said to have organized paramilitary training for more than 20,000 Muslim recruits, from about 20 countries around the world. Afghan Arabs (also known as Arab-Afghans) were Arab and other Muslim fighters who came to Afghanistan during and following the Soviet-Afghan War to

When the Soviet Union abandoned the Marxist Najibullah regime and withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989 (the regime finally fell in 1992), the victory was seen by many Muslims as the triumph of Islamic faith over superior military power and technology that could be duplicated elsewhere.

The jihadists gained legitimacy and prestige from their triumph both within the militant community and among ordinary Muslims, as well as the confidence to carry their jihad to other countries where they believed Muslims required assistance. ^[103]

Osama bin Laden

The "veterans of the guerrilla campaign" returning home to Algeria, Egypt and other countries "with their experience, ideology, and weapons," were often eager to continue armed jihad. Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics.

The collapse of the Soviet Union itself in 1991, was seen by many Islamists, including Bin Laden, as the defeat of a superpower at the hands of Islam, the $6 billion in aid given by the US to the mujahideen having nothing to do with the victory. As bin Laden opined^[104]: "[T]he US has no mentionable role" in "the collapse of the Soviet Union . . . rather the credit goes to God and the mujahidin" of Afghanistan. ^[105]

Persian Gulf War

Another factor in the early 1990s that worked to radicalize the Islamist movement was the Gulf War, which brought several hundred thousand US and allied non-Muslim military personnel to Saudi Arabian soil to put an end to Saddam Hussein's occupation of Kuwait. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30 Prior to 1990 Saudi Arabia played an important role in restraining the many Islamist groups that received its aid. But Saddam embraced Islamic rhetoric and attacked Saudi Arabia, his enemy in the war, for violating Islamic unity and its role as custodian of the two holy cities by allowing non-Muslims on its soil (traditional Muslim belief holds that non-Muslims must not be allowed on the Arabian peninsula), and he also accused the Kingdom of being a puppet of the west.

These attacks resonated with conservative Muslims and the problem did not go away with Saddam's defeat either, since American troops remained stationed in the kingdom, and a defacto cooperation with the Palestinian-Israeli peace process developed. Saudi Arabia attempted to compensate for its loss of prestige among these groups by repressing those domestic Islamists who attacked it (bin Laden being a prime example), and increasing aid to Islamic groups (Islamist madrassas around the world and even aiding some violent Islamist groups) that did not, but its pre-war influence on behalf of moderation was greatly reduced. ^[106] One result of this was a campaign of attacks on government officials and tourists in Egypt, a bloody civil war in Algeria and Osama bin Laden's terror attacks climaxing in 9/11 attack. For the Southeast Asian organization of the same name see Jemaah Islamiyah. During the Algerian Civil War of the 1990s a variety of massacres occurred Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March ^[107]

Jihad movements of Egypt

Ayman al-Zawahiri

While Qutb's ideas became increasingly radical during his imprisonment prior to his execution in 1966, the leadership of the Brotherhood, led by Hasan al-Hudaybi, remained moderate and interested in political negotiation and activism. Fringe or splinter movements inspired by the final writings of Qutb in the mid-1960s (particularly the manifesto "Milestones," aka Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq) did, however, develop and they pursued a more radical direction. Ma'alim fi al-Tariq, also Ma'alim fi'l-tareeq, ( Arabic: معالم في الطريق) or Milestones, first ^[108] By the 1970s, the Brotherhood had renounced violence as a means of achieving its goals.

The path of violence and military struggle was then taken up by the Egyptian Islamic Jihad organization responsible for the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981. The Egyptian Islamic Jihad ( الجهاد الإسلامي المصري) ( EIJ) formerly called simply Islamic Jihad ( الجهاد Unlike earlier anti-colonial movements, Egyptian Islamic Jihad directed its attacks against "apostate" leaders of Muslim states, or those leaders who held secular leanings or who had introduced or promoted Western/foreign ideas and practices into Islamic societies. Its views were outlined in a pamphlet written by Muhammad Abd al-Salaam Farag, in which he states:

