{
 "site": "Fighting Islamists",
 "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/",
 "publisher": "The Analyst",
 "language": "en-GB",
 "about": "Sourced guides to Islamism, Islamist terrorism and Sharia law. Islam, Islamism and Muslims are kept distinct.",
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  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/index.html.md",
   "title": "Fighting Islamists: Islamism, Jihadist Terror and Sharia Law",
   "description": "Who the Islamists are, the Sharia law they want, their record of terror and how free societies stop them. A free, fully sourced guide and book.",
   "updated": "2026-11-01",
   "words": 1459,
   "type": "page",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "They want to conquer the world",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/#conquer"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Sharia: what they want to impose",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/#sharia"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Know them, then fight them",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/#evidence"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Islamist terrorism worldwide",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/#terrorism"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What you can do",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/#act"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "What is Islamism, and how is it different from Islam?",
     "a": "Islam is a religion; Islamism is the political movement to make Islamic law the law of the state, by persuasion, pressure or force. Most Muslims are not Islamists, and many are its first victims and bravest opponents. The Islamism page defines the term, lists the warning signs and quotes the movement's ideologues."
    },
    {
     "q": "What does Sharia law require?",
     "a": "Classical Sharia prescribes death for leaving Islam and for blasphemy, flogging, stoning and amputation for set crimes, and a lesser legal status for women and non-Muslims. How far these rules are enforced differs by country, with Iran, Afghanistan and Islamic State at the harshest end. The Sharia page and the research file give the primary texts and the country record."
    },
    {
     "q": "What did the European Parliament vote on 8 October 2026?",
     "a": "The European Parliament voted 381 to 167, with 15 abstentions, to adopt a non-binding resolution calling for an EU strategy against Islamist entryism and for tighter checks on EU funding to groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. It asks the EU to assess whether Brotherhood-linked groups should be listed as terrorist organisations, but it designates none itself. Critics on the left said it risked stigmatising Muslims and anti-discrimination work. Read the weekly briefing and the Europe page."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is Europe becoming Muslim-majority?",
     "a": "No official projection shows a Muslim majority in any European country by 2050. Even Pew's highest scenario leaves every European country with a non-Muslim majority in 2050, although the Muslim share is rising. The Europe page sets out the figures and what they do and do not show."
    }
   ]
  },
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   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/sharia.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/sharia.html.md",
   "title": "Sharia Law Explained: Rules, Punishments and Countries",
   "description": "What is Sharia law? Its classical rules and punishments, the countries that enforce it (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan) and Britain's Sharia councils.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 1311,
   "type": "page",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "The short answer",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/sharia.html#short-answer"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Sharia around the world",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/sharia.html#world"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What classical Sharia requires",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/sharia.html#facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Britain: the case study",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/sharia.html#britain"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Pros and cons",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/sharia.html#pros-cons"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Claims and evidence",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/sharia.html#myths"
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    {
     "heading": "Method and corrections",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/sharia.html#method"
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   "faq": []
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   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html.md",
   "title": "What Is Islamism? Ideology, Warning Signs and How to Stop It",
   "description": "Islamism vs Islam: the Muslim Brotherhood, Qutb and Maududi, warning signs, what Islamists want, the myths, how to stop them, and a glossary.",
   "updated": "2026-11-03",
   "words": 5236,
   "type": "page",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "1. Why this page",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html#why"
    },
    {
     "heading": "2. What is an Islamist?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html#what"
    },
    {
     "heading": "3. The ideologues and preachers",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html#leaders"
    },
    {
     "heading": "4. The principles they cite",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html#principles"
    },
    {
     "heading": "5. The goal: a world under Sharia",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html#goal"
    },
    {
     "heading": "6. Myths about Islamists",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html#myths"
    },
    {
     "heading": "7. Islam's golden age, and what went wrong",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html#golden-age"
    },
    {
     "heading": "8. 1,400 years, and today",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html#record"
    },
    {
     "heading": "9. Case studies: Iran, Europe, Britain",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html#cases"
    },
    {
     "heading": "10. Stopping Islamist terrorism",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html#terrorism"
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    {
     "heading": "11. Glossary",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html#glossary"
    },
    {
     "heading": "12. How free societies stop Islamism",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html#stop"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "13. Sources",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism.html#sources"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "What is the difference between Islam and Islamism?",
     "a": "Islam is a religion; Islamism is a political movement that seeks to make Islamic law the law of the state. This page keeps three things apart: Islam, Islamism and Muslims, most of whom are not Islamists and many of whom are its first victims. The guide to Sharia law sets out what the law itself requires."
    },
    {
     "q": "What do Islamists want?",
     "a": "Islamists want Allah's law, not the people, to govern society. Their methods differ: al-Qaeda and Islamic State seek a caliphate by armed jihad, while the Muslim Brotherhood tradition works through preaching, schools, charities and elections. Hizb ut-Tahrir's stated aim is a single caliphate ruling all Muslims under Sharia. See what a caliphate is and the Muslim Brotherhood."
    },
    {
     "q": "Are all Islamists terrorists?",
     "a": "No. Most Islamists work through mosques, charities, schools and politics rather than violence, which makes them harder to see. Their methods may be peaceful, but their stated aim is to replace free societies' law with Sharia. The guide to the terrorist groups covers the violent wing, and Islamist terrorism worldwide gives the latest figures."
    },
    {
     "q": "How can you recognise an Islamist?",
     "a": "Not by appearance. Beards, headscarves and traditional dress are worn by millions of Muslims who oppose Islamism, and UK counter-terrorism guidance tells the public to look at behaviour, not faces. The warning signs are in what people say, display and do, and they are listed in section 2.1 above."
    },
    {
     "q": "Are Muslims the main victims of Islamist terrorism?",
     "a": "Yes. The US National Counterterrorism Center found that, where victims' religion could be identified, Muslims suffered between 82% and 97% of terrorism deaths in the five years to 2011. Islamists use the doctrine of takfir to declare Muslims who reject them apostates."
    },
    {
     "q": "How do free societies counter Islamism?",
     "a": "By enforcing one law for everyone, prosecuting incitement, proscribing terrorist groups, and protecting Muslims who reject Islamism. Britain's CONTEST strategy has four parts: Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare. The independent review of Prevent found it \"is not doing enough to counter non-violent Islamist extremism\". See how to counter Islamist extremism and Islamism in Australia."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muhammad.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/muhammad.html.md",
   "title": "Prophet Muhammad: The Historical Record From Early Sources",
   "description": "A sourced, secular account of Muhammad's life from Ibn Ishaq, Bukhari and Muslim: trade, revelations, 27 raids, marriages, slaves and the Quran.",
   "updated": "2026-10-03",
   "words": 2511,
   "type": "page",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "The short answer",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muhammad.html#short-answer"
    },
    {
     "heading": "1. How much do we really know?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muhammad.html#sources"
    },
    {
     "heading": "2. Birth, family and work",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muhammad.html#early-life"
    },
    {
     "heading": "3. The first revelations",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muhammad.html#revelation"
    },
    {
     "heading": "4. From preacher to ruler",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muhammad.html#ruler"
    },
    {
     "heading": "5. The military commander",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muhammad.html#military"
    },
    {
     "heading": "6. Wives, concubines and slaves",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muhammad.html#household"
    },
    {
     "heading": "7. Death and succession",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muhammad.html#death"
    },
    {
     "heading": "8. Allah before Islam",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muhammad.html#allah"
    },
    {
     "heading": "9. Who wrote the Quran?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muhammad.html#authorship"
    },
    {
     "heading": "10. How historians describe him",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muhammad.html#assessment"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Sources",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muhammad.html#sources-list"
    }
   ],
   "faq": []
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/europe.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/europe.html.md",
   "title": "Islamism in Europe: Muslim Brotherhood, Numbers and Polls",
   "description": "Islamism in Europe: what Islamist leaders say, France's 2025 Muslim Brotherhood report, Pew 2050 projections, Frontex migration figures and opinion polls.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 1809,
   "type": "page",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "The short answer",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/europe.html#short-answer"
    },
    {
     "heading": "1. What Islamist leaders have said",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/europe.html#said"
    },
    {
     "heading": "2. The slow road: influence from within",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/europe.html#slow-road"
    },
    {
     "heading": "3. The numbers",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/europe.html#numbers"
    },
    {
     "heading": "4. What Europe's Muslims say",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/europe.html#opinion"
    },
    {
     "heading": "5. How Europe is responding",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/europe.html#response"
    },
    {
     "heading": "6. Assessment",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/europe.html#assessment"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Sources",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/europe.html#sources"
    }
   ],
   "faq": []
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/research.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/research.html.md",
   "title": "Sharia Law Research File: Worldwide and UK Sharia Councils",
   "description": "A fully footnoted research file on Sharia law worldwide: classical doctrine, Sharia as state law, polling, democracy, and UK Sharia councils.",
   "updated": "2026-10-03",
   "words": 10994,
   "type": "page",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "1. The findings in brief",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/research.html#findings"
    },
    {
     "heading": "2. What Sharia is",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/research.html#what-is-sharia"
    },
    {
     "heading": "3. What classical Sharia requires",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/research.html#classical-rules"
    },
    {
     "heading": "4. Sharia as state law today",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/research.html#sharia-today"
    },
    {
     "heading": "5. The Muslim debate about Sharia",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/research.html#muslim-debate"
    },
    {
     "heading": "6. Sharia and liberal democracy: where they collide",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/research.html#compatibility"
    },
    {
     "heading": "7. Britain: the case study",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/research.html#britain"
    },
    {
     "heading": "8. Arguments for and against accommodation",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/research.html#pros-cons"
    },
    {
     "heading": "9. What would fix it",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/research.html#reforms"
    },
    {
     "heading": "10. Claims and evidence",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/research.html#myths"
    },
    {
     "heading": "11. Sources",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/research.html#sources"
    }
   ],
   "faq": []
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/quran.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/quran.html.md",
