Academia generally denies the very existence of Islamism. Exceptions tend to acknowledge only its most violent expressions, restricting scholarship to jihadist groups and the most extreme cases of violence. A book that focuses on lawful and non-violent Islamism in the West, published in the reputable Springer reference work series, comes therefore as a welcome surprise.
Editors Jäger and Theile, both prominent German academics, bring together over thirty knowledgeable scholars, journalists, and activists to provide in-depth analyses of Islamist networks and activities across Europe. The volume draws on examples from seventeen countries, mostly in Western Europe, with additional interesting overviews of Bulgaria and the Balkans. Only one chapter examines jihadism; the remaining contributions persuasively frame the phenomenon of Islamism as an “insidious long-term challenge to the liberal democratic order” that “must be understood primarily as an ideological-political strategic confrontation, not just as a violent threat.”
Most chapters focus on Muslim Brotherhood networks and Salafi movements. One examines the Deobandi missionary organization Tablighi Jamaat, while others explore foreign Islamist influence in Europe, particularly by Qatar, Iran, and Türkiye, along with its proxy, the nationalist-Islamist movement Milli Görüş.
The contributors offer detailed and nuanced accounts that illuminate intra-Islamist politics and agendas, and compelling explanations of the pernicious activities of these networks. Many chapters place particular emphasis on failed government policies and ideas that have enabled and, in some cases, even subsidized Islamist movements.
While the scholarship is admirable, no author devotes sufficient attention to the growing power of the broad and influential Barelvi movement. Despite the widening participation of its subsects across Britain, France, Greece, and Spain—manifested in acts of violence and increasingly aggressive efforts to censor and intimidate, especially on questions of blasphemy—it remains widely overlooked.1 Jamaat-e-Islami likewise gets short shrift despite its leading role in Great Britain.
The Handbook contains one problematic chapter: Hira Amin of Qatar’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University argues unconvincingly that Saudi funding of British Islam backfired against Saudi Arabia’s monarchy and damaged the reputation of supposedly moderate Salafis. She even portrays Islamists as victims, going so far as to praise imams like the antisemitic preacher Ajmal Masroor.2 But Saudi funding for Western Muslim institutions collapsed a decade ago, rendering a chapter on this topic outdated. That Amin’s employer is part of the Islamist-run Qatar Foundation—a key opponent of Saudi Arabia—helps explain her framing, as does her history of writing for prominent Islamist media outlets.3
Happily, the other contributors demonstrate a solid grasp of the Islamist threat. As is often the case with counter-Islamist writings, however, they offer few tangible ideas on how to address the problem. Some vaguely call for promoting democracy, “resilience,” or “social cohesion.” Others, somewhat more usefully, advocate stronger financial disclosure rules or defunding and delegitimizing Islamists, especially by cutting off public funds and support. However, none suggest specific statutory tools or practical measures for implementing these ideas. Nor do they offer a clear set of criteria governments might employ to distinguish Islamists from other Muslims.
Some practical suggestions even contradict one another. To ensure broader representation of Austrian Muslim interests, Heiko Heinisch and Nina Scholz urge Austria’s government to end its state-imposed monopoly of a single Muslim organization, the Islamische Glaubensgemeinschaft in Österreich (IGGÖ). By contrast, Yves Boyer advocates for a more tightly regulated system of Muslim associations in France.
These are quibbles, however. The Handbook of Political Islam offers a wealth of excellent, well-sourced, and insightful information analyses that both inform and alarm. Policymakers and academics alike should read its findings and act upon them.
1. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, “Beware of Pakistan’s Notorious Dawat-e-Islami Group,” Weekly Blitz, April 30, 2021, https://weeklyblitz.net/2021/04/30/beware-of-pakistans-notorious-dawat-e-islami-group/
2. “London Mayor’s Photo-Op with Terror Apologist,” Focus on Western Islamism, April 20, 2022, https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/london-mayor-photo-op-with-terror-apologist-63176.
3. Hira Amin, “Malala Yousafzai and the Media Frenzy—Exploring Selective Muslim Coverage,” Muslim Matters, Nov. 3, 2012, https://muslimmatters.org/2012/11/03/40868/
