Religious Extremism

Indonesian Elections Reveal Increasing Role of Hardline Islamism

April 23, 2019

The main candidates and platforms in Indonesia’s upcoming April presidential elections reveal the turn toward hardline Islamism in the political alliances and social mores of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.
Brunei Gears up for Harsh Sharia Punishments

April 23, 2019

Impending changes in the Brunei penal code to conform to strict sharia law in the small, oil-rich, Southeast Asian country will mean stoning to death for LGBTQ activity, whipping for adultery and sex outside of marriage, and amputations for theft.
Iranian Forces Shut Down Cafes in Morality Crackdown

April 23, 2019

The Iranian Public Places Police have shut down cafes hosting a music festival in Iran's Persian Gulf Coast city of Bushehr after hardline Shiite Islamists associated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened the festivals performers and participants over "immoral behavior" incompatible with the Islamic Republic's teachings.
Turkish President Eyes Aghia Sophia's Conversion into Mosque

April 22, 2019

The President of Turkey has once again raised the possibility of reverting Aghia Sophia, the 6th-century Orthodox Christian cathedral that was converted into a mosque and then a museum, into a functioning mosque in violation of rules accompanying the structure's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Christchurch Attacks Escalate Turkish Civilizational Threats

April 22, 2019

The recent attack by a white supremacist on two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch is generating intensified geopolitical tensions stoked by the Turkish President’s use of a civilizational discourse of Muslim versus Christian and a threat to send Australian and New Zealander tourists in Turkey “home in coffins.”
Istanbul’s Urban Transformation Signals Ongoing Islamization

April 22, 2019

The urban transformation of Istanbul, symbolized in developments such as the construction of a large mosque in the city’s Taksim Square center, which was historically populated by the country’s non-Muslim communities, signals the NATO member state’s steady Islamization in the public sphere and politics.
Turkey Stands Firm on Purchase of Russian Missile Defense System

April 15, 2019

Tensions between the US and Turkey continue to escalate as Washington refuses to transfer F-35 fighter jets to Turkey's Islamist regime, which is standing firm on its pending purchase of a Russian missile defense system that, according to Pentagon officials, could compromise US military security and intelligence capabilities.
Activists Worry About Contagion Effects of Brunei’s Sharia Code

April 10, 2019

International human rights activists are alarmed that the implementation of a strict sharia penal code in Brunei will spread to other countries in Southeast Asia.
Turkey Uses New Zealand Tragedy to Claim Islamist Leadership

April 04, 2019

The arrival of a high-level Turkish government delegation in New Zealand in the aftermath of the mosque attacks in Christchurch signals Ankara’s use of the tragedy to claim the leadership mantle of Muslims worldwide.
Turkish Islamist Rivalries Underscore Multiple Sources of Authoritarianism

April 04, 2019

As Turkey’s authoritarian Islamist AKP government concludes trials against over 100,000 alleged members of the Islamist movement of Muslim cleric Fetullah Gulen, the distinctive authoritarian tendencies of both Islamist groups are on display.