   "title": "Quran Verses on War and Jihad: 71 Passages in Full",
   "description": "71 Quran passages on war and jihad in full (Pickthall's translation), the verses terrorists cite most, Muhammad's campaigns and popular claims tested.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 10497,
   "type": "page",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "1. What this page does",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/quran.html#about"
    },
    {
     "heading": "2. The findings in brief",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/quran.html#findings"
    },
    {
     "heading": "3. Muhammad: preacher, ruler and commander",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/quran.html#muhammad"
    },
    {
     "heading": "4. The verses terrorists quote",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/quran.html#terrorist-verses"
    },
    {
     "heading": "5. From text to violence: how young men are radicalised",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/quran.html#radicalisation"
    },
    {
     "heading": "6. Did Islam spread by the sword?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/quran.html#spread"
    },
    {
     "heading": "7. Popular claims tested",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/quran.html#claims"
    },
    {
     "heading": "8. The 71 passages",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/quran.html#passages"
    }
   ],
   "faq": []
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html.md",
   "title": "Debating Islamic Scholars: 25 Arguments and Answers",
   "description": "25 arguments apologists make on jihad, Sharia, Quran 9:5 and apostasy, answered from the Quran, hadith and classical law, with fair verdicts.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 4455,
   "type": "page",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "How to use this guide",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#how"
    },
    {
     "heading": "1. \"Islam means peace\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#peace"
    },
    {
     "heading": "2. \"The Quran only permits defensive war\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#defensive"
    },
    {
     "heading": "3. \"9:5 must be read in context\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#context"
    },
    {
     "heading": "4. \"The greater jihad is the inner struggle\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#greater-jihad"
    },
    {
     "heading": "5. \"There is no compulsion in religion\" (Quran 2:256)",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#compulsion"
    },
    {
     "heading": "6. \"The apostasy hadith is weak, or was only about treason\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#apostasy"
    },
    {
     "heading": "7. \"Killing one soul is like killing all mankind\" (Quran 5:32)",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#five-32"
    },
    {
     "heading": "8. \"ISIS and al-Qaeda have nothing to do with Islam\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#isis"
    },
    {
     "heading": "9. \"Islam spread peacefully\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#spread"
    },
    {
     "heading": "10. \"The Bible is violent too, and so were the Crusades\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#bible"
    },
    {
     "heading": "11. \"Aisha was older\" or \"It was normal then\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#aisha"
    },
    {
     "heading": "12. \"Muhammad's wars were defensive; the Banu Qurayza committed treason\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#qurayza"
    },
    {
     "heading": "13. \"Non-Muslims were protected, and better off than Jews in Christian Europe\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#dhimmi"
    },
    {
     "heading": "14. \"Sharia is mostly about prayer and charity\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#mostly-prayer"
    },
    {
     "heading": "15. \"Sharia councils are just like the Beth Din\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#beth-din"
    },
    {
     "heading": "16. \"Women are honoured; verse 2:282 is only about business contracts\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#women"
    },
    {
     "heading": "17. \"4:34 does not mean 'beat'\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#four-34"
    },
    {
     "heading": "18. \"Criticism of Islam is Islamophobia\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#islamophobia"
    },
    {
     "heading": "19. \"Taqiyya is only Shia survival concealment\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#taqiyya"
    },
    {
     "heading": "20. \"The golden age proves Islam promotes science\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#science-golden"
    },
    {
     "heading": "21. \"The Quran contains scientific miracles\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#miracles"
    },
    {
     "heading": "22. \"The Quran has been perfectly preserved\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#preservation"
    },
    {
     "heading": "23. \"Muhammad is foretold in the Bible\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#bible-prophecy"
    },
    {
     "heading": "24. \"Western foreign policy causes terrorism\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#foreign-policy"
    },
    {
     "heading": "25. \"Most Muslims reject extremism, so Islam is not the problem\"",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#most-muslims"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Sources",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/debate.html#sources"
    }
   ],
   "faq": []
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorism.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorism.html.md",
   "title": "Islamist Terrorism 2026: Global Trends, Groups, Deaths",
   "description": "Islamist terrorism in 2026: global terrorism trends, deaths, the groups behind it and where it strikes, with an index of all our guides.",
   "updated": "2026-10-31",
   "words": 2228,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorism.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is Islamist terrorism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorism.html#what"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What do global terrorism trends show in 2026?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorism.html#trends"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Where is Islamist terrorism worst?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorism.html#where"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Which groups carry out Islamist terrorism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorism.html#groups"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Is Islamist terrorism a threat in the West?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorism.html#west"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who are the victims of Islamist terrorism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorism.html#victims"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What could change next?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorism.html#outlook"
    },
    {
     "heading": "All our guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorism.html#guides"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorism.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorism.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "What is Islamist terrorism?",
     "a": "Islamist terrorism is terrorism carried out to advance an Islamist political aim: a state or society governed by one reading of Islamic law. Groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaeda are jihadist, meaning they fight an armed jihad. \"Islamist\" describes a political ideology, not the religion of Islam, and most Muslims reject these groups."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is global terrorism increasing?",
     "a": "Not overall. The Global Terrorism Index counted 5,582 deaths in 2025, 28% fewer than in 2024 and the lowest since 2007. But deaths in the West rose 280% to 57, and the Institute for Economics and Peace warns that a rise in terrorism is likely because of new wars, including Pakistan and Afghanistan and the war on Iran."
    },
    {
     "q": "Where does Islamist terrorism kill the most people?",
     "a": "The Sahel in Africa and Pakistan. Pakistan was the worst-hit country in 2025 with 1,139 deaths, and the Sahel region accounted for more than half of all terrorism deaths worldwide. Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of the Congo complete the five countries that suffered just under 70% of the world's terrorism deaths."
    },
    {
     "q": "Which are the deadliest Islamist terrorist groups?",
     "a": "Islamic State, JNIM, the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and al-Shabaab. Together they caused 3,869 deaths in 2025, about 70% of the world total, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2026. JNIM is al-Qaeda's branch in the Sahel, the TTP is based in Pakistan and al-Shabaab is based in Somalia."
    },
    {
     "q": "Who are the victims of Islamic terrorism?",
     "a": "Mostly Muslims. In US government statistics for 2007 to 2011, Muslims suffered between 82% and 97% of terrorism deaths where the victims' religion could be identified. The worst-hit countries today are mostly Muslim, including Pakistan, Niger and Mali. Western deaths are far fewer, but they rose to 57 in 2025."
    },
    {
     "q": "What do we know about the Karak church attack in Jordan?",
     "a": "On 23 October 2026 three gunmen attacked a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, Jordan, and killed at least seven people, with later reports of eight or nine. Jordan's government blames \"extremist takfiri ideology\". Police arrested three suspects, two brothers and their brother-in-law, on 26 October 2026, and the authorities cited no group affiliation or claim, so which group, if any, was behind it is not established. See our Karak briefing for what is confirmed and what is not."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is Islamic terrorism a threat in Britain and Europe today?",
     "a": "Yes. Britain's terrorism threat level was raised to severe on 30 April 2026, meaning an attack is highly likely. In the EU, 24 of 45 terrorist attacks in 2025 were jihadist. The danger now comes mostly from lone attackers, many of them young. Extreme right-wing terrorism is also rising in Britain."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/global-terrorism-index.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/global-terrorism-index.html.md",
   "title": "Global Terrorism Index 2026: Deaths, Countries, Groups",
   "description": "Global Terrorism Index 2026: 5,582 deaths in 2025, down 28%. Pakistan tops the 10 worst-hit countries, and four Islamist groups caused 70% of all deaths.",
   "updated": "2026-10-20",
   "words": 2316,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/global-terrorism-index.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is the Global Terrorism Index?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/global-terrorism-index.html#what"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What does the Global Terrorism Index 2026 say?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/global-terrorism-index.html#findings"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Which countries are most affected?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/global-terrorism-index.html#countries"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Which are the deadliest terrorist groups?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/global-terrorism-index.html#groups"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Does the Global Terrorism Index count terrorism by religion?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/global-terrorism-index.html#religion"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What did the Global Terrorism Index 2025 say?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/global-terrorism-index.html#gti2025"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is the Global Terrorism Database?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/global-terrorism-index.html#gtd"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How reliable are terrorism statistics?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/global-terrorism-index.html#limits"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/global-terrorism-index.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/global-terrorism-index.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "What is the Global Terrorism Index 2026?",
     "a": "It is the 13th edition of the Institute for Economics and Peace's yearly ranking of terrorism's impact on 163 countries. Published in March 2026, it covers 2025 and scores each country from 0 to 10 on deaths, attacks, injuries and hostages over five years. Its data come from the TerrorismTracker database, which records incidents reported in open sources since 2007."
    },
    {
     "q": "Which country is number one in the Global Terrorism Index 2026?",
     "a": "Pakistan, with a score of 8.574, the first time it has topped the ranking. It recorded 1,139 terrorism deaths in 2025, the most since 2013, largely from the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army. Burkina Faso, first in 2023 and 2024, is second. Niger, Nigeria and Mali follow."
    },
    {
     "q": "What do Islamic terrorism statistics show?",
     "a": "There is no single official share of terrorism that is Islamist. Four Islamist groups caused 70% of deaths worldwide in 2025. In the West, 53% of terrorism deaths since 2007 came in religiously motivated attacks, almost all jihadist, though those were only about 10% of attacks. Politically motivated and extreme right-wing attacks are also rising."
    },
    {
     "q": "Who are the main victims of Islamist terrorism?",
     "a": "Muslims. US government data for 2007 to 2011 put Muslims at 82% to 97% of terrorism deaths where the victims' religion was known, and West Point researchers found the vast majority of al-Qaeda's victims were Muslims. Today the worst-hit countries, such as Pakistan, Niger, Mali, Somalia and Syria, have mostly Muslim populations."
    },
    {
     "q": "How is Australia ranked in the Global Terrorism Index 2026?",
     "a": "Australia is 31st, up 14 places after the Bondi Beach shooting of December 2025. The report says two jihadist extremists killed 15 people in a targeted attack on Jewish Australians, making it Australia's worst terrorist attack and its deadliest mass shooting since 1996. For the wider Australian record, see Islamism and terrorism in Australia."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is the difference between the Global Terrorism Index and the Global Terrorism Database?",
     "a": "The Index is an annual ranking by the Institute for Economics and Peace that currently uses TerrorismTracker data and covers 2025. The Database is a separate event archive from START at the University of Maryland, covering 1970 to 2020. They count differently, so their totals should not be compared directly."
