Islamic militancy emerges from politics and only converges with religion

Evidence

Fundamentalism as the cause of terrorism has dominated discussion in the United States since 9/11. This rationale has set the terms of the debate and marginalizes the possibility of serious public discourse. The way in which Muslim fundamentalism is used to explain terrorism erases the complex political history that has led to authoritarian regimes and severe economic disparities. It also erases the ways in which Islamic militancy emerges from politics, not religion, even though it certainly converges with religion. Furthermore, it ignores the strong currents of secularism within Islam and suggests that the only path to democracy in Arab and Muslim countries is via secularism, as if democracy and Islam are incompatible. — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 896 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Images of co-religionists under attack recruit young Muslims into militancy — Ryan Andrew Brown, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt (RAND Corporation), Violent Extremism in America:…, 341; Islamist groups arise from local conditions, not from anti-American plots — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 376; Islam is politically constitutive yet positioned outside the political (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Terrorism explanations via Muslim fundamentalism erase the political roots of militancy #corroborates (0.92) — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 896