…there is no doubt that the first battlefield for jihad is the extermination of these infidel leaders and to replace them by a complete Islamic Order…

Islamists in Egypt, especially al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group), sometimes employed violence in their struggle for Islamic order. For the Southeast Asian organization of the same name see Jemaah Islamiyah. Victims of this campaign against the Egyptian state in the 1990s included the head of the counter-terrorism police (Major General Raouf Khayrat), a parliamentary speaker (Rifaat al-Mahgoub), dozens of European tourists and Egyptian bystanders, and over 100 Egyptian police. ^[109] Ultimately the campaign to overthrow the government was unsuccessful, and the major jihadi group, Jamaa Islamiya (or al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya), renounced violence in 2003. For the Southeast Asian organization of the same name see Jemaah Islamiyah. ^[110]

Sudan

Hassan al-Turabi

For many years Sudan had an Islamist regime under the leadership of Hassan al-Turabi. Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. Dr Hassan 'Abd Allah al-Turabi (الدكتور حسن عبد الله الترابي in Arabic) commonly called Hassan al-Turabi (sometimes transliterated His National Islamic Front first gained influence when strongman General Gaafar al-Nimeiry invited members to serve in his government in 1979. For the Afghan Pashtun political party led by Pir Pir Sayyed Ahmad Gillani, see National Islamic Front (Afghanistan. Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry (otherwise known as Jaafar Nimeiry, Gaafar Nimeiry or Ga'far Muhammad an-Numayri; born 1 January 1930) Turabi built a powerful economic base with money from foreign Islamist banking systems, especially those linked with Saudi Arabia. He also recruited and built a cadre of influential loyalists by placing sympathetic students in the university and military academy while serving as minister of education. ^[111]

After al-Nimeiry was overthrown in 1985 the party did poorly in national elections but in 1989 it was able to overthrow the elected post-al-Nimeiry government with the help of the military. Turabi was noted for his commitment to the democratic process and a liberal government before coming to power, but strict application of sharia law, and an intensification of the long-running war in southern Sudan,^[112] human rights abuses, once in power. Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. The NIF regime also harbored Osama bin Laden for a time (before 9/11), and worked to unify Islamist opposition to the American attack on Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War. Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March

Main article: National Islamic Front

After Sudanese intelligence services were implicated in an assassination attempt on the President of Egypt, UN economic sanctions were imposed on Sudan, a very poor country, and Turabi fell from favor. For the Afghan Pashtun political party led by Pir Pir Sayyed Ahmad Gillani, see National Islamic Front (Afghanistan. ^[113] He was imprisoned for a time in 2004-5. Some of the NIF policies, such as the war with the non-Muslim south, have been reversed, though the National Islamic Front (now named the National Congress Party) still holds considerable power in the Sudanese government. This article or section does not cite its references or sources.

Algeria

The FIS emblem

An Islamist movement influenced by Salafism and the jihad in Afghanistan, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood, was the FIS or Front Islamique de Salut (the Islamic Salvation Front) in Algeria. The Islamic Salvation Front ( Arabic: الجبهة الإسلامية للإنقاذ al-Jabhah al-Islāmiyah lil-Inqādh) (Front Islamique du Salut is an outlawed Founded as a broad Islamist coalition in 1989 it was led by Abbassi Madani, and a charismatic radical young preacher, Ali Belhadj. Taking advantage of liberalization by the unpopular ruling leftist/nationalist FLN regime, it used its preaching to advocate the establishment of a legal system following Sharia law, education in Arabic rather than French, and gender segregation, with women staying home to alleviate the high rate of unemployment among young Algerian men. Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. The FIS won sweeping victories in local elections and it was going to win national elections in 1991 when voting was canceled by a military coup d'état.

