Publication

This report explores the very different streams of Islamism or Islamic activism and argues that only a few of them are violent and justify confrontational response and that the Middle East’s conflicts with the US (plus Israeli involvement) strengthen Islamism’s dangerous tendencies. The paper outlines the differences between Sunni and Shiite Islam and addresses the different Sunni political, missionary and Jihadi movements as well as Shiite Islamic activism. The paper calls for a modest Western policy toward Islamism and for higher awareness of how Western policies affect Islamism.