    },
    {
     "q": "How many people died from terrorism in 2025?",
     "a": "The Global Terrorism Index 2026 counted 5,582 deaths from 2,944 attacks, down 28% from 7,714 deaths in 2024. Deaths in the West rose 280% to 57. Terrorism deaths peaked at 10,882 in 2015, so 2025 was the lowest year since the series began in 2007, though IEP warns the fall may not last."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-groups.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-groups.html.md",
   "title": "Islamist Terrorist Groups: List, Status and Bans, 2026",
   "description": "Islamist terrorist groups in 2026: the main jihadist groups, what they want, and which are banned in the UK, US and Australia. Updated October 2026.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 2466,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-groups.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is an Islamist terrorist group?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-groups.html#what"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Which are the main Islamist terrorist groups in 2026?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-groups.html#main"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Which groups are banned in Britain, the US and Australia?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-groups.html#banned"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is on the UK list of proscribed terrorist organisations?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-groups.html#uk"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What are the main terrorist groups in the Middle East?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-groups.html#middle-east"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Which terrorist groups are banned in Australia?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-groups.html#australia"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Is every Islamist organisation a terrorist group?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-groups.html#differences"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-groups.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-groups.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "What are the main Islamist terrorist groups?",
     "a": "In October 2026 the main groups are Islamic State, al-Qaeda and its branches, JNIM in the Sahel, the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. Islamic State, JNIM, the TTP and al-Shabaab were the deadliest in 2025, causing 70% of the world's terrorism deaths, says the Global Terrorism Index."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is the difference between Islamist and jihadist groups?",
     "a": "Islamist describes a political aim: to organise state and society by a particular reading of Islamic law. Jihadist describes groups that use armed violence for that aim, in the name of jihad, such as Islamic State and al-Qaeda. Every jihadist group is Islamist, but not every Islamist organisation uses violence."
    },
    {
     "q": "Which terrorist groups are banned in the UK?",
     "a": "Britain has proscribed 84 organisations under the Terrorism Act 2000, many of them Islamist or jihadist, plus 14 Northern Ireland groups under earlier laws. They include Islamic State, al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Pakistani Taliban. Belonging to one, or inviting support for it, can bring up to 14 years in prison. The Home Office list was last updated on 7 July 2026."
    },
    {
     "q": "Which terrorist groups are banned in Australia?",
     "a": "Australia lists 31 terrorist organisations. By our count 26 are Islamist, including Islamic State and its regional branches, al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, JNIM, Hamas, Hizballah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Ansar Allah. Four are far-right and one is the PKK. Neither the Pakistani Taliban nor the Afghan Taliban is listed. Hizb ut-Tahrir is banned separately as a prohibited hate group."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation?",
     "a": "Not everywhere. The United States has designated the Lebanese and Sudanese chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and sanctioned the Egyptian and Jordanian chapters for supporting Hamas. Britain and Australia have not banned the Brotherhood. The movement says it has renounced violence, and the US Treasury says the designated branches still glorify terrorism. Governments therefore treat different branches differently."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is the Taliban a terrorist group?",
     "a": "It depends who is asked. The Afghan Taliban govern Afghanistan and are not on the UK proscribed list, the US Foreign Terrorist Organization list or Australia's list. The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) is a separate group, banned in Britain and the United States. UN monitors say the Afghan Taliban support the TTP, which the Taliban publicly deny."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamic-state.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamic-state.html.md",
   "title": "Islamic State (ISIS) in 2026: Leader, Strength, Threat",
   "description": "Islamic State (ISIS) in 2026: who leads it, how many fighters it has, where its provinces operate, and why it is still active after losing its caliphate.",
   "updated": "2026-10-27",
   "words": 2372,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamic-state.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is ISIS, and what does the name mean?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamic-state.html#what"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Is ISIS still active in 2026?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamic-state.html#active"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who is the ISIS leader today?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamic-state.html#leader"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Where are the Islamic State provinces in Africa?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamic-state.html#africa"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K)?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamic-state.html#khorasan"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Is Islamic State a threat in the West?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamic-state.html#west"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who are Islamic State's victims, and who fights it?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamic-state.html#victims"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Is Islamic State banned?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamic-state.html#banned"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamic-state.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamic-state.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "What does ISIS stand for?",
     "a": "ISIS stands for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The group is also called ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), Islamic State or IS, and Daesh, from an Arabic acronym. They are all names for the same organisation, which the British government lists under all these names as one proscribed group."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is ISIS still active in 2026?",
     "a": "Yes. Islamic State carried out 488 attacks in 15 countries in 2025 and is still the world's deadliest terrorist group, according to the Global Terrorism Index. The UN says it has up to 3,000 fighters in Syria alone. It has lost most of its senior leaders but is growing in West Africa, the Sahel and Central Africa."
    },
    {
     "q": "Who is the leader of ISIS now?",
     "a": "Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, named in August 2023. His real identity is unconfirmed, and UN member states disagree about who he is. His deputy, Abu Bakr al-Mainuki, was killed in Nigeria in May 2026, and Yemen says its forces killed the spokesman, Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari, on 1 September 2026."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is ISIS-K?",
     "a": "ISIS-K is Islamic State Khorasan Province, the branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It has about 2,000 fighters, fights the Taliban, and attacks Shia Muslims. It claimed the 2021 Kabul airport bombing and the 2024 Moscow concert hall massacre. The UN described it in 2026 as rebuilding its capacity for rare but deadly attacks."
    },
    {
     "q": "Where is ISIS strongest in 2026?",
     "a": "In Syria, where it has up to 3,000 fighters, and in Africa. Its most active branch is Islamic State West Africa Province in Nigeria and the Lake Chad area. Other strong branches are in the Sahel (Niger and Mali), the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique. Afghanistan's ISIS-K is smaller but dangerous."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is Islamic State growing in Syria?",
     "a": "Its attacks there are fewer than at its peak but have shifted towards the government. The conflict monitor ACLED counted 52 Islamic State attacks on Syrian government forces in the first half of 2026, against 16 in all of 2025. The UN still describes the group as being at a lower ebb overall."
    },
    {
     "q": "How did ISIS lose its caliphate?",
     "a": "A coalition led by the US, with Iraqi forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, took back its cities, including Mosul in 2017 and Raqqa. The Syrian Democratic Forces announced the capture of its last bastion, Baghouz in eastern Syria, on 23 March 2019. The group went underground and returned to insurgency."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/al-qaeda.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/al-qaeda.html.md",
   "title": "Al Qaeda today: leader, affiliates and threat in 2026",
   "description": "Al Qaeda today: who leads it after Zawahiri, what its affiliates AQAP, JNIM, al-Shabaab and AQIS do, and how it differs from ISIS, as of October 2026.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 2423,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/al-qaeda.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is al Qaeda today, and how strong is it in 2026?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/al-qaeda.html#today"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who is the al-Qaeda leader now?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/al-qaeda.html#leader"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What are al-Qaeda's affiliates and how strong are they?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/al-qaeda.html#affiliates"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How did al-Qaeda start, and what does it believe?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/al-qaeda.html#origins"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Al Qaeda vs ISIS: what is the difference?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/al-qaeda.html#vs-isis"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Muslim Brotherhood vs al-Qaeda: are they the same?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/al-qaeda.html#vs-brotherhood"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Which countries list al-Qaeda as a terrorist organisation?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/al-qaeda.html#designations"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/al-qaeda.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/al-qaeda.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/al-qaeda.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "Who is the leader of al-Qaeda now?",
     "a": "As of October 2026 the UN Monitoring Team names Sayf al-Adl as al-Qaeda's de facto leader. He took over in practice after a CIA drone strike killed Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul on 31 July 2022. The UN says he was previously reported in Iran, which one member state denies, and that some states see Ibrahim al-Qosi as a rival."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is al-Qaeda still active in 2026?",
     "a": "Yes, mainly through its affiliates. The UN says JNIM launched an offensive across Mali on 25 April 2026, AQAP in Yemen remains committed to external operations, and AQIS has built networks in South Asia. The core leadership is marginalised and its ability to attack abroad is unclear. Most recent attacks in Europe and North America came from lone actors inspired by Islamic State."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is al-Qaeda the same as ISIS?",
     "a": "No. Islamic State began as al-Qaeda's Iraqi branch but split from it in 2013 and 2014, when its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi refused Zawahiri's ruling against merging with al-Nusra in Syria. Al-Qaeda disowned it in February 2014, and Islamic State declared a caliphate that June. They now fight each other, most intensely in the Sahel, where JNIM faces Islamic State's local affiliate."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is al-Qaeda the same as the Muslim Brotherhood?",
     "a": "No. The Brotherhood is a political and social movement that has contested elections, while al-Qaeda is an armed organisation that rejects them. Zawahiri attacked the Brotherhood in 1991 for joining politics, according to the scholar Gilles Kepel. They share some intellectual roots, notably the writer Sayyid Qutb, but they are rivals, not branches of one body."
    },
    {
     "q": "Which groups are al-Qaeda affiliates?",
     "a": "The main ones in 2026 are al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) in the Sahel, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), al-Shabaab in Somalia and al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). Hurras al-Din in Syria declared itself dissolved but persists in small numbers. Each has its own leader and its own battlefield."
    },
    {
     "q": "Does al-Qaeda speak for Islam or for Muslims?",
     "a": "No. Al-Qaeda is a militant Islamist organisation, and Islamism is a political ideology, not the religion itself. Support for bin Laden was low in the countries Pew surveyed in 2011, from 34% in the Palestinian territories to 1% in Lebanon, and a West Point study found most of its victims were Muslims. Our guide to Islamism explains the differences between Islam, Islamism and Muslims."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html.md",
   "title": "Muslim Brotherhood: goals, bans, leader and history",
   "description": "The Muslim Brotherhood explained: its goal, motto, leader and history, and the countries that ban it, with France's 2025 report and the UK's 2015 review.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 2465,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is the Muslim Brotherhood?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html#what"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Is the Muslim Brotherhood Sunni or Shia?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html#sunni"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is the Muslim Brotherhood's goal, motto and charter?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html#goal"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who is the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html#leader"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Where is the Muslim Brotherhood banned?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html#banned"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What did the 2025 French report and the 2015 Jenkins review find?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html#reports"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is Islamist entryism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html#entryism"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is the Brotherhood's position in the UK and Australia?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html#uk-australia"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How do the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Qatar and Turkey connect?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html#qatar-turkey"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/muslim-brotherhood.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "Which countries have banned the Muslim Brotherhood?",
     "a": "As of October 2026, Egypt (2013), Saudi Arabia (2014), the United Arab Emirates (2014), Russia (2003) and Jordan (2025) ban or designate it as a whole. The United States has designated its Egyptian, Jordanian, Lebanese and Sudanese chapters, not the whole movement. Austria bans its symbols. The UK, the EU and Australia have not banned it."
