Religious Extremism

New Report on British Counter-Extremism Program Criticizes Funding to Pro-Islamist Groups

January 03, 2023

Leaked details of a forthcoming report on the British government’s flagship counter-extremism program, Prevent, indicate critique of failures in due diligence over funding for groups meant to prevent youth radicalization recruitment, given that support has been given to pro-Islamist organizations in civil society, with additional criticism level led at the Prevent program for minimizing Islamist extremism versus the focus rightwing extremism.
Taliban Continue Crackdown on Women with Ban on Female NGO Workers

December 26, 2022

Afghanistan's Taliban sharia regime continued its targeted crackdown on women, with an announcement by the Minister of Economy ordering the suspension of work by all foreign and local female NGO (non-governmental organization) aid workers justified on the grounds of Islamic dress code requirements.
Taliban Leaders Defend Ban on Women From University

December 26, 2022

Afghanistan's Minister of Education doubled down on the hardline Islamist regime's decision to ban women from university study because of alleged violations of sharia dress code, reacting to external criticism of the decision as foreign interference in the country's domestic affairs and supporting harsh security crackdowns on male and female student demonstrations that have followed the decision.
World Islamist Groups Will Meet in Indonesia on Legal Reform According to UN Charter

December 19, 2022

Islamist organizations from around the world will meet in Indonesia in early 2023, convened by the country’s Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) under the auspices of the G20’s Religion Forum 20, to discuss Islamist jurisprudential reforms to conform with the UN Human Rights Charter, in a gathering that will inevitably require resolution of the incompatibilities between sharia law and the UN Declaration of Human Rights and that comes at a moment when NU faces criticisms at home and abroad for supporting Indonesia’s proposed legislation that would curtail social and political rights in line with sharia prescriptions.
Kuwait Inaugurates Efforts for Islamic Education in Venezuela With Islamic Center and School

December 19, 2022

The Islamic monarchy of Kuwait's charitable foundation Zakat House is bringing Islamic education to Venezuala, with the recent inauguration of the Venezuelan Islamic School, part of the Venezulan Islamic Center located in the capital city of Caracas, with a mission to teach and "preserve Islamic education and values for the children of the city's Islamic community."
Social Consequences of Turkey's Islamist Government Reflected in Court Case of Six-Year-Old Girl's Forced Marriage & Abuse

December 19, 2022

Turkish courts are embroiled in a controversial case surrounding the social consequences of the wide berth afforded the country's Islamic brotherhoods under the country's Islamist government, based on divorce proceedings of a now-adult female who detailed her forced marriage and sexual abuse at the age of six to an adult male, in an arrangment by a leader in one of the prominent Suft Sunni brotherhoods close to the ruling regime.
Pressures of Extremist Islamism Are Evident in Violence & Legislation in Indonesia

December 14, 2022

The political and social traction of extremist Islamism in Indonesia, the worlds largest Muslim-majority country, became evident last week, as a jihadi suicide bombing attack on Java was followed by the announcement of legislative changes to the country’s criminal code, imposing fines and possible prison sentence for cohabitation and sex outside of marriages, changes criticized as too lenient by hardline Islamist groups.
Pakistani Taliban’s Suicide Attack Signals Renewed Jihadist War

December 07, 2022

The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) carried out a multi-casualty suicide bombing attack against police and medical workers in Pakistan’s northwest city of Quetta, marking the launch of the TTP’s declaration of renewed jihadist violence against the government in Islamabad and pointing to the broader islamist extremist destabilization of the geopolitically crucial region of South Asia consequent to the return to power of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Malaysian Election Results Underscore Strength of Islamist Party

November 30, 2022

Malaysia’s main Islamist party, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), was the biggest vote-getter in the East Asian country’s national elections, and with the most seats and of any party in parliament, the PAS is expected to work with partners in a coalition of conservative Islamic parties, to advance an Islamization agenda.
UK Think Tank Reports on Qatar’s Islamist Influence-Building Measures

November 30, 2022

The Arabian Gulf Islamic monarchy of Qatar aimed is using a complex, opaque web of financial investments, sports diplomacy, and mosque-building and education projects to promote Islamist ideas and influence across Europe and especially in the UK, according to data and analysis provided in a new report by British think tank Policy Exchange.