Religious Extremism

Maldives Experiences Consolidation of Radical Islamism

March 07, 2019

The Indian Ocean state of Maldives has experienced a steady consolidation of extremist Islamism in the country’s constitution, education system, and, most recently, support for Islamic State and al-Qaeda activities.
Pakistan Bans Islamist Charities Linked to Terrorism

March 05, 2019

Pakistan's National Security Committee added two Islamist charities linked to extremist ideology and terrorist violence to a list of banned organizations in the face of mounting international pressure for Islamabad to curb its support for Islamist radical activities in South Asia and beyond.
Saudi Arabia Mixes Religion, Geopolitics in Countering Criticism

March 01, 2019

Saudi Arabia's monarchy is using religion as a soft-power tool to buttress the regime's geopolitical standing in the Middle East and deploy Wahhabi Islamist clerics in a global media blitz aimed at creating an echo chamber of support against criticisms of the leadership of Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Saudi Arabia Aims to Redirect Criticism of Rights Abuses in Yemen

March 01, 2019

Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabi theocracy is funding the Center for the Rehabilitation of Children Recruited and Impacted by the War in Yemen as a propaganda tool to redirect attention from Riyadh’s involvement in the practice of child soldier recruitment.
Sectarianism Affects Lebanon's Environment, Public Health

February 21, 2019

The metastasizing environmental and public health problems of Lebanon are overwhelmingly tied to policymaking gridlock caused by the effort of non-Shiite, non-Islamist parties to counter the growing dominance of the Iran-client Hezbollah Party in Lebanon's multi-confessional state.
EU Designates Saudi Arabia “High-Risk” for Terror Financing

February 21, 2019

The EU has designated Saudi Arabia as a "high-risk third country" because of "strategic deficiencies" in the Islamic theocracy's counter-terrorism regimes, underscoring growing transatlantic concerns about the continuing impact of Saudi Arabia's financing of global jihadist operations.
Islamist Regimes, Groups Use Religion as Soft-Power Tool

February 21, 2019

According to a blog post published by the Brookings Institution, effective foreign policy aiming to counter Islamist extremism depends on an improved understanding of how Islamist state regimes and non-state actors recognize religion as a form of soft power that can be deployed transnationally through violent and non-violent tools.
Iranians Engage in Resistance Against Islamist Dress Codes

February 20, 2019

Evidence of growing popular resistance to Iran's Morality Police was on display recently when a group of citizens attacked a van of the country’s “Guidance Patrol” unit to prevent the arrest of two women for supposed violations of the country's hijab laws.
Saudi Prince Cites Islamic Solidarity with Pakistan

February 20, 2019

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) cited the "principle of Islamic solidarity" that unites Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in an awards ceremony feting MBS with the Pakistani state's highest civilian honor and a signing ceremony formalizing $20 billion in defense and development agreements.
US Charges Former Intelligence Officer with Espionage for Iran

February 14, 2019

The US Department of Justice has charged a former US Air Force intelligence officer who converted to Islam and defected to Iran in 2013 with spying for the Islamic theocracy and revealing intelligence as part of a broader cyber operation aiming to penetrate American intelligence and use social media to push malign activities.