    },
    {
     "q": "Who is the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood?",
     "a": "The formal General Guide is Mohamed Badie, who was arrested in Egypt in August 2013 and has received life sentences. Salah Abdel Haq has served as acting general guide since March 2023 and was still described that way in January 2026. A rival camp led by Mahmoud Hussein disputes the succession, so leadership claims are contested."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation?",
     "a": "It depends on the country and the branch. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Russia designate it as terrorist. The United States designates only some chapters, citing support for Hamas. The UK's 2015 review found it preferred non-violent change but would countenance violence if that failed, and Britain has not proscribed it."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is the Muslim Brotherhood's motto?",
     "a": "The motto, attributed to founder Hassan al-Banna, is: \"Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our Leader. The Qur'an is our Constitution. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.\" Hamas adopted a nearly identical slogan in Article 8 of its 1988 Covenant."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is the Muslim Brotherhood the same as al-Qaeda or Islamic State?",
     "a": "No. They are rivals. The Brotherhood has mostly pursued gradual political and social change and has contested elections. Al-Qaeda and Islamic State reject elections and fight to overthrow states. Their thinkers overlap: Sayyid Qutb, a Brotherhood ideologue, influenced later jihadists. Zawahiri attacked the Brotherhood for joining politics."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hamas.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/hamas.html.md",
   "title": "Hamas: what it is, its charter, leaders and Gaza in 2026",
   "description": "Hamas explained: its meaning, charter, 7 October 2023 attack, leaders and terrorist listings, and the Gaza ceasefire as of October 2026, all sourced.",
   "updated": "2026-10-24",
   "words": 2483,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hamas.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is Hamas?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hamas.html#what"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What does the name Hamas mean?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hamas.html#meaning"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What does the Hamas charter say?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hamas.html#charter"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What happened on 7 October 2023?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hamas.html#oct7"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Is Hamas a terrorist organisation?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hamas.html#terrorist"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who are the Hamas leaders?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hamas.html#leaders"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is happening in Gaza now?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hamas.html#gaza-now"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How are Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood linked?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hamas.html#brotherhood"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hamas.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hamas.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hamas.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "What is Hamas?",
     "a": "Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist movement with a political leadership and an armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. It was founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. It rejects Israel's existence, won the 2006 Palestinian election and ran Gaza from 2007. Its attack on 7 October 2023 killed about 1,200 people."
    },
    {
     "q": "What does Hamas mean?",
     "a": "Hamas is an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, which means \"Islamic Resistance Movement\". The Arabic word hamas itself means strength or bravery, which is how the movement's 1988 Covenant glosses it. The name presents armed resistance to Israel as a religious obligation rather than only a political choice."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is Hamas a terrorist organisation?",
     "a": "The United States has listed Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization since 1997. The European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia also list it. Human Rights Watch concluded that its 7 October 2023 attack involved crimes against humanity. Some governments list only the military wing, and some countries do not list the movement at all."
    },
    {
     "q": "Who is the leader of Hamas?",
     "a": "Khalil al-Hayya was announced as head of Hamas's political bureau on 20 July 2026. He had led its negotiations with Israel and beat the former chief Khaled Meshaal in the vote. He follows Yahya Sinwar, killed in October 2024, and Ismail Haniyeh, killed in July 2024. A council under Mohammed Darwish ran the movement in between."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is the difference between Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood?",
     "a": "Hamas is the Brotherhood's Palestinian offshoot and uses armed force. Most other Brotherhood branches work through preaching, charity and politics. Hamas's 1988 Covenant calls it \"one of the wings\" of the Brotherhood, but the 2017 document does not mention the Brotherhood. The United States has designated some Brotherhood chapters for supporting Hamas."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is Hamas the same as the Palestinian Authority?",
     "a": "No. The Palestinian Authority, led by Fatah, governs parts of the West Bank and has formally renounced violence. Hamas won the 2006 legislative election, then fought Fatah and took control of Gaza in 2007. The two have been rivals since, and Palestinians have not voted for a legislature since 2006."
    },
    {
     "q": "Who leads Hamas in Gaza?",
     "a": "The political bureau head, Khalil al-Hayya, is based outside Gaza. Inside the Strip, Israeli analyst Michael Milshtein wrote in Ynet that Ali al-Amoudi, a prisoner freed in the 2011 Gilad Shalit exchange who became deputy Hamas leader in Gaza after Yahya Sinwar was killed, is now its de facto leader. This is one analyst's assessment, and Hamas's internal chain of command is not publicly confirmed."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html.md",
   "title": "Iran terrorism: IRGC, Hezbollah, Houthis and plots in 2026",
   "description": "Iran terrorism explained: the state sponsor listing, IRGC designations, Hezbollah's leader, the Houthis and plots in Europe and Australia in 2026.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 2439,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is Iran terrorism, and is Iran a state sponsor of terrorism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html#sponsor"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is the \"axis of resistance\"?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html#axis"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is Hezbollah?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html#hezbollah"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who is the Hezbollah leader?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html#leader"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Which countries list the IRGC, Hezbollah and the Houthis as terrorist?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html#designations"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who are the Houthis, and what are they doing in 2026?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html#houthis"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Which Iranian plots have been alleged in Europe and Australia?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html#plots"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How does the 2026 Iran war change the picture?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html#war"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "Is Iran a state sponsor of terrorism?",
     "a": "The United States says so. The State Department has listed Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism since 19 January 1984, alongside Cuba and North Korea. The IRGC is listed as a terrorist organisation by the US and the EU, and it supports Hezbollah, the Houthis and other armed groups. Iran denies using proxies for attacks abroad and describes its allies as a resistance front against Israel and the West."
    },
    {
     "q": "Who is the leader of Hezbollah?",
     "a": "Naim Qassem has been Hezbollah's secretary-general since October 2024, when its Shura Council chose him after Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah in September 2024. He was Nasrallah's deputy and has belonged to the movement since its founding. As of 28 August 2026 he was still making televised speeches, and he has rejected the June 2026 Israel-Lebanon framework agreement, which links Israeli withdrawal to Hezbollah's disarmament."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is Hezbollah a terrorist organisation?",
     "a": "It depends on the country. The United States has listed Hezbollah since 1997, the UK since 2019, Germany since 2020 and Australia since 10 December 2021. The EU lists only its military wing, and the Gulf Cooperation Council treats it as terrorist. In Lebanon it is also a political party with seats in parliament, though relatively few Lebanese support it."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is the axis of resistance?",
     "a": "The axis of resistance is the name for the network of armed groups that Tehran backs against Israel and the West. Its main members are Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, several militias in Iraq and, outside the Shia world, Hamas in Gaza. Europol names Hezbollah, Hamas, Ansar Allah and Iraqi militias as the key actors. Members often act independently of Iran and of each other."
    },
    {
     "q": "Are the Houthis a terrorist group?",
     "a": "The United States has designated the Houthis, listed as Ansarallah, a Foreign Terrorist Organization since 5 March 2025, and Australia listed them on 24 May 2024. The UK's Terrorism Act list did not include them as of 7 July 2026. They are a Yemeni movement that CFR calls an independent partner of Iran, and they run the Red Sea and Saudi blockade campaigns."
    },
    {
     "q": "Has Iran plotted attacks in Europe and Australia?",
     "a": "Officials say so, but courts have settled few of these cases. ASIO assessed that the IRGC directed two arson attacks on Jewish sites in Australia in 2024, and Australia expelled Iran's ambassador. British and German authorities allege Iranian-directed plots, and MI5 says it has tracked more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots. Iran denies the allegations. Reports on the 2026 Manchester case do not attribute it to the Iranian state."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihadism-africa.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihadism-africa.html.md",
   "title": "Terrorism in Africa: Sahel, Nigeria, Somalia (2026)",
   "description": "Terrorism in Africa in 2026: JNIM in the Sahel, Boko Haram and ISWAP in Nigeria, al-Shabaab, Mozambique. Sourced counts; disputed figures labelled.",
   "updated": "2026-10-24",
   "words": 2712,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihadism-africa.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is happening with terrorism in Africa?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihadism-africa.html#overview"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is driving Sahel terrorism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihadism-africa.html#sahel"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is the Islamist insurgency in Nigeria?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihadism-africa.html#nigeria"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How many Christians have been killed in Nigeria?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihadism-africa.html#christians"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Is al-Shabaab still a threat in Somalia and Kenya?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihadism-africa.html#shabaab"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is the Islamist insurgency in Mozambique?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihadism-africa.html#mozambique"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What causes jihadism in Africa?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihadism-africa.html#causes"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihadism-africa.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihadism-africa.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihadism-africa.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "What is jihadism in Africa?",
     "a": "Jihadism in Africa means armed groups that use religious war language to fight governments and impose their version of Islamic law. They include al-Qaeda's JNIM and al-Shabaab, Islamic State's ISWAP and Sahel branches, Boko Haram, and an Islamic State-linked group in Mozambique. They are small minorities, and Muslims are their main victims."
    },
    {
     "q": "Which African country has the most terrorism?",
     "a": "In the Global Terrorism Index 2026, Burkina Faso ranks second in the world, Niger third, Nigeria fourth and Mali fifth. Pakistan ranks first. Burkina Faso had the most terrorism deaths in Africa in 2025 on the Index's count, with 846, but Nigeria's toll of 750 was rising fast. Rankings use a five-year weighted measure, so they change slowly."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is the difference between Boko Haram and ISWAP?",
     "a": "Both come from the same Nigerian movement. Boko Haram, led by Abubakar Shekau until his death in 2021, treated all civilians as targets. ISWAP broke away in 2016 as Islamic State's recognised branch and tries to win Muslim civilians by taxing them and running courts. The two now fight each other, and ISWAP has grown stronger."
