Religious Extremism

Experts Warn US-Taliban Peace Deal Could Enable Islamist Consolidation

January 30, 2019

Following the announcement of a tentative agreement reached between US negotiators and the Taliban for a peace settlement between the Islamist radical group and the Afghan government, security experts caution the unintended outcome of the negotiations could become the consolidation of a radical Islamist government in Kabul.
Saudi Government Clamps down on Asylum Seekers

January 23, 2019

According to an article in The New Yorker, the Saudi government has implemented a systematic strategy of intimidation in reaction to the past several years’ sharp uptick in applications for human rights asylum by Saudi Arabia’s citizens, especially women suffering under the Islamist theocratic kingdom’s repressive Islamist social and family law.
International Conference Showcases Saudi-Egyptian Ties

January 23, 2019

Egypt’s Ministry of Religious Endowments, which regulates the economic affairs of the country’s mosques, lauded “Saudi Arabia’s leadership of Muslims worldwide” at the recent International Conference of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, indicating the growing influence of the Saudis’ Wahhabi Islamist regime in geopolitically important Egypt.
Evidence Indicates Saudi Interference in Judicial Process of US State

January 21, 2019

US Senator from Oregon Ron Wyden is seeking answers from US security officials after reviewing evidence suggesting that Saudi Arabia arranged for the escape of five Saudi nationals studying in Oregon colleges from the state's criminal justice system, where they face crimes ranging from rape to internet trafficking in child pornography.
Turkey Turns Toward Ottoman Islamism

January 21, 2019

Recent social science research on Turkey points to the current government's turn away from EU ideals of religious freedom in favor of a revitalization of the Ottoman Islamist model by which non-Muslims are subjected to inferior social and political status in Turkey.
Turkey Demands Extradition of NBA Player from US

January 17, 2019

Turkey’s Islamist government has filed a request with Interpol for an international arrest warrant targeting New York Knicks NBA star Enes Kanter, seeking to extradite him from America to face charges related to his public declarations of support for the competing movement of Fetullah Gulen.
Islamist Cleric in Malaysia Seeks Return to Medieval Ideas

January 10, 2019

The Muslim cleric president of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) has called on the country’s Muslims to return to medieval Islamic beliefs by supporting only Muslim leaders and pushing for pardons to the Muslims among those politicians awaiting trial for corruption.
Pakistan Council Condemns Religious Radicalism, Violence

January 09, 2019

More than 500 Muslim clerics under the aegis of the Pakistan Ulema Council gathering in the country’s capital of Islamabad condemned violence and called for use of the judicial system and reliance on the rule of law to resolve blasphemy disputes like those that have rocked the country in the past several months.
Political Islamism Intensifies in Run-up to Indonesian Elections

January 09, 2019

The public activism and political influence of conservative and radical Islamist groups and ideas are intensifying in the run-up to national elections in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority state, as incumbent and opposition candidates use political Islamism for their competing platforms.
Khashoggi Murder Trial Proceedings Reveal Saudi Authoritarianism

January 04, 2019

The trial of the suspected murderers of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has highlighted the authoritarian, brutal character of the Islamist monarchy, with the demand by state prosecutors for the death penalty for 5 of the 11 suspects serving as a reminder of the almost 700 executions in Saudi Arabia since 2014.