CSPII

Center for the Study of Political Islam International

Political Islam in the News

How an American teen went from ISIS sympathizer to a convict in recovery

cnn.com · September 29, 2026

CSPII Commentary: Daniel’s conversion changed the method, not necessarily the destination: violent jihad gave way to gradual, non-violent Islamization. Yet the Koranic view of unbelievers remains stark—“the worst of creatures” (8:55; 98:6) and “an open enemy” of believers (4:101). The strategy may soften; the underlying division between believer and Kafir remains. His "deradicalizer", Mubin Shaikh, explicitly steered him toward a “mainstream Islamic framework,” not away from Islam. Shaikh has a history of misrepresenting canonical teachings about unbelievers and criticizing and comparing critics of Political Islam to Islamic terrorists.

Morocco: The clash of sacred and International Law

escudodigital.com · September 29, 2026

The use of the Friday prayer as a legal argument is one of the most fascinating cultural and legal clashes in the history of International Law. The real setting where it was debated was the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague in 1975, during the famous advisory proceedings on Western Sahara.

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