    },
    {
     "q": "Are Christians being killed in Nigeria?",
     "a": "Yes. This is verified by independent monitors and human-rights groups, especially in Benue and Plateau states and the north-east. Only the exact totals are disputed. Open Doors counts 3,490 in a year, Intersociety claims more than 7,000 in under eight months, and ACLED's narrow count is far lower. Muslims are also killed in large numbers. Nigeria's government rejects the genocide label."
    },
    {
     "q": "How many Christians have been killed in Nigeria in 2026?",
     "a": "The latest claim, from the Nigerian group Intersociety, is at least 3,083 Christians killed between January and August 2026. The killings are verified and continuing; this total is Intersociety's own count, reported on 8 September 2026 without a described method. ACLED's narrower conflict-event count for 2020 to September 2025 is far lower, so the exact national total is not settled."
    },
    {
     "q": "Does terrorism in Africa threaten Europe?",
     "a": "The direct threat is small. African jihadist groups mostly target local governments and armies, and Europol says most terrorist attacks in the EU come from lone actors or small cells. The indirect effects are real: kidnappings of foreigners for ransom, and lost investment, such as the five-year freeze on Mozambique's gas project."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/taliban-pakistan.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/taliban-pakistan.html.md",
   "title": "Taliban: Rule in Afghanistan and War with Pakistan (2026)",
   "description": "The Taliban in 2026: Sharia rule in Afghanistan, women's rights, the TTP, Islamic State Khorasan and Pakistan, the country hit hardest by terrorism.",
   "updated": "2026-10-29",
   "words": 2900,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/taliban-pakistan.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who are the Taliban?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/taliban-pakistan.html#who"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How do the Taliban rule Afghanistan?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/taliban-pakistan.html#rule"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What are the Taliban's restrictions on women's rights?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/taliban-pakistan.html#women"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is the TTP (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan)?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/taliban-pakistan.html#ttp"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Why is Pakistan the country most affected by terrorism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/taliban-pakistan.html#pakistan"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is the war between Pakistan and the Taliban government?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/taliban-pakistan.html#war"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) in Afghanistan?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/taliban-pakistan.html#iskp"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/taliban-pakistan.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/taliban-pakistan.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/taliban-pakistan.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "Are the Taliban and the TTP the same group?",
     "a": "No. The Afghan Taliban rule Afghanistan. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is a separate Pakistani militant group, formed in 2007, that fights the Pakistani state. They share an ideology. The UN says the Afghan Taliban harbour TTP leaders, which the Taliban deny. The Islamic State's Khorasan branch is a third group and an enemy of the Taliban."
    },
    {
     "q": "Do the Taliban apply Sharia law?",
     "a": "The Taliban say they do. They have declared Sharia-based government, enforce a 2024 virtue and vice law, and use public flogging and executions. Their rule rests on one strict reading of Islamic law. Some Taliban figures have said the ban on girls' education is not required by Sharia. See the guide to Sharia for the wider picture."
    },
    {
     "q": "Do the Taliban allow girls to go to school?",
     "a": "Not beyond primary school. Girls have been barred from secondary school since March 2022, and women are banned from university. UNESCO said in August 2026 that about 2.4 million girls are shut out of secondary school, 200,000 more than a year before. The Taliban call the policy an internal matter. UN agencies say the ban costs Afghanistan teachers, health workers and income."
    },
    {
     "q": "Why is Pakistan fighting Afghanistan?",
     "a": "Pakistan says the Taliban government shelters the TTP, which attacks Pakistani soldiers and civilians from Afghan bases. The Taliban deny it. Clashes began in October 2025 and widened in February 2026, when Pakistan declared \"open war\". Mediators have won only short truces. The Moscow Format talks of 5 October 2026 ended without a joint statement, and Pakistan says new talks must come with a verifiable mechanism to stop attacks from Afghan soil. This guide found no formal settlement by 26 October 2026."
    },
    {
     "q": "Does any country recognise the Taliban government?",
     "a": "Only Russia has formally done so, according to the UN Monitoring Team in December 2025. Other states, including Afghanistan's neighbours, deal with the Taliban in practice, and the UN says 28 foreign missions and organisations are present in Kabul. This guide found no report of a second formal recognition by early October 2026."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-migration.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-migration.html.md",
   "title": "Migration and Islamist Terrorism: What the Data Shows",
   "description": "Were Islamist attackers migrants? Europol data, a case table by status, US cases, studies on both sides, and how vetting and deportation rules changed.",
   "updated": "2026-10-19",
   "words": 2907,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-migration.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What does Europol say about migrants and terrorism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-migration.html#europol"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Which attackers in Europe were asylum seekers or recent migrants?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-migration.html#asylum-cases"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Which attackers were citizens born or raised in Europe?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-migration.html#citizens"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What about the United States?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-migration.html#us"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Do studies find that migration causes terrorism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-migration.html#studies"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How did Europe change vetting and deportation?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-migration.html#europe-policy"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How did US vetting change after the Washington shooting?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-migration.html#us-policy"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-migration.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-migration.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "Were the Solingen, Munich and Villach attackers asylum seekers?",
     "a": "Yes. The Solingen attacker was a Syrian asylum seeker due to be transferred to Bulgaria, and the deadline passed. The Munich attacker was an Afghan whose asylum claim had been refused but who was allowed to stay. The Villach attacker was a Syrian who had been granted asylum in Austria and radicalised online in 2024. All three received life sentences."
    },
    {
     "q": "What does Europol say about migrants and terrorism?",
     "a": "Europol says terrorist groups have used migration routes in a few cases, above all the Paris attacks of 2015, but not systematically. It has never published the share of attackers or suspects who were asylum seekers. Where it splits jihadist suspects by citizenship, EU citizens are the larger group."
    },
    {
     "q": "Was the Berlin Pride attacker in 2026 a migrant?",
     "a": "No. The man who drove a van into people near Berlin's Pride event on 25 July 2026 was a German citizen born in Germany, according to the German interior minister as reported by AP. One woman was killed. He was shot dead by police the next day."
    },
    {
     "q": "Why could the Mulhouse attacker not be deported?",
     "a": "He was an Algerian in irregular status with a removal order and a 2023 conviction for glorifying terrorism. France's interior minister said Algeria had refused ten requests for the consular papers needed to deport him. That claim comes from the French government and has not been independently confirmed."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is there a link between refugees and terrorism?",
     "a": "Most statistical studies of rich countries find no general link between the number of refugees taken in and the level of terrorism. Some find narrower links, such as terrorism spreading through migrants from countries in conflict. Case studies show that some attackers did come through the asylum system, and that refused applicants were often not removed."
    },
    {
     "q": "Were the New Orleans and Boulder attackers immigrants?",
     "a": "The New Orleans attacker of January 2025 was a US-born citizen and Army veteran. The Boulder attacker of June 2025 was an Egyptian national who had overstayed a tourist visa and had an asylum claim pending. He was given life without parole in state court."
    },
    {
     "q": "Are most Muslims extremists?",
     "a": "No. Europol counted 347 jihadist arrests in the whole EU in 2025, in a bloc with millions of Muslim residents. Jihadists treat Muslims who reject them as enemies, and Muslims are among their victims. The attackers on this page were Muslims or converts who became radicalised; they do not speak for Muslims as a whole."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-attacks-europe.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-attacks-europe.html.md",
   "title": "Islamist terrorist attacks in Europe: list and numbers",
   "description": "Islamist terrorist attacks in Europe since 2004: the deadliest, Europol's yearly counts of completed, failed and foiled plots, by country, and 2026 so far.",
   "updated": "2026-10-19",
   "words": 2643,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-attacks-europe.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How many Islamist terrorist attacks in Europe happen each year?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-attacks-europe.html#how-many"
    },
    {
     "heading": "List of the deadliest jihadist terrorist attacks in European history",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-attacks-europe.html#deadliest"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Terrorist attacks in Europe by country",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-attacks-europe.html#by-country"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Terrorist attacks in Europe by ideology",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-attacks-europe.html#ideology"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What terror attacks have happened in 2026?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-attacks-europe.html#2026"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who carries out these attacks, and how?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-attacks-europe.html#who"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-attacks-europe.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-attacks-europe.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/terrorist-attacks-europe.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "What is the deadliest terror attack in European history?",
     "a": "Among jihadist attacks in the EU and UK, the deadliest was the Madrid train bombing of 11 March 2004, which killed 191 people. Next came Paris on 13 November 2015 (130), Nice in 2016 (86) and the London bombings of 7 July 2005 (52). The 2011 Norway attacks, by an anti-Muslim extremist, killed 77. Counting every kind of terrorism since 1980, Statista ranks the 1988 Lockerbie bombing first, with 270 deaths, and Madrid second. Counting Russia, the 2004 Beslan school siege by Chechen Islamist militants killed 334 hostages."
    },
    {
     "q": "How many terrorist attacks in Europe were Islamist in 2025?",
     "a": "Europol counted 24 jihadist attacks in the EU in 2025 out of 45 terrorist attacks of all ideologies. Nine of the 24 were completed and 15 were foiled by police. The completed attacks killed five people and injured 81. This counts the EU only; the UK is reported separately."
    },
    {
     "q": "Which European country has had the most jihadist terror attacks?",
     "a": "France has suffered most. Its domestic intelligence service counted 275 deaths from terrorist attacks since 2012, nearly all jihadist. France also reported the most jihadist attacks to Europol for 2025: 10, including foiled plots. Spain and the United Kingdom each lost large numbers in single attacks, at Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005."
    },
    {
     "q": "Are all terrorist attacks in Europe Islamist?",
     "a": "No. Europol sorts attacks into jihadist, left-wing and anarchist, right-wing, ethno-nationalist and separatist, and other. In 2025 jihadist attacks were about half of the 45 reported. Left-wing and anarchist attacks were 12 and right-wing five. Jihadist attacks killed the most people, but far-right attacks such as Hanau in 2020 and Norway in 2011 were also deadly."
    },
    {
     "q": "What terror attacks have there been in Europe in 2026?",
     "a": "The most serious so far was the Berlin Pride attack on 25 July 2026, which killed a 65-year-old Polish woman and injured 29, and which German officials called Islamist terrorism. London saw arson attacks on Jewish sites, which the UK linked to Iran, and a Golders Green stabbing. Police also charged two Iranians over a Manchester bomb plot."