As Islamists took up arms to overthrow the regime, the FIS's leaders were arrested and it became overshadowed by Islamist guerilla groups particularly the Islamic Salvation Army, MIA and Armed Islamic Group (or GIA). The Islamic Salvation Front ( Arabic: الجبهة الإسلامية للإنقاذ al-Jabhah al-Islāmiyah lil-Inqādh) (Front Islamique du Salut is an outlawed The Armed Islamic Group ( GIA, al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah al-Musallaha, from French Groupe Islamique Armé; Arabic الجماعة الإسلامية A bloody and devastating civil war ensued in which between 150,000 and 200,000 people were killed over the next decade. The Algerian Civil War was an armed conflict between the Algerian government and various Islamist rebel groups which began in 1991 Civilians – including foreigners, University academics, intellectuals, writers, journalists, and medical doctors – were targeted by Islamist extremists. ^[114][115] although government forces were also accused of killing civilians and of manipulating the brutal takfiri GIA

Main article: List of Algerian massacres of the 1990s

The civil war was not a victory for Islamism. For the Salafist extremist group see Takfir wal-Hijra In Shia terminology "takfir" The Armed Islamic Group ( GIA, al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah al-Musallaha, from French Groupe Islamique Armé; Arabic الجماعة الإسلامية During the Algerian Civil War of the 1990s a variety of massacres occurred By 2002 the main guerrilla groups had either been destroyed or had surrendered. The popularity of Islamist parties has declined to the point that "the Islamist candidate, Abdallah Jaballah, came a distant third with 5% of the vote" in the 2004 presidential election. ^[116]

Afghanistan Taliban

Flag of Taliban

Main article: Taliban

In Afghanistan the mujahideen's victory did not lead to justice and prosperity but to a vicious and destructive civil war between warlords, making Afghanistan one of the poorest countries on earth. The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately The Civil war in Afghanistan, also known as Afghan Civil War, began in 1978 and has continued In 1996, a new movement known as the Taliban, rose to power, defeated most of the warlords and took over roughly 80% of Afghanistan. The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately

The Taliban were spawned by the thousands of madrasahs the Deobandi movement established for impoverished Afghan refugees and supported by governmental and religious groups in neighboring Pakistan. "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə. The Deobandi ( Urdu: دیو بندی devbandī) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist movement which started in India and has more recently Afghan refugees (known as Muhajir Afghans in South Asia) are people who fled Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion in 1979 and during the

The Taliban differed from other Islamist movements to the point where they might be more properly described as Islamic fundamentalist or neofundamentalist, interested in spreading "an idealized and systematized version of village customs to an entire country. Islamic fundamentalism Arabic: usul (from usul the "fundamentals"] is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the "^[117] Despite Afghanistan's great poverty, they had little interest in social, economic and technological development – at one time explaining that "we Muslims believe God the Almighty will feed everybody one way or another. "^[118] Their ideology was also described as being influenced by Pashtunwali tribal law, Wahhabism, and the jihadism pan-Islamism of their guest Osama bin Laden. Wahhabism ( Arabic: Al-Wahhābīyya الوهابية or Wahabism is a conservative reformist call of Sunni Islam attributed to Pan-Islamism ( اتّحاد الاسلام) is a Political movement advocating the unity of Muslims under one Islamic state or a Caliphate Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March

The Taliban considered "politics" to be against Sharia and thus did not hold elections. Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. They were led by Mullah Muhammad Omar who was given the title "Amir al-Mu'minin" or Commander of the Faithful, and a pledge of loyalty by several hundred Taliban-selected Pashtun clergy in April 1996. Mullah Mohammed Omar ( Pashto: ملا محمد عمر (born c Amir al-Mu'minin ( Arabic أمير المؤمنين Latinized as Miramolinus hence Italian Miramolino usually translated Commander of the Faithful Pashtuns ( Pashto: پښتون Paṣtūn, Paxtūn, also rendered as Pushtuns, Pakhtuns, Pukhtuns) also called Like most Islamists, the Taliban enforced strict prohibitions on women, but these were so severe – for example effectively forbidding most employment and schooling – that they created an international outcry. ^[119] The Taliban were also famous for other activities they banned – music, TV, videos, photographs, pigeons, kite-flying, beard-trimming, etc. – and for the energy and the resources which they used to enforce the bans, including hundreds perhaps thousands of religious police officers armed with "whips, long sticks and Kalashnikovs. "^[120]

