Islamism is a belief by some Muslims that the problems they are facing in their society .
can be solved by strict adherence to the tenets of Islamic Law. This movement began in the early .
part of the 20th century after WWI in response to a number of things: the fall of the Ottoman .
empire, the dissolution of the Caliphate, and increasing Western influence in the Middle east. .
Islamists believed that Islam itself was under attack.
Islamists as a whole have a few shared beliefs. They want all Muslims to adhere to the .
Sharia, which is a set of laws set forth in the Quran. They want the Middle East as a whole to .
reject the influence of the West, and to hold on to their culture. They believe in the inability of .
Western culture to be able to secure happiness for Muslims. Radical Islamists are commonly .
antagonistic towards non-Muslims, and they want Islam to not only be a religion, but also an .
ideology. Islamism is much like Marxism and Fascism, it is a radical movement to create a .
Utopian society.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to Islamism. Evolutionists wants to establish an Islamic state from the ground up. They don't believe in the violent overthrow of a government. Instead, they preach organization and modernization. They use methods like Idealogical persuasion and political mobilization. They also try to help the poor and the homeless through a wide variety of charitable works. Moderates, like these, are often very suspicious of the West and their motives, but are not predisposed to violence.
On the other side of this debate are the Revolutionists. They allow the use of violence and terrorism as a means to achieving their goals. Violence is not a requirement in this movement, but rather can be used as it is deemed necessary. They want to wage Jihad on "collaborator regimes" and the West, and they advocate the militant overthrow of these governments.
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The information found on the Muslim Brotherhood's unofficial website virtually mirrors .