    },
    {
     "q": "Does terrorism mean Muslims in Europe are dangerous?",
     "a": "No. Terrorists are a tiny number of men. Jihadists reject the views of most Muslims, treat many as enemies, and kill more Muslims worldwide than non-Muslims. The right response is to target the violent ideology and its networks, back Muslims who oppose it, and judge each person by their actions."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html.md",
   "title": "Islamist terror in Europe, 2021 to 2026: 10 deadly attacks",
   "description": "Ten deadly Islamist terror attacks in and around Europe, 2021 to 2026: Crocus City Hall, Solingen, Brussels, Manchester and more, all sourced.",
   "updated": "2026-10-24",
   "words": 1771,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "The ten attacks at a glance",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#list"
    },
    {
     "heading": "1. Sir David Amess, Leigh-on-Sea, 15 October 2021",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#amess"
    },
    {
     "heading": "2. Oslo Pride, 25 June 2022",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#oslo"
    },
    {
     "heading": "3. Arras school, 13 October 2023",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#arras"
    },
    {
     "heading": "4. Brussels, 16 October 2023",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#brussels"
    },
    {
     "heading": "5. Crocus City Hall, near Moscow, 22 March 2024",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#crocus"
    },
    {
     "heading": "6. Mannheim, 31 May 2024",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#mannheim"
    },
    {
     "heading": "7. Solingen, 23 August 2024",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#solingen"
    },
    {
     "heading": "8. Munich, 13 February 2025",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#munich"
    },
    {
     "heading": "9. Heaton Park synagogue, Manchester, 2 October 2025",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#manchester"
    },
    {
     "heading": "10. Berlin, 25 July 2026",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#berlin"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Other deadly attacks in the same five years",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#others"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What the attacks have in common",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#patterns"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-attacks-europe-five-years.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "How many people have Islamists killed in Europe in the last five years?",
     "a": "The ten attacks on this page killed 164 people, 149 of them at Crocus City Hall near Moscow. Inside the EU, Europol counted 20 deaths from completed jihadist attacks from 2021 to 2025. Britain, Norway and Russia are outside the EU and are not in that count."
    },
    {
     "q": "What was the deadliest Islamist attack in Europe in the last five years?",
     "a": "The Crocus City Hall attack near Moscow on 22 March 2024, which killed 149 people. Islamic State's Afghan branch, ISIS-K, claimed it."
    },
    {
     "q": "What was the most recent deadly Islamist attack in Europe?",
     "a": "The van and machete attack near Berlin's Pride celebrations on 25 July 2026, which killed one woman and injured 29. Germany's interior minister said the evidence pointed to an Islamic terror attack."
    },
    {
     "q": "Are most terrorist attacks in Europe Islamist?",
     "a": "Not by number every year, but they are by deaths. In 2025 Europol recorded 45 attacks in the EU, of which 24 were jihadist; jihadist attacks have been the deadliest in the EU every year since 2015."
    },
    {
     "q": "Does this mean Muslims in Europe are dangerous?",
     "a": "No. The attackers are a tiny number of people driven by an extremist ideology, and Muslims are among its victims. The point of this list is to name that ideology and the failures that let it kill."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-uk.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-uk.html.md",
   "title": "Islamist terrorism UK: attacks, MI5 and Prevent data",
   "description": "Islamist terrorism UK: attacks since 7/7, MI5 and Home Office figures, Prevent referrals, the severe threat level and the October 2026 Manchester plot.",
   "updated": "2026-10-28",
   "words": 2602,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-uk.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How big is the Islamist terrorism threat in the UK?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-uk.html#threat"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What Islamist attacks have happened in the UK since 7/7?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-uk.html#attacks"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Was Southport an Islamist attack?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-uk.html#southport"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What do Prevent referral figures show?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-uk.html#prevent"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What happened in 2026, including the Manchester plot?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-uk.html#2026"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Which Islamist groups are banned in the UK?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-uk.html#banned"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Is the Muslim Brotherhood banned in the UK?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-uk.html#brotherhood"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-uk.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-uk.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-uk.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "How many Islamist terror attacks has the UK had since 7/7?",
     "a": "Nine Islamist attacks since the London bombings of 7 July 2005 have each killed at least one person, 96 in total. The deadliest were 7/7 (52 dead) and the Manchester Arena in 2017 (22). The most recent fatal attack was at the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester on 2 October 2025, which killed two worshippers."
    },
    {
     "q": "What percentage of UK terrorism is Islamist?",
     "a": "It depends on the measure. MI5 says about 75% of its counter-terrorism work is Islamist. The Home Office says 57% of terrorist prisoners were Islamist on 30 June 2026. Prevent referrals are only 8% to 10% Islamist, because they include many young people with mixed or no ideology."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is the Prevent strategy?",
     "a": "Prevent is the part of the UK's CONTEST counter-terrorism strategy that tries to stop people being drawn into terrorism. Since 2015 schools, health bodies, councils and prisons have a legal duty to have due regard to it. In 2024/25 it received 8,778 referrals, and most had no identified ideology."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is the Muslim Brotherhood banned in the UK?",
     "a": "No. The group is not proscribed. A 2015 government review criticised its ideology but led to no ban. In late 2025 the Prime Minister said a ban was under very close review. In January 2026 ministers told the Lords they keep proscription under review and would not comment. No decision had been announced by October 2026."
    },
    {
     "q": "Was the Southport attack Islamist terrorism?",
     "a": "No. Prosecutors found no political or religious cause, and the attack was not treated as terrorism. Axel Rudakubana had an obsession with violence, and he possessed an al-Qaeda manual, but no ideology was established. He was sentenced to at least 52 years. Misleading online claims about him helped cause riots in August 2024."
    },
    {
     "q": "When is the trial over the Manchester chlorine bomb plot?",
     "a": "Rahman Salehi and Salam Ahmadyan, both Iranian nationals, are charged with preparing acts of terrorism. At the Old Bailey on 23 October 2026 a trial date of 15 June 2027 at Manchester Crown Court was set, with a preparatory hearing on 16 April 2027. Prosecutors allege a third person in Iran directed them. Both men are presumed innocent."
    },
    {
     "q": "Does this mean British Muslims are a threat?",
     "a": "No. Terrorists are a tiny number of men, and Islamism is a political ideology that most Muslims do not share. About 3.9 million people in England and Wales are Muslim. The right response is to target violent networks and ideas, support Muslims who oppose them, and judge each person by their actions."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/abdul-el-sayed-muslim-brotherhood.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/abdul-el-sayed-muslim-brotherhood.html.md",
   "title": "El-Sayed Does Not Condemn Muslim Brotherhood",
   "description": "Abdul El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood: the 2012 Morsi statement, family posts, father-in-law and donors, checked in Arabic, French and English.",
   "updated": "2026-10-26",
   "words": 2812,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/abdul-el-sayed-muslim-brotherhood.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who is making the claim",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/abdul-el-sayed-muslim-brotherhood.html#who"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Disavowed, not condemned",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/abdul-el-sayed-muslim-brotherhood.html#condemned"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Each claim and what the record shows",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/abdul-el-sayed-muslim-brotherhood.html#claims"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Family links to the Brotherhood",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/abdul-el-sayed-muslim-brotherhood.html#family"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who ran Al-Ahram when the statement appeared",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/abdul-el-sayed-muslim-brotherhood.html#ahram"
    },
    {
     "heading": "CAIR, ISNA and the Holy Land Foundation",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/abdul-el-sayed-muslim-brotherhood.html#cair"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How he has answered: denials, then disavowal",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/abdul-el-sayed-muslim-brotherhood.html#response"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How we checked",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/abdul-el-sayed-muslim-brotherhood.html#method"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/abdul-el-sayed-muslim-brotherhood.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/abdul-el-sayed-muslim-brotherhood.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "Is Abdul El-Sayed a member of the Muslim Brotherhood?",
     "a": "No evidence of membership has been published in Arabic, French or English. What is documented is a 2011 column on Egypt, a 2012 statement backing President Morsi, his half-sister's posts about their mother, and his father-in-law's roles at CAIR and ISNA. He denies any tie and has disavowed the group."
    },
    {
     "q": "Did El-Sayed sign a letter supporting Morsi?",
     "a": "A statement published by Al-Ahram on 25 November 2012, signed by 46 Egyptian-Americans, lists \"Dr. Abdul Rahman El-Sayed, New York\". It backed Morsi's decrees and urged him to purge the media and police. The New York Times and PolitiFact treat him as a signer and his campaign has not disputed it. It does not mention the Brotherhood."
    },
    {
     "q": "Was Al-Ahram controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood in 2012?",
     "a": "Its editor was. Al-Ahram is state-owned, and in August 2012 the Brotherhood-dominated Shura Council appointed Abdel Nasser Salama as its editor-in-chief, over protests from Egyptian journalists. The 2012 statement backing Morsi appeared there in November 2012. That shows the paper's leadership, not the affiliation of the statement's signers."
    },
    {
     "q": "Was El-Sayed's family in the Muslim Brotherhood?",
     "a": "There are documented family links. His half-sister, who was raised by their mother, wrote in 2012 that the mother was active in the Brotherhood at university in the early 1970s and that \"my family has long been MB\", and in 2013 that relatives had been jailed in Egypt for membership. His father-in-law sits on the founding committee of ISNA, which a 1991 Brotherhood document listed among its organisations. No independent record confirms the mother's activism, and none shows El-Sayed himself was a member. He was raised by his father and stepmother and calls the posts hearsay."