The Taliban also opposed Shi'ism and have been accused by human rights groups of indiscriminately killing thousands of Shia. ^[121] They were also overwhelmingly Pashtun and were accused of not sharing power with the approximately 60% of Afghanis who belonged to other ethnic groups. Pashtuns ( Pashto: پښتون Paṣtūn, Paxtūn, also rendered as Pushtuns, Pakhtuns, Pukhtuns) also called (see: Taliban#Ideology)

The Taliban's hosting of Osama bin Laden, despite the attacks he organized against the United States, led to an American-organized attack against which drove them from power following the 9/11 attacks. The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March ^[122] Taliban are still very much alive and fighting a vigorous insurgency from bases in the frontier regions of Pakistan with suicide bombings being launched against NATO, Afghan government targets and civilians. The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately The North Atlantic Treaty

Attacks on civilians

Main article: Islamic terrorism

9/11 attack on World Trade Center

Some Islamist groups call for and/or engage in attacks on not only police/military enemies, but non-combatants as well. The World Trade Center in New York City, United States (sometimes informally the WTC or Twin Towers) was a complex of seven buildings in Lower Manhattan These groups include several mentioned above: al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group) of Egypt, Islamist groups in Algeria, Hezbollah of Lebanon, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine/Israel, and perhaps most famously Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda group. For the Southeast Asian organization of the same name see Jemaah Islamiyah. Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation Ḥamas (ar حركة حماس acronym ar حركة المقاومة The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine (حركة الجهاد الإسلامي في فلسطين - Harakat al-Jihād al-Islāmi fi Filastīn Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The Both Muslims and non-Muslims have been among the targets and victims. Some of the groups have proudly proclaimed the attacks, others been silent or denied involvement.

Justification for attacks on Muslims often comes as takfir, an implicit death threat, as punishment for apostasy in Islam is death under traditional Sharia law. For the Salafist extremist group see Takfir wal-Hijra In Shia terminology "takfir" Justification for attacks on non-Muslims is often the allegation that the targets had "waged war against God," are occupiers of Musilm land, or tourists unwelcome on Muslim land. Suicide or "martyrdom operations" are a lethal technique among radical Islamists, sometimes motivated by the much disputed explanation that "God will give" those who kill themselves in the path of jihad 70 or 72 female "virgins" and "everlasting happiness. Jihad (جهاد ʤɪhæːd an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Islam, the ḥūr or ḥūrīyah ( are described as "(splendid companions of equal age (well-matched" "lovely eyed" of "modest "^[123][124]

Religious or sectarian attacks in situations were Islamists are active have been particularly serious following 2004. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " In Iraq, 8,262 people were killed in terror attacks in 2005 and 13,340 in 2006,^[125] although not all of theses casualties came from attacks by Islamist groups. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Islamist or fundamentalist attacks are also on the increase in Afghanistan^[126][127] and in Pakistan, were hundreds have been killed in 2006 and 2007,^[128] although in both countries not all of the attacks have been on civilians.

