Is Indonesia’s ‘pious democracy’ safe from Islamic extremism?
An expert on Islam and democracy examines the threat to the world's largest Muslim majority country.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on Islamic fundamentalism
Displaying 1 - 20 of 29 articles
Are converts to Islam more likely to become extremists?
Conversion can be an exhilarating experience, but can come with a significant social toll.
Why can’t Nigeria’s president defeat Boko Haram?
Muhammadu Buhari rode into power on a wave of goodwill – but Nigeria's troubles just won't go away.
The Taliban replaces its dead leader – and prepares for some tricky internal politics
Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor was a tough and smart strategist who held the Taliban together and crushed dissent. Will his legacy endure?
Murder of LGBTQ+ editor highlights danger facing all rational voices in Bangladesh
Bangladesh's sexual minorities have been under violent attack for some time – as has anyone standing up to the country's extremists.
Have faith: civil religion can counter the lure of eternal life for jihadists
The tradition of republicanism offered us civil religion, a foundation of belief that could counter any politics or policy that demands sacrifice in this world to be compensated in some “beyond”.
Jakarta attacks: is Islamic State’s presence in South-East Asia overstated?
IS has claimed a wave of deadly bombings and shootings in Jakarta, but its long-feared Asian campaign is yet to materialise in earnest.
Frydenberg accuses grand mufti of an attempted ‘cover up’ and failure of leadership
Cabinet minister Josh Frydenberg has accused Australia's grand mufti, Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, of seeking to "cover up" his failure of leadership in the wake of the Paris attacks.
Paris attacks: there is no simple explanation for acts of terror
A lot of people are marginalised or angry, but only a few go on to actually commit violent acts. Why?
Scores killed by bombs and bullets as Boko Haram struggle escalates
A week of carnage across northern Nigeria proves Boko Haram is alive and well. Can the Nigerian army get its act together?
Ignorance and hostility fuel ‘imagined solidarity’ with Islamists
People sometimes overlook their profound differences if social forces unite them in a common, often ill-defined desire. Hostility to Muslims is creating an imagined solidarity that Islamists can exploit.
Reduced sentences for murderers reveal the rotten heart of Afghan justice
As Ashraf Ghani nominated the first woman judge to Afghanistan's Supreme Court, the same court took a decision that enraged Afghans.
How one of Islamic State’s early atrocities became a myth
The Camp Speicher massacre was one of Islamic State's earliest and worst mass killings – but it was nearly buried under a tide of misinterpretation and denial.
Bangladesh blogger killings have roots in independence struggle
Three secular political bloggers have been killed in Bangladesh since the start of 2015 – but the outrage behind the murders started a long time ago.
The condemnation of memory: what’s behind the destruction of World Heritage sites
Recently in Aleppo, Syria, the Jabha Shamiya militia has started carrying out a new urban warfare strategy: tunnel bombing. Aside from the human damage wrought by this tactic, it is also extremely damaging…
Baga devastated: a horror story, however many people died
The recent fall of the town of Baga, north-eastern Nigeria, to Boko Haram is one of the militant group’s most serious assaults against the Nigerian state. The consequences are severe: it claims heavy civilian…
Charlie Hebdo attackers killed, now France seeks answers
The hunt for the two killers who attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo is over, after a three-day chase and a standoff at a warehouse outside Paris. The two suspects were killed, and the hostage they took…
We are all Charlie Hebdo – and this is an attack on our rights
The shocking events at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris did not happen in a vacuum. They are not the actions of a few outcasts on the edge of society. These brutal murders, apparently in the name of…
Women raped and enslaved by warped IS code that encourages widespread sexual abuse
In the late summer of 2014, the international community watched helplessly as Islamic State (IS) unleashed widespread human rights abuses against civilians across Syria and Iraq, with little standing in…
Islamic State’s ‘medieval’ ideology owes a lot to revolutionary France
Over recent weeks there has been a constant background noise that Islamic State and its ideology are some sort of throwback to a distant past. It is often framed in language used last week by the deputy…
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