    },
    {
     "q": "Has El-Sayed disavowed or condemned the Muslim Brotherhood?",
     "a": "He has disavowed it when asked: on 17 October 2026 a voter in Caro, Michigan, asked whether he would disavow it and he said \"Sure, yeah, absolutely\". PolitiFact rated the claim that he refused to disavow it False. He has not condemned it: we found no statement in which he condemns the Brotherhood, its ideology or its links to Hamas, and on 5 October he would not back designating its branches unless shown they were \"engaged\" in violence."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism-australia.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism-australia.html.md",
   "title": "Islamism in Australia: attacks, ASIO and the law",
   "description": "Islamism in Australia: the Bondi attack, ASIO's PROBABLE threat level, 31 listed terrorist groups, the Hizb ut-Tahrir ban and what cuts the other way.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 2460,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism-australia.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How serious is Islamism in Australia?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism-australia.html#threat"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What Islamist attacks have happened in Australia?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism-australia.html#attacks"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What do we know about the Bondi attack?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism-australia.html#bondi"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Which terrorist groups are banned in Australia?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism-australia.html#groups"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is Hizb ut-Tahrir and why was it banned in Australia?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism-australia.html#hizb"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What did Australia change after Bondi?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism-australia.html#laws"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Is the Muslim Brotherhood active in Australia?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism-australia.html#brotherhood"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Does sharia law apply in Australia?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism-australia.html#sharia"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism-australia.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism-australia.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamism-australia.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "What is the terrorism threat level in Australia?",
     "a": "The national threat level is PROBABLE, the middle of five levels. ASIO set it there on 5 August 2024 and it remained there in October 2026. It means a better than even chance of an onshore attack or attack planning within 12 months, not intelligence of an imminent attack. ASIO's chief says the label understates a worsening environment."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is Hizb ut-Tahrir banned in Australia?",
     "a": "Yes, but not as a terrorist organisation. The government listed it as a prohibited hate group on 5 March 2026. Belonging to it, recruiting for it or funding it is now a crime. The reason given was that it repeatedly praised attacks on Jews, including 7 October 2023. Former members say the ban targets ideology, and none has been convicted in Australia."
    },
    {
     "q": "Who carried out the Bondi attack?",
     "a": "Police say a father and son, Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, shot people at a Hanukkah festival on 14 December 2025, killing 15. Police shot Sajid dead. Naveed survived and faces charges including a terrorist act and 15 murders. The Prime Minister said Islamic State appeared to have inspired it. Naveed had not pleaded by 30 April 2026, and no court has found him guilty."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is the Muslim Brotherhood banned in Australia?",
     "a": "No. Australia has not listed the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation or a prohibited hate group, and ASIO's 2026 threat assessment does not mention it. Hamas, which began as its Palestinian branch, has been listed in full since 4 March 2022. Egypt and Saudi Arabia ban the Brotherhood."
    },
    {
     "q": "Does sharia law apply in Australia?",
     "a": "No. Australia has one legal system, and sharia has no standing in Australian law. Under the Marriage Act 1961 a legal marriage needs an authorised celebrant, so a religious ceremony alone is not enough. Some Islamists, such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, want sharia as state law under a caliphate. Holding that view is not a crime, but praising violence can be."
    },
    {
     "q": "Does this mean Australian Muslims are a threat?",
     "a": "No. About 813,392 Australians, 3.2%, said they were Muslim in the 2021 census, and almost none are terrorists. This guide criticises a political ideology and violent networks, not Muslims as a group. A Muslim bystander disarmed one of the Bondi gunmen, and ASIO also reports neo-Nazi, Christian-influenced and far-left extremists."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-us.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-us.html.md",
   "title": "Islamist attacks in the US: list, numbers and context",
   "description": "Islamist attacks in the US since 9/11: the deadliest cases, New Orleans 2025, death tolls beside far-right terrorism, Europe compared, and CAIR.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 2525,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-us.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How deadly have Islamist attacks in the US been since 9/11?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-us.html#numbers"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What were the deadliest Islamist attacks in the US?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-us.html#list"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What happened in the New Orleans attack of 2025?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-us.html#new-orleans"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Which recent US attacks were Islamist, and which were not?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-us.html#recent"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How does Islamist violence compare with far-right violence?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-us.html#far-right"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How do Islamist attacks in the US compare with Europe?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-us.html#europe"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who are the attackers, and what cuts the other way?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-us.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Is political Islam a security threat in America?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-us.html#political-islam"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-us.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-terrorism-us.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "How many people have Islamist attacks killed in the US since 9/11?",
     "a": "New America's running count is 121 deaths from jihadist attacks inside the US since 9/11, excluding the 2,977 killed on 9/11 itself. Its page is dated April 2025 and appears to include New Orleans; the Old Dominion shooting of March 2026 brings the total to about 122 (approx.). It counts 137 deaths from far-right terrorism. Treat every total as an estimate."
    },
    {
     "q": "What was the deadliest Islamist attack in the US?",
     "a": "The deadliest was 9/11, when al-Qaeda hijackers killed 2,977 people. Since then it was the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando in June 2016, which killed 49 people, or 50 counting the gunman. His motive was mixed: he pledged to Islamic State but also complained about US bombing in Syria and Iraq."
    },
    {
     "q": "What happened in the New Orleans attack in 2025?",
     "a": "On 1 January 2025 Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a rented truck into crowds on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people. The FBI said he acted alone, had posted videos supporting Islamic State, and was inspired by the group. Police shot him dead. An Islamic State flag was on the truck."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is far-right or Islamist terrorism the bigger threat in the US?",
     "a": "Both are real. On New America's count far-right terrorism killed slightly more people since 9/11 than jihadists (137 against 121), and CSIS found most plots and attacks since 1994 were right-wing. Jihadists caused the worst attack, 9/11, and US intelligence still expects lone offenders inspired online."
    },
    {
     "q": "How do terrorist attacks in Europe compare with the US?",
     "a": "Europe has suffered more jihadist deaths since 2004, over 600 (approx.), against about 122 in the US since 9/11. Europe's worst attacks, in Paris and Brussels, were run from Syria. New America found only Pensacola in 2019 where a foreign group was behind a deadly attack in the US."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is the Muslim Brotherhood or CAIR a terrorist group in the US?",
     "a": "Not as a whole. In January 2026 the US designated the Egyptian, Jordanian and Lebanese Brotherhood chapters, and later the Sudanese one, but not the movement itself. I found no federal designation of CAIR. Texas and Florida issued state orders against both in 2025, and a federal judge blocked Florida's in March 2026."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihad.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihad.html.md",
   "title": "What Is Jihad? Meaning in Islam, the Quran and Jihadism",
   "description": "What is jihad? The meaning of jihad in Islam and the Quran, the greater and lesser jihad, the classical rules, and what jihadism and jihadist ideology are.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 2170,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihad.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What does jihad mean?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihad.html#meaning"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What does the Quran say about jihad?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihad.html#quran"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What are the greater and lesser jihad?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihad.html#greater-lesser"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What do the classical law manuals say?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihad.html#classical"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What do Islamists and jihadists say?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihad.html#jihadists"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is a jihadist, and what is jihadist ideology?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihad.html#jihadism"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihad.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihad.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/jihad.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "What is jihad in Islam?",
     "a": "Jihad is an Arabic word for striving or struggle. Muslims use it for inner moral effort, for good deeds and, in Islamic law, for armed fighting under rules. The classical manual Reliance of the Traveller defines it as war against non-Muslims, while many modern scholars say jihad in Islam is defensive. Jihadists use the word to justify terrorism."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is the difference between the greater and lesser jihad?",
     "a": "The greater jihad is the struggle against one's own ego and desires. The lesser jihad is armed fighting. The saying that Muhammad called war the lesser jihad is graded weak by hadith scholars, including al-Bayhaqi and Ibn Taymiyya. Yet the idea of inner struggle is widely taught, and the Open Letter bases it on Quran 25:52."
    },
    {
     "q": "What does the Quran say about jihad?",
     "a": "The Quran uses forms of the word \"strive\" in peaceful and military verses. Verse 25:52 urges striving \"with a great endeavour\". Verses such as 22:39 and 2:190 permit fighting those who fight you, but forbid aggression. Verses such as 9:5 and 9:29 command fighting, and scholars disagree on whether they are general or tied to wars of the time."
    },
    {
     "q": "What does jihadist mean?",
     "a": "A jihadist is a person who believes armed jihad is a duty now and acts on it by terrorism or insurgency. Examples include members of al-Qaeda and Islamic State. The word does not describe ordinary Muslims. Most Muslims, including leading scholars such as Egypt's Grand Mufti, reject the jihadist use of the word."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is jihadism?",
     "a": "Jihadism is the ideology that treats violent jihad as a personal duty against rulers and unbelievers. Its main beliefs are that fighting needs no ruler's permission, that civilians can be targeted, that other Muslims can be declared unbelievers and that a caliphate is the goal. It is a minority movement, and studies find most of al-Qaeda's victims were Muslims."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is jihad only defensive?",
     "a": "Scholars disagree. The 2014 Open Letter, signed by more than 120 scholars, says jihad in Islam is defensive war. The Shafi'i manual Reliance of the Traveller allows offensive war under a caliph to extend Muslim rule, and Sayyid Qutb rejected the defensive-only view. Both positions are held by named scholars."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/caliphate.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/caliphate.html.md",
   "title": "What Is a Caliphate? Meaning, History, Hizb ut-Tahrir",
   "description": "What is a caliphate? Its meaning, the 1924 abolition, Islamic State's 2014 claim and Hizb ut-Tahrir's bans in the UK, Germany and Australia.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 2281,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/caliphate.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is a caliphate? The meaning of the word",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/caliphate.html#meaning"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How did the caliphate begin and end?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/caliphate.html#history"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who wants a caliphate today?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/caliphate.html#today"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What was the Islamic State caliphate of 2014?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/caliphate.html#islamic-state"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is Hizb ut-Tahrir?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/caliphate.html#hizb-ut-tahrir"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Is Hizb ut-Tahrir banned?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/caliphate.html#banned"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/caliphate.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/caliphate.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/caliphate.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "What is a caliphate?",
     "a": "A caliphate is an Islamic state led by a caliph, who claims to succeed the Prophet Muhammad as leader of all Muslims. Classical Sunni law calls appointing one a communal duty and allows only one at a time. No state is a caliphate today. The last was the Ottoman caliphate, abolished in 1924."
    },
    {
     "q": "What does caliph mean?",
     "a": "Caliph comes from the Arabic for \"successor\". A caliph is the person who claims to take the Prophet Muhammad's place as head of the Muslim community. Classical Sunni law says he must be Muslim, male, free, sane, of the Quraysh tribe and learned in Islamic law. He guards the religion and runs worldly affairs."