Hizb ut-Tahrir

Main article: Hizb ut-Tahrir

An influential international Islamist movement is the 'party' Hizb ut-Tahrir, founded in 1953 by a Sufi and Islamic Qadi (judge) Taqiuddin al-Nabhani. Hizb ut-Tahrir (حزب التحرير Party of Liberation is an international Pan-Islamist, Sunni, vanguard political party whose goal is to combine all Muslim Hizb ut-Tahrir (حزب التحرير Party of Liberation is an international Pan-Islamist, Sunni, vanguard political party whose goal is to combine all Muslim Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف Qadi (also known as Qazi or Kazi or Kadi) (قاضي is a judge ruling in accordance with the Sharia, Islamic religious law Taqiuddin al-Nabhani (Full transliterated name Sheikh Muhammad Taqiuddin bin Ibrahim bin Mustafah bin Ismail bin Yusuf al-Nabhani; تقي الدين النبهاني HT is unique from most other Islamist movements in that the party focuses not on local issues or on providing social services, but on unifying the Muslim world under its vision of a new Islamic caliphate spanning from North Africa and the Middle East to much of central and South Asia. A caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa) is the political leadership of the Muslim community in classical and medieval Islamic history To this end it has drawn up and published a constitution for its proposed caliphate state. The constitution's 187 articles specify specific policies such as sharia law, a "unitary ruling system" headed by a caliph elected by Muslims, an economy based on the gold standard, public ownership of utilities, public transport, and energy resources, and Arabic as the "sole language of the State. Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. The gold standard is a monetary system in which a region's common media of exchange are paper notes that are normally freely convertible into pre-set fixed quantities of Gold Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language "^[129] In its focus on the Caliphate, HT takes a different view of Muslim history than some other Islamists such as Muhammad Qutb. Muhammad Qutb, (ˈkʌtəb in English) is an Islamic author scholar and teacher best known as the younger brother of the Egyptian Islamist thinker Sayyid Qutb, and HT sees Islam's pivotal turning point as occurring not with the death of Ali, Omar or one of the other four rightly guided Caliphs in the 7th century, but with the 1918 or 1922 abolition of the Ottoman caliphate. This is believed to have ended the true Islamic system, something for which it blames "the disbelieving (Kafir) colonial powers" working through Turkish modernist Mustafa Kamal. Mustafa Kamal is the District City Nazim (Mayor of Karachi. Mr ^[130]

HT does not engage in armed jihad or vote-getting, but works to take power through "ideological struggle" to change Muslim public opinion, and in particular through elites who will "facilitate" a "change of the government," i. Jihad (جهاد ʤɪhæːd an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. e. launch a bloodless coup. It allegedly attempted and failed such coups in 1968 and 1969 in Jordan, and in 1974 in Egypt, and is now banned in both countries. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. ^[131]

The party is sometimes described as "Leninist" and "rigidly controlled by its central leadership,"^[132] with its estimated one million members required to spend "at least two years studying party literature under the guidance of mentors (Murshid)" before taking "the party oath. Pir ( Persian: (پیر literally "old " is a title for a Sufi master "^[133] HT is particularly active in the ex-soviet republics of Central Asia and in Europe. Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south In the UK its rallies have drawn thousands of Muslims,^[134] and the party is said to have outpaced the Muslim Brotherhood in both membership and radicalism. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located ^[135]

Justice and Development Party

Justice and Development Party Logo

Main article: Justice and Development Party (Turkey)

Something of an anomaly among Islamist movements and parties is the Justice and Development Party (Turkey) (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi) (JDP) of Turkey headed by Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi or AK Parti, or AKP) is the incumbent Turkish Political party, which describes The Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi or AK Parti, or AKP) is the incumbent Turkish Political party, which describes "Erdoğan" redirects here For the Turkish Helicopter Erdoğan see Kamov Ka-50. The successor to earlier Islamist parties of Necmettin Erbakan – National Order Party (Milli Nizam Partisi), National Salvation Party (Milli Selamet Partisi), Welfare Party (Refah Partisi) – JDP was the first Islamist party in history to win a free national election and form a government. Necmettin Erbakan, born in Sinop, is a Turkish Engineer, Academic, Politician (eventually political party leader and was Prime The Welfare Party (Refah Partisi (RP in Turkey was founded by Ahmed Tekdal in Ankara in 1983 as heir to two earlier parties Milli Nizam ^[136] In July 2007 it won 46% of the vote, (a landslide in Turkey's multiparty political landscape)^[137] with its "humane, tolerant, and democratic track record" and its reputation for "clean, effective, and competent management. "

In large part because it has had to make its way in the strict secular or laiklik environment of Kemal Atatürk's Turkey, the JDP party structure is described as "democratic, decentralized, and transparent," its policies support "integration into the global economy, and membership in the EU," rather than breaking away to form an Islamic economic bloc. Secularism in Turkey was introduced with the Turkish Constitution of 1924 and later the Atatürk's Reforms set the administrative and political requirements to create Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (19 May 1881 &ndash 10 November 1938 was an army officer revolutionary Statesman The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in ^[138]

