Political Islam

Political Islam may be understood as a broad category of analysis. The term denotes Islamic political activism in the public sphere. It has a number of characteristics. First, political Islam is typically considered interchangeable with Islamism and its practitioners, Islamists. Second, it is a profoundly modern phenomenon that sees practitioners embrace modernity, including the appropriation of modern technology, with reference to Islamic heritage, yet reject modernism and secularism. Third, contemporary political Islam is constantly evolving based on political circumstance. Far from stagnant, it is fluid and dynamic and its expression is based upon local context. While those utilizing the concept must be aware of challenges in the application of the term, it remains a relevant way to conceptualize Islamic political activism.