What Is Islamism?
Islamism is a range of religious and political ideological movements that believe that Islam should influence political systems. Its proponents believe Islam is innately political, and that Islam as a political system… Part of the Religious family.
Definition
Islamism is a range of religious and political ideological movements that believe that Islam should influence political systems. Its proponents believe Islam is innately political, and that Islam as a political system is superior to communism, liberal democracy, capitalism, and other alternatives in achieving a just, successful society.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Islamism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Islam as a guide to politics and law.
- Application of sharia in varying degrees.
- Opposition to secularism and Western influence.
Origins
20th century, including the Muslim Brotherhood (1928).
Associated thinkers and leaders
Hassan al-Banna, Sayyid Qutb
How it is classified
Covers very different movements, from electoral parties to militant groups.
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Islamism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 47 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 100 | strongly toward traditional | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 80 | toward authoritarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 91 | strongly toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 43 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 56 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 67 | toward state restrictions |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 91 | strongly toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 100 | strongly toward traditionalist |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 94 | strongly toward autocratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 85 | toward hierarchical |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 67 | toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 43 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 100 | strongly toward religious authority |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Traditional values should guide what society considers right and wrong. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The government should be able to restrict how certain religions are practiced, such as their places of worship, clothing or schools. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A strong leader who gets things done matters more than following proper procedures. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National security can justify restrictions on what journalists publish. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Class distinctions should gradually disappear. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Regulations on business should be minimized whenever possible. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Immigrants who have lived in the country for years without legal status should be allowed to stay permanently. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Integralism, Islamism sits 9 points further toward intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Theocracy, Islamism sits 10 points further toward libertarian on the authority dimension.
- Compared with Falangeism, Islamism sits 18 points further toward market on the economic dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Islamism.
Sources
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.