Erdogan has challenged the "Kemalist elite" by using the Western idea of separation of religion and state to call for women's freedom to wear Islamic headscarves in class, and by using Turkey's NATO allies Europe and the US as allies "against the excesses of the Kemalist state. Separation of church and state is a Political and Legal Doctrine that Government and religious institutions are to be kept separate Islam and clothing Hijab or ħijāb ( ar حجاب, pronounced) is the Arabic term for "cover" (noun based on the root حجب meaning "to The North Atlantic Treaty "^[139]

Before anything else, I'm a Muslim . . . I have a responsibility to God . . . A political party cannot have a religion, only individuals can . . . religion is so supreme that it cannot be [politically] exploited or taken advantage of. ^[140]

Some people have the hope that Turkey and the JDP will show the way for "a genuine reconciliation and integration of both Islamist and Western liberal democratic traditions. "^[141]

Other countries

In the 1990s, Islamist conflicts erupted around the world. In 1995 a series of terrorist attacks were launched against France. Malaysia is described as a "soft" Islamist state, whereas Iran is considered a "hard" Islamist state. ^[142]

A considerable effort has been made to fight against Western targets, especially the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States, in particular, was made a target of Islamist fire because of its support for Israel, its presence on Saudi Arabian soil, what Islamists regard as its aggression against Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan, and because of its support of the regimes that Islamists oppose. In addition, some Islamists have concentrated their activity against Israel, and nearly all Islamists view Israel with hostility. Osama bin Laden, at least, believes that this is of necessity due to the historical conflict between Muslims and Jews, and believes that there is a Jewish/American alliance against Islam.

On the other extreme (i. e. the moderate end) of the Islamist movement, the Muhammadiyah movement in Indonesia has stated that it is concerned with "far more important issues than the application of Sharia," namely strengthening the education, health, economy and society of that Muslim nation, a task they maintain represents "the greater Shari'a" or path of God. Muhammadiyah (full name Persyarikatan Muhammadiyah) is an Islamic organization in Indonesia. ^[143]

There is some debate as to how influential Islamist movements remain. Some scholars assert that Islamism is a fringe movement which is dying, following the clear failures of Islamist regimes like the regime in Sudan, the Habitué's Saudi regime and the Deobandi Taliban to improve the lot of Muslims. However, others (such as Ahmed Rashid and Graham E. Ahmed Rashid (b 1948 in Rawalpindi) is a Pakistani Journalist and best-selling author Fuller) feel that the Islamists still command considerable support and cite the fact that Islamists in Pakistan and Egypt regularly win 10 to 30 percent in electoral polls, despite the fact that they are prosecuted and that many believe the polls are rigged against them.

Islamist movements

• International — Al-Qaida, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hizb ut-Tahrir
• Afghanistan — Taliban
• Algeria — Groupe Islamique Armé, Islamic Salvation Front, Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat
• Egypt — Gama'at Islamiya
• Lebanon — Hizballah
• Iraqi Kurdistan — Islamic Movement in Kurdistan, Islamic Group of Kurdistan, Islamic Union of Kurdistan
• Iran Kurdistan — Khabat
• Palestinian Territories — Hamas
• Central Asia — Hizb ut-Tahrir
• Somalia — Islamic Courts Union
• South Asia — Jamaat-e-Islami (there are Jamaats in India, Pakistan and followers of Wahhabism), Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen
• Turkey — Justice and Development Party (disputed), Felicity Party
• Bahrain — Al Wefaq Asalat

See also

• Islam
• Criticism of Islamism
• Political aspects of Islam
• Qutbism
• Abul Ala Maududi
• Sayyid Qutb
• Islamic fundamentalism
• Islamic revival
• Islamofascism
• Global Islamic Insurgency
• Clash of Civilizations
• Islamic Terrorism

