Religious Extremism

Saudi Arabia Turns to China for Nuclearization Goals

June 07, 2019

The competition between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran for global hegemony as leader of Islam is further destabilizing regional security by motivating Riyadh’s turn to China as a supplier for the Islamist kingdom’s ballistic missile program that aims to achieve longterm nuclear capability.
Islamist Divisions Aggravate Turkey’s Authoritarianism

June 07, 2019

Turkey’s Islamist authoritarianism deepened with a new round of purges and mass detentions of diplomats, driven by the continuing dispute between the ruling Islamist regime’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the grassroots Islamist movement of Fetullah Gulen.
Saudi Arabia Prepares to Execute Islamist Clerics

June 07, 2019

The impending execution of three scholars affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood in Saudi Arabia has prompted renewed criticisms by international rights groups of the Islamic kingdom’s free speech violations and use of torture to silence dissenters.
Iran Ratchets up Islamist Discourse Against US Peace Plan

June 07, 2019

The Supreme Leader of Iran's Islamic theocratic regime has condemned the anticipated US plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace, using Islamist rhetoric to mobilize the member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to act against the as-yet unreleased plan as a "betrayal of the Islamic world."
Islamists Oppose Kuwait Development Strategy on Sharia Grounds

June 07, 2019

The Arabian Gulf monarchy of Kuwait's Vision 2035 economic development strategy faces growing opposition from Islamist Parliamentarians who oppose Chinese investment because of Beijing's persecution of that country's Uigher Muslim population and who condemn the development project as an initiative that will undermine sharia law.
Hezbollah Opposes Anticipated US Peace Plan

June 05, 2019

Leaders of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shiite extremist group, say they will oppose the anticipated US peace plan for Israel and Palestine, warning the US and its regional allies “will pay a heavy price” for a plan they say will disrupt the Mideast balance of power between Saudi Arabia’s Sunni theocracy and Iran’s Shiite theocracy.
Saudi Arabia Aims to Bolster Regime’s Islamist Credentials

June 03, 2019

The Islamic theocratic monarchy of Saudi Arabia attempted to show its Islamist convening power as a hegemonic leader of Muslims around the world by hosting three major conferences - the annual leadership summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and emergency meetings of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League.
Islamist Regimes Export Competing Brands of Religious Nationalism

May 31, 2019

The Islamist regimes of the Arabian Gulf and Turkey are using ideology, money, and weapons to export their competing brands of religious nationalism in support of diverse jihadist movements across the Middle East and Africa.
Mecca Summit Will Address Escalating Islamist Sectarianism

May 30, 2019

Saudi Arabia is convening an emergency summit with leaders from regional Arab governments to discuss concerns that the rapidly escalating sectarian tensions between the Islamist regimes of Iran and Saudi Arabia could lead to a major destabilizing of the Mideast’s already volatile security environment.
Turkey Uses Islamism as Foreign Policy Soft-Power Tool

May 30, 2019

Turkey’s government continues to deploy Islamism as a core foreign policy tool of soft power to achieve its neo-Ottoman goals of regional hegemony in the Middle East.