Political Islam in the News

CSPII Commentary: The European Union's largest party calls to define individuals and organizations linked to the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist entities, but mentions a false distinction between "Islam as a faith and political Islam as an ideology". The distinction is false because the political ideology is found in the Koran, Hadith and Sira, and Koran 2:208, 2:85, 4:150-151 and others, instructs to not pick-and-choose which parts to believe in, and Koran 3:7 forbids seeking convenient interpretations.

CSPII Commentary: In Qalqilya, a sermon addressing the question, "What do Muslims need to lead the world and break free from the West?" It called on Muslims to control strategic straits—such as Hormuz, Bab al-Mandab, Gibraltar, Suez, and the Bosphorus—for political and military purposes, and urged them to work day and night to establish the Islamic Caliphate, a prospect "the infidels would not welcome".

CSPII Commentary: In an Arabic sermon defending Saudi Arabia as the “land of monotheism,” Ahmad bin Ibrahim al-Ubaid prays: “O God, strengthen Islam and Muslims; humiliate polytheism and the polytheists; forsake the tyrants, atheists, Magians and Rafida, and all other enemies of the creed and religion”. “Rafida” is a sectarian slur for Shi’a Muslims, while “Magians” historically denotes Zoroastrians but is often used polemically for Iranians or Shi’a; the sermon is directed chiefly against Persian/Iranian enemies.