Religious Extremism

Crime-Terrorism Nexus Is Significant Factor in Islamist Activities in USA

January 06, 2021

Homelandsecuritytoday.com writes that according to a new report by Fordham Law School’s Center on National Security, criminal history can be useful diagnostic tool in predicting and preventing Islamist radicalization and violence in America, with a third of US IS defendants having a pre-existing criminal record.
Jihadists Kill 100 Civilians in Niger in Escalation of Islamist Terror

January 06, 2021

CNN reports that Niger's government confirmed a weekend jihadist attack that killed one hundred civilians in the triborder region of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, as a result of diverse Islamist extremist groups consolidating power across the African Continent.
Indonesia Bans Islamic Defenders Front

January 06, 2021

The government of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim--majority country, has outlawed the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), a radical organization using violent tactics to target religious minorities and impose an austere interpretation of Islam, after the FPI's leader recently called for a "moral revolution" against the government.
Pakistan Targets Google & Wikipedia in Latest Crackdown on Digital Freedoms

December 30, 2020

Authorities from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) have demanded that Google and Wikipedia remove content deemed as offensive to Islam, including "sacrilegious and misleading" portrayals of Islam's prophet Mohammed.
Saudi Human Rights Activist Sentenced for Challenging Sharia Law

December 30, 2020

Human rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul, was given a multi-year prison sentence by Saudi Arabia's Specialized Criminal Court based on her advocacy for reforms in the sharia-based legal restrictions on women's civil rights and an end to sharia-based male guardianship laws.
Turkey Moves to Consolidate State Islamist Authoritarianism

December 28, 2020

According to Al-Moniter, Turkey has drafted new legislation seemingly in an effort to prevent the financing of terrorism, while Human Rights activists in the NATO Member nation and abroad are raising the alarm that the draft law increases state control over civil society in an effort to institutionalize Islamist statism.
Expert Research Points to Islamic Laws as Impediment to Gender Economic Equality

December 23, 2020

New research by the World Economic Forum, UK digital banking experts, and other experts on the intersectionality of banking, gender, and Islam point to Islamic laws as an impediment to integrating the estimated 800 million women into the world's banking and financial systems.
Bangladesh Government Faces Challenges with Increasing Islamization

December 23, 2020

Manas Nag writes in The Diplomat that despite the South Asian state of Bangladesh being one of the region's fastest growing economies, the government faces increasing pressure to appease radical Islamist groups and ideologues who are pressing for increased Islamization of politics and the public sphere.
Saudi Prosecutor Seeks Maximum Penalty for Women's Rights Activist

December 21, 2020

The Guardian reports that judges in the terrorism court of Saudi Arabia are seeking the maximum jail sentence against a high-profile women’s rights activist, Loujain al-Hathoul, on charges of terrorism, citing her advocacy for an end to the Wahhabi-based guardianship laws that render women second-class citizens.
Morocco's Islamist Groups Condemn Normalization with Israel as "Deplorable"

December 15, 2020

The Guardian reports that Morocco's constellation of Islamist parties and organizations condemned the decision by the North African Kingdom to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel, denouncing the Rabat government's announcement as "deplorable".