Further reading

• Hassan, Riaz Inside Muslim Minds Melbourne University Press, 2008
• Hassan, Riaz Faithlines: Muslim Conceptions of Islam and Society Oxford University Press, 2002
• Fuller, Graham E. Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The The Muslim Brothers ( Arabic: الإخوان المسلمون al-ikhwān al-muslimūn, full title The Society of the Muslim Brothers, often simply الإخوان Hizb ut-Tahrir (حزب التحرير Party of Liberation is an international Pan-Islamist, Sunni, vanguard political party whose goal is to combine all Muslim Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's The Armed Islamic Group ( GIA, al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah al-Musallaha, from French Groupe Islamique Armé; Arabic الجماعة الإسلامية The Islamic Salvation Front ( Arabic: الجبهة الإسلامية للإنقاذ al-Jabhah al-Islāmiyah lil-Inqādh) (Front Islamique du Salut is an outlawed The al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb, previously known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (الجماعة السلفية للدعوة والقتال This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. For the Southeast Asian organization of the same name see Jemaah Islamiyah. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. History See also History of the Kurdish people Ancient period See also Hurrians, Guti, Mannaeans, Medes The Islamic Movement of Kurdistan/Iraq was founded in 1980 by Shaykh Uthman Abd-Aziz and several other Sunni mullahs who were all part of the non-political Islamic Group of Kurdistan/Irak ( Arabic: كؤمةلَي ئيسلامي لة كوردستان/ عيراق Kurdish: Komele Islami le Kurdistan/Iraq Kurdistan Islamic Union is a party in Iraqi Kurdistan is in principle independent and is directly responsible for policy matters For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. History See also History of the Kurdish people Ancient period See also Hurrians, Guti, Mannaeans, Medes The Revolutionary Khabat Organization of the Iranian Kurdistan, usually called Khabat ( Kurdish for "struggle" is a Kurdish nationalist opposition Name There are differences of opinion as to what the Palestinian territories should be called Ḥamas (ar حركة حماس acronym ar حركة المقاومة Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south Hizb ut-Tahrir (حزب التحرير Party of Liberation is an international Pan-Islamist, Sunni, vanguard political party whose goal is to combine all Muslim Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known The Islamic Courts Union ( ICU, Somali: Midowga Maxkamadaha Islaamiga Arabic: اتحاد المحاكم الإسلامية Ittihād al-mahākim Jamaat-e-Islami ( Urdu: جماعتِ اسلامی, " Islamic Block " Jamaat, JI) is an Islamist Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen ( alternate spelling Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh; abbreviated JMB) (জামাত-উল-মুজাহিদীন বাংলাদেশ Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi or AK Parti, or AKP) is the incumbent Turkish Political party, which describes The Felicity Party ( Saadet Partisi) is a Turkish political party of strongly Islamist views often seen as the main voice of sensitive Muslims in Turkey The Kingdom of Bahrain (in مملكة البحرين,, literally Kingdom of the Two Seas) is an Island country in the Persian Gulf 2006 elections Bahraini parliamentary election 2006 Al Wefaq announced that it would reverse its elections boycott and participate in the 2006 parliamentary election For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. See also Islamism This article is about criticism of the Islamic political and religious movement known as Islamism Criticism of Islamism See also Modern Islamic philosophy, Islamism, Islamic terrorism Political aspects of Islam are derived from the Quran, the Sunna Qutbism (also Kotebism Qutbiyya or Qutbiyyah is the radical strain of Islamist ideology and activism based on the thought and writings of Sayyid Qutb, an Islamist Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi (Urdu سید ابو الاعلىٰ مودودی - alternative spellings of last name Maudoodi, and Mawdudi) ( -) also known Sayyid Qutb (ˈsaɪjɪd ˈqʊtˁb (also Saïd Syed Seyyid Sayid or Sayed last name also Koteb (rather common Qutub Kotb or Kutb (سيد قطب October 9, 1906 Islamic fundamentalism Arabic: usul (from usul the "fundamentals"] is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the Islamic revival refers to a revival of the Islamic religion throughout the Islamic world, that began roughly sometime in 1970s and is manifested in greater religious This article is about the term "Islamofascism" See the broader treatment of possible relations between religion and fascism in Clerical fascism and Neofascism Global Islamic Insurgency is a Hypothesis formulated by David Kilcullen contending that various non-state Islamist groups are dedicated to political outcomes The Clash of Civilizations is a Theory, proposed by Political scientist Samuel P Riaz Hassan AM, FASSA is an Australian Research Council Professorial Fellow and Emeritus Professor in the Department of Sociology Flinders University Riaz Hassan AM, FASSA is an Australian Research Council Professorial Fellow and Emeritus Professor in the Department of Sociology Flinders University , The Future of Political Islam, Palgrave MacMillan, (2003)
