About: Islamism Archives

Dozens of high-ranking police officers were detained in Turkey today (22 July) accused of involvement in spying and illegal wire-tapping during an investigation into corruption in Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an's inner circle, CNN Turk said.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an declared his candidacy today for a more powerful presidency which rivals fear may entrench authoritarian rule and supporters, especially conservative Muslims, who see it as the crowning prize in their drive to reshape Turkey, a NATO member, and an EU candidate.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton strongly condemned violence in Egypt that claimed scores of lives yesterday (14 August) and urged the interim government to end a state of emergency as soon as possible.

Thousands of Turks have marched in several European cities to protest the violent crackdown on demonstrators in Istanbul and other cities, and against what they see as an ongoing Islamisation of their country. But some reports say some Turks living abroad see the protests as “foreign-inspired”.

A world-renowned concert pianist was given a suspended jail sentence in Turkey today (15 April) for insulting religious values on Twitter, a case which has become a cause célèbre for Turks alarmed about creeping Islamic conservatism.

While governments spend more time and funding on countering Islamic extremism, Europe faces an increasing threat from domestic extremist groups that has a growing potential to distort mainstream politics on the continent, says Tamás Berecz.

Islamism is rising in Azerbaijan but remains a manageable threat which is unlikely to topple the country's government or seriously affect the nearby 2014 Sochi Olympics, argues Stratfor.

While the fears of an Islamist takeover in Morocco are overblown, the EU must in any event be willing show its faith in democracy by working with whichever political forces emerge from free elections, argues Daniel Novotný.

The death of Osama Bin Laden represents a significant victory for the United States and its European allies. However, it will have little effect on Al-Qaida's "leaderless" model for terrorism, nor does it resolve the continuing serious difficulties in Pakistan, argues security analyst Scott Stewart.