Religious Extremism

Saudi Arabia Announces First-Ever Opening to Female "Soldiers"

March 01, 2018

As part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's widely publicized liberalization of the Islamic theocratic kingdom, the Saudi government has announced that it will permit women to apply for "soldier" positions, specifically, for posts in limited traffic and mosque patrol and police administrative activities in a short list of cities.
Turkey’s President Glorifies Child Soldiers with Islamist Rhetoric

March 01, 2018

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has generated controversy with some opposition politicians and rights groups for using Islamist discourse and nationalist imagery in his comment to a young girl dressed in military fatigues that she will be honored with a Turkish flag if martyred in the country’s current military invasion of the Syrian city of Afrin.
Turkey-UAE Competition Plays out in Broad Geopolitical Context

March 01, 2018

Growing diplomatic tensions between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the legitimacy and legacy of an Ottoman military commander laid bare the intensifying competition between the two Mideast states for leadership in transregional Islamist movements and for geopolitical influence stretching around the world.
Blasphemy Charge Triggers Christian Flight from Pakistani City

March 01, 2018

A blasphemy charge against a Christian man accused of posting Facebook content insulting to Islam's prophet Mohammed provoked a mob riot in Pakistan's second largest city, Lahore, triggering the flight of 800 Christian families seeking safety against threats of violence from the rioting Muslim population.
Turkey Moves Toward Sharia

February 21, 2018

Polling and survey data indicate that Turkey’s ruling Islamist regime is moving toward sharia state status, using a steady, incremental Islamization strategy in the country’s domestic and foreign policies.
Wahhabi Rulings Forbid Valentine’s Day Celebrations

February 21, 2018

In a range of South Asian countries that are longtime beneficiaries of financial assistance from Saudi Arabia’s network of Islamist extremist charities, Islamic religious rulings (fatwas) forbade Valentine’s Day celebrations, indicating the global scope and continuing impact of the export of Saudi Wahhabi extremism.
Saudi Arabia Relinquishes Control of Brussels Mosque

February 16, 2018

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's decision to return control of the Grand Mosque of Brussels to Belgium's Muslim Executive, although explained by Riyadh as part of its commitment to liberalization and opposition to support for Salafist extremism, is generating a wait-and-see approach among experts on Saudi Arabia's global support for Islamist radicalism and terror.
Saudi Cleric Challenges Taboo of Full Covering for Women

February 13, 2018

A senior Islamic cleric on Saudi Arabia’s state-approved Council of Senior Scholars has asserted that “pious Muslim women” should not be forced to wear the abaya, the full body-face covering imposed by law under the Kingdom’s strict Wahhabi Islamist establishment.
Turkish President Signals Support for Islamic Coverings for Girls

February 13, 2018

Turkey’s President signaled another move in the regime’s totalitarian shift to Islamist nationalism, presiding in the country's parliament over the delivery of nationalist poems by a young girl in a full-body Islamic covering.
Malaysian Party Leader Plans Second-Class Status for Non-Muslims

February 13, 2018

The leader of Malaysia’s largest Islamist party has gone on record about his plans if his party secured a majority in the next elections, committing to exclude non-Muslims from government policy making and to consider the imposition of sharia blasphemy laws throughout the country.