• " On Suicide Bombings" by Talal Asad
• A Fundamental Fear: Eurocentrism and Emergence of Islamism' by S. Sayyid, London: Zed Press.
• The Al Qaeda Connection: International Terrorism, Organized Crime, And the Coming Apocalypse by Paul L. Williams
• Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam by Gilles Kepel
• The War for Muslim Minds by Gilles Kepel
• Gilles Kepel, The Roots of Radical Islam London: Saqi, 2005 (originally published in French as Le Prophete et Pharaon, 1984)
• Esposito, John L. Paul L Williams is an American Author, Journalist, and Consultant. Gilles Kepel (born 30 June 1955) is a prominent French scholar and analyst of the Islamic and the Arab world Gilles Kepel (born 30 June 1955) is a prominent French scholar and analyst of the Islamic and the Arab world Gilles Kepel (born 30 June 1955) is a prominent French scholar and analyst of the Islamic and the Arab world Esposito is an Italian surname for millions of people throughout the world (2003). Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 0-19-516886-0.  
• Paul Berman: Terror And Liberalism W. Paul Berman is an American author and journalist who writes on politics and literature W. Norton & Company, New York 2003
• Robert Dreyfuss: Devil's Game: How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam. Robert Dreyfuss is a freelance investigative journalist whose work appears in The Nation, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones Henry Holt/Metropolitan Books, November 2005
• Philip S. Khoury:, "Islamic Revival and the Crisis of the Secular State in the Arab World: an Historical Appraisal. Philip S Khoury is a political and social historian of the Middle East, presently Associate Provost and Ford International Professor of History at the Massachusetts " in Arab Resources: The Transformation of a Society. ed. I. Ibrahim. London: Croom Helm, 1983.
• Mandaville, Peter: "Transnational Muslim Politics", (2001), London: Routledge.
• Bernard Lewis: The Emergence of Modern Turkey London, Oxford University Press, 1961
• Beverley Milton-Edwards: Islamic fundamentalism since 1945. Bernard Lewis (born May 31, 1916 in London, England) is a British - American London: Routledge, 2005
• Nazih Ayubi, Political Islam (London: Routledge, 1991).
• John Esposito, Voices of Resurgent Islam Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983. John Louis Esposito (born 19 May 1940 Brooklyn, New York City) is a professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University
• John Esposito, The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality Oxford: Oxford University Press 1992. John Louis Esposito (born 19 May 1940 Brooklyn, New York City) is a professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University
• John Esposito and Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, Islam, Gender, and Social Change. John Louis Esposito (born 19 May 1940 Brooklyn, New York City) is a professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University
• Fred Halliday, Islam and the Myth of Confrontation London: I. Fred Halliday (born 1946 in Dundalk, Republic of Ireland) is a British academic and author specialising in the Middle East and International relations B. Tauris, 1996.
• Khomeini, Ruhollah (1981). Seyyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini ( Persian:, pronounced muːsæviː-je xomejniː}}( September 24, 1902 – June 3 1989 Algar, Hamid (translator and editor). Islam and Revolution: Writing and Declarations of Imam Khomeini. Berkeley: Mizan Press.
• Mayer, Ann Elizabeth, "The Fundamentalist Impact on Law, Politics and Constitution in Iran, Pakistan and the Sudan", In: Fundamentalism and the State, Martin Marty & S. Appleby (eds. )

References

External links

• Understanding Islamism
• Islamism in Europe
• Coming to Terms, Fundamentalists or Islamists? Martin Kramer
• Global Power Barometer (measures 24/7 how well Islamists are influencing the global agenda)]
• Pakistan’s Islamist press calls for jihad
• Evaluating the Islamist movement – written by Greg Noakes, an American Muslim who works at the Washington Report
• Muslim scholars face down fanaticism – written by Aicha Lemsine, an Algerian journalist and author.
• Muslims for Dawah through Peace – Islamic peace movement manifesto

Opposing viewpoints

Further information: Criticism of Islamism