The Islam Religion

1483 Words3 Pages

In this day and age, the Islam religion expands over the majority of Northern Africa, and the Middle East. It has a strong influence in these areas, and a number of different Islam groups and denominations are in these areas. In this essay, it will be evaluated whether or not the use of the term ‘Islamism’ can be used for all of these movements/groups. Furthermore the essay will distinguish between violent and non-violent Islamist groups in a structured way. Roger explains these groups must either make Islam more modern to work alongside the West in democracy, or they must defend culture in their religion by creating a ‘protective umbrella’ (Roger, 2004, p158).

It is best to first define the term ‘Islamism’ and how it relates to Islam. The term ‘Islamism’ is a development from the Islam religion. It requires us to look deeper into Islam, and pick out certain parts of the religion which define ‘Islamism’. Islamism today is seen more as an ideology rather than a religion. It contains social, political, and religious aspects. Furthermore, Islamism is much more structured than the other religious denominations of Islam. It can easily be noticed because it is coherent, and easily noticeable (Mozzafari 2007). Further definition shows Islamism to, “bring all elements of social, economic, and political life into harmony with what its adherents believe is “true Islam” (Richards 2013, p363)

Firstly in the essay, peaceful Islam ideas will be look at, especially of ‘New Islamists’. Richards describes one of the groups of ‘New Islamists’ to be the intellectuals in Egypt. These people are called ‘Salafis’, they follow after the Prophet Muhammed. These Islamists are concerned with smaller aspects of life, for example the state of how t...

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...democratic means.

Works Cited

Fuller, Graham E. ‘The Future of Political Islam.’ Foreign Affairs. Vol. 81, No. 2 (March/April 2002) 48-60.

Richards, Alan, and John Waterbury. A Political Economy of the Middle East, Boulder, CO/Oxford: Westview, third edition 2008: 362-384.

Owen, Roger. State, Power and Politics in the Making of the Modern Middle East, London: Routledge, (3rd ed.) 2004: 154-177.

Mozaffari, M. (2007). What is Islamism? History and Definition of a Concept. Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions. 8 (1), p17–33.

Green, J. (.). In Islam, What Is a Covenant With Allah?. Available: http://people.opposingviews.com/islam-covenant-allah-4766.html. Last accessed 20th March 2014.

Hardy, R. (2003). Islam and the West: Bridging the divide. Available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/special/islam/3182669.stm. Last accessed 20th March 2014.

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