What is an Islamist?

Answer 1

Answer 1

Frankly, it's a political coinage to distinguish the Muslims the government is watching from the ones they aren't. It's more or less the same as "radical Muslim," "Muslim fundamentalist" and "potential Muslim terrorist."

Answer 2

It is important to note, first that Islam is a religion, but Islamism is something else. It is a political ideology whose goal is to bring the religious tenets of Islam into the daily functioning of a government and its laws. Islamism is a modern movement whose roots began contemporaneously with the rise of Salafism in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Egypt. Islamism is not by nature violent or expansive. Many Islamist movements have concrete nationalistic goals such as the Islamists in power in Turkey.

Contrary to Answer 1, being a Fundamentalist Muslim does not mean that a person is an Islamist or the reverse. Fundamentalists can be Islamists and vice versa, but Fundamentalism is how strongly a person decides to believe in Islam. Islamism is the political implementation of Islamic Laws. Not all Islamists are Fundamentalists (like the Tunisian and Turkish Islamist Parties), but some (like An-Nur in Egypt) are.

Answer 3

Generally, the word "islamist" refers to a political rather than a religious position. To be sure, because of the Prophet Mohammed's dual role as religious and civic leader, politics and religion are closely entwined in the history of Islam, and the religion is full of precepts on how a state should be organized, which have been developed and enlarged upon by tradition.

An "islamist" is generally someone who wishes the government of his country to be run along the lines set up in Islamic tradition, and the laws to be based on shari'a. It is important to note that the governments of the Prophet and his immediate successors were not hostile to non-Muslims, but made provision for them to exercise their faiths within the context of the Muslim state. Originally, at least, a Muslim state was actually very religiously tolerant, although over the years, some Muslim societies have strayed from this enlightened position.