Religious Extremism

Indonesia's Government Walks Tightrope with Islamists

July 24, 2019

Indonesia's recently elected President Woko Widodo is walking a tightrope in trying to balance the principles of secular governance with religious pluralism in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.
Iranian Regime Claims US Spy Arrests

July 24, 2019

The escalation in tensions between Iran's Islamist theocratic regime and the US, UK, and their Western allies intensified with Iranian officials' announcement of the arrest of 17 alleged spies for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who may face execution for their alleged crimes.
Pakistan Declines to Condemn China on Uighur Issue

July 24, 2019

Despite Pakistan’s leading, vocal role in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), whose 57 member-states claim to represent the interests of Muslims worldwide, Islamabad has not signed on to the US-led UN resolution condemning China for violating the rights of an estimated two million Chinese Uighur Muslims.
Turkey Exports Islamism Across Mideast Region

July 19, 2019

Turkey's foreign policy of exporting the ruling party’s Islamist ideology relies on government agencies and "charities" that fund youth programs and build schools in neighboring countries, with the goal of establishing an international body that resuscitates the Ottoman caliphate in Istanbul.
Turkey Recruits North American Muslim Youth with Free Travel

July 17, 2019

Turken, a US-based foundation funded and staffed by family members of and others with connections to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is providing free trips for North American Muslim youth to Turkey to learn an official anti-Western Islamist civilizational narrative.
Data Suggest Decline in Support for Iran’s Islamist Model

July 17, 2019

Data on jobs creation, income inequality, provision of health care, and quality-of-life metrics in Iran point to the Islamist regime’s creation of class of economic oligarchs and religio-political cronies, leading to projections for free elections that suggest 70 percent of voters would reject the continuation of the Islamic revolutionary model.
Saudi Arabia May Relax Wahabbist Guardianship System

July 17, 2019

Unconfirmed reports suggest the Saudi Arabian government may relax the strict guardianship rules that prevent women from traveling without the permission of a male guardian, a move that would indicate the loosening of strict Wahhabist control over all aspects of social life in the Kingdom.
Algerian Parliament Elects Speaker from Islamist Coalition

July 17, 2019

The political volatility and uncertainty that have defined Algeria since popular protests led to the ouster of the country's longtime presidential dictator Abdelaziz Bouteflika continues with the election of the head of a tripartite coalition of Islamist parties as the Speaker of the Parliament.
Gulf Governments Sponsor Anti-Semitic, Islamist Preaching

July 17, 2019

A review of religious programming sponsored during the 2019 Ramadan period by Arabian Gulf regimes, most of which are Islamic theocracies, underscored the continuing support for Islamist preaching that includes anti-Semitic discourse, Holocaust denial, and religious bigotry against non-Sunni Muslims and non-Muslims.
US-Taliban Talks Bring Afghanistan Closer to Sharia Rule

July 10, 2019

US-led peace talks with Taliban leaders are devolving into the consolidation of Taliban political, social, and military power, portending the establishment of a sharia state after nearly two decades of a continuous US military mission designed to produce exactly the opposite outcome.