Executive summary:
This essay argues that the West is dangerously mistaken in treating Islamism as a
perversion of an otherwise benign Islam. Its central contention is that
Islamism derives directly from Islam’s foundational texts and universalist
political ambitions, including the aspiration to impose Sharia beyond Muslim
societies. “Moderate Muslims” may reject violence, but they do not necessarily
challenge the underlying ideological claims that Islamists exploit. A small,
highly committed minority can therefore exert disproportionate political and
cultural influence, particularly when reinforced by fear, institutional capture
and Western reluctance to confront uncomfortable religious doctrines. By
separating Islam from Islamism, Western commentators risk sanitising the ideology
and weakening resistance to its long-term objectives.