    },
    {
     "q": "When was the Ottoman caliphate abolished?",
     "a": "The Ottoman caliphate was abolished on 3 March 1924 by Turkey's Grand National Assembly. The assembly had already abolished the sultanate in November 1922 and named Abdulmecid as caliph. After 1924, groups across the Muslim world called for the caliphate to be restored."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is Hizb ut-Tahrir banned in the UK?",
     "a": "Yes. Britain proscribed Hizb ut-Tahrir as a terrorist organisation in January 2024 under the Terrorism Act 2000. The Home Office said it had praised the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks and called Hamas \"heroes\" on its central website. Membership, inviting support and displaying support in public are offences, with penalties of up to 14 years in prison for certain crimes."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is Hizb ut-Tahrir banned in Australia?",
     "a": "Yes, but under hate-group law, not terrorism law. It was listed as a prohibited hate group on 5 March 2026, effective 6 March. Membership, recruiting and funding are now crimes. A parliamentary committee reviewed the listing in May 2026 and found no reason to disallow it. Former members dispute the decision."
    },
    {
     "q": "Did Islamic State have a real caliphate?",
     "a": "Islamic State declared a caliphate on 29 June 2014 and held territory in Iraq and Syria until 23 March 2019. Egypt's Grand Mufti was among more than 120 scholars who said it was invalid because it lacked the consensus of Muslims. It lost its last land at Baghouz in 2019."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/salafism-wahhabism.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/salafism-wahhabism.html.md",
   "title": "Salafism: meaning, Wahhabism and the jihadist split",
   "description": "Salafism explained: what Salafism and Wahhabism mean, how quietist, political and jihadist Salafis differ, and how Saudi Arabia exported Wahhabism.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 2458,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/salafism-wahhabism.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What does Salafism mean?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/salafism-wahhabism.html#meaning"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What does Wahhabism mean?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/salafism-wahhabism.html#wahhabism"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Salafism vs Wahhabism: what is the difference?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/salafism-wahhabism.html#vs"
    },
    {
     "heading": "The three kinds of Salafi: quietist, political and jihadist",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/salafism-wahhabism.html#three"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is Salafi jihadism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/salafism-wahhabism.html#jihadism"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Do quietist Salafis lead to terrorism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/salafism-wahhabism.html#quietist"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Saudi Arabia and the export of Wahhabism",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/salafism-wahhabism.html#saudi"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/salafism-wahhabism.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/salafism-wahhabism.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/salafism-wahhabism.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "What is the meaning of Salafism?",
     "a": "Salafism is a movement within Sunni Islam that says Muslims should follow the Quran and the Sunnah as the Prophet's companions and the next two generations did. The word comes from salaf, \"pious forebears\". Salafis reject later additions, such as saint veneration. Most reject violence; some enter politics; a small number are jihadists."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is the meaning of Wahhabism?",
     "a": "Wahhabism is the strict reform movement founded in 18th-century Arabia by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, who allied in 1744 with Muhammad ibn Saud. It teaches absolute monotheism and condemns tomb visits and saint worship as polytheism. It shaped the Saudi state's religion. Its followers usually reject the label, which outsiders gave them, and call themselves unitarians or Salafis."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is the difference between Salafism and Wahhabism?",
     "a": "Wahhabism is a specific movement tied to the Saudi dynasty. Salafism is the wider label for puritan revival movements that claim to follow the earliest Muslims. Wahhabis often call themselves Salafis, but Salafis from Egypt, Britain or elsewhere may not be Wahhabi. Analysts such as Cole Bunzel call Wahhabism a variant of Salafism."
    },
    {
     "q": "Are all Salafis terrorists?",
     "a": "No. Most Salafis are not violent. Quintan Wiktorowicz's typology separates quietists, who avoid politics, from political Salafis, who enter it, and from jihadists, who use force. Germany's intelligence service counted about 11,000 Salafists in 2024, and it says jihadists increasingly come from outside Salafist circles, radicalised online."
    },
    {
     "q": "Who are the quietist Salafis?",
     "a": "Quietist or \"purist\" Salafis focus on teaching correct belief and worship and avoid politics. They stay loyal to rulers and reject rebellion. Authorities usually placed in this camp include Nasir al-Din al-Albani and the Saudi scholars Ibn Baz and Ibn al-Uthaymin. Jihadists attack them as collaborators with tyrants."
    },
    {
     "q": "Did Saudi Arabia export Wahhabism?",
     "a": "Yes, on a large scale, though no one has audited the cost. From the 1960s Saudi money funded mosques, preachers, books and scholarships abroad through bodies such as the Muslim World League. The kingdom has cut back hateful textbook content since 2016, but reviewers say change abroad is partial, and its own rulers are targets of jihadists."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-ideologues.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-ideologues.html.md",
   "title": "Sayyid Qutb, Maududi, al-Banna: founders of Islamism",
   "description": "Sayyid Qutb, Hassan al-Banna, Maududi, Qaradawi and Khomeini: who they were, what they taught in sourced quotes, and which movements follow them today.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 2128,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-ideologues.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who are the founders of Islamism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-ideologues.html#founders"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Hassan al-Banna: who founded the Muslim Brotherhood?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-ideologues.html#banna"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Abul A'la Maududi: who was the founder of Jamaat-e-Islami?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-ideologues.html#maududi"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Sayyid Qutb: who was he and what is Milestones?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-ideologues.html#qutb"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Yusuf al-Qaradawi: who was the Brotherhood's preacher?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-ideologues.html#qaradawi"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Ruhollah Khomeini: what is velayat-e faqih?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-ideologues.html#khomeini"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-ideologues.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-ideologues.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/islamist-ideologues.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "Who was Sayyid Qutb?",
     "a": "Sayyid Qutb was an Egyptian writer and Muslim Brotherhood member who wrote Milestones (1964) and was executed by Egypt in 1966. After studying in the United States in the late 1940s he became a fierce critic of the West. The 9/11 Commission says Osama bin Laden relied heavily on his writings, which is why jihadists still cite him."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is Milestones by Sayyid Qutb about?",
     "a": "Milestones argues that the modern world, including nominally Muslim societies, is jahili, ignorant of Allah's rule, and that a committed vanguard must restore divine sovereignty and Sharia. It treats jihad as a way to free people from rule by other humans. It also states that no one will be forced to accept Islam, a line its critics and supporters read differently."
    },
    {
     "q": "Who founded Islamism?",
     "a": "No single person. Hassan al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928, the first mass Islamist organisation. Abul A'la Maududi founded Jamaat-e-Islami in 1941 and supplied much of the theory of an Islamic state. Sayyid Qutb radicalised the argument, and Ruhollah Khomeini turned it into a state in Iran in 1979."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is velayat-e faqih?",
     "a": "Velayat-e faqih, \"guardianship of the jurist\", is Ruhollah Khomeini's doctrine that a senior Shia jurist should oversee the government. It is written into Iran's constitution, where the Supreme Leader holds ultimate authority. Many Shia clerics reject it, including Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Iraq, who prefers guardianship by the people."
    },
    {
     "q": "Who was Yusuf al-Qaradawi?",
     "a": "Yusuf al-Qaradawi (1926-2022) was an Egyptian-born cleric based in Qatar who chaired the International Union of Muslim Scholars and was a spiritual leader for the Muslim Brotherhood. He hosted a popular Al Jazeera show, supported suicide attacks on Israelis and was refused entry to Britain in 2008. He also condemned 9/11 and called Islamic State's caliphate void."
    },
    {
     "q": "What did Maududi teach?",
     "a": "Abul A'la Maududi taught that Islam is a complete political system and that Muslims should establish an Islamic state. In his 1939 lecture Jihad in Islam he wrote that Islam wishes to destroy all states opposed to its programme, and he called for a universal revolution. His Jamaat-e-Islami party, founded in 1941, still contests elections in South Asia."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/radicalisation.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/radicalisation.html.md",
   "title": "Islamist radicalisation: causes, signs and where to report",
   "description": "Islamist radicalisation explained: how it happens, warning signs, online and teenage cases, lone actors, and where to report in the UK, Australia and US.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 2446,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/radicalisation.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What does radicalisation mean?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/radicalisation.html#meaning"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How does Islamist radicalisation happen?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/radicalisation.html#causes"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What are the signs of radicalisation?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/radicalisation.html#signs"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How does online radicalisation work?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/radicalisation.html#online"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Teenagers and terrorism: why are suspects getting younger?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/radicalisation.html#teenagers"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is lone wolf terrorism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/radicalisation.html#lone-actor"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Where do I report a concern about radicalisation?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/radicalisation.html#report"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/radicalisation.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/radicalisation.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/radicalisation.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "What is radicalisation?",
     "a": "Radicalisation is the process by which a person comes to support extreme beliefs and, in some cases, violence to defend them. In the UK it is described as a mental process in which someone is drawn towards extreme ideologies or terrorist groups. \"Radicalization\" is the US spelling. Not everyone with extreme views becomes violent, and being devout is not the same as being radicalised."
    },
    {
     "q": "What are the signs of radicalisation?",
     "a": "There is no single sign. UK guidance says to look for a combination that is growing: a person who talks as if reading someone else's script, cuts off old friends and family, becomes secretive about online contacts, shares hateful content, or seems angry and rigid in their views. Each can have an innocent cause, so trust your instincts and ask for advice early."
    },
    {
     "q": "Why do people join ISIS?",
     "a": "Researchers find a mix of reasons rather than one cause. Belonging, a search for significance or purpose, adventure, grievance and friends who are already involved appear repeatedly. Leaked Islamic State intake forms showed most recruits had only basic knowledge of Sharia, so religious learning was rarely the driver. Preachers and propaganda then supply a doctrine that justifies violence."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is lone wolf terrorism?",
     "a": "Lone wolf terrorism means an attack by one person acting without orders from a terrorist group. Researchers prefer the term lone actor, because most such attackers have had contact with others and often told them about their views beforehand. Examples include the Lindt Café siege in Sydney in 2014, the Westminster attack in 2017 and the Fishmongers' Hall attack in 2019."
    },
    {
     "q": "How does online radicalisation happen?",
     "a": "It usually starts with ordinary-looking or borderline content that acts as an easy entry point. Users who show interest are invited into closed groups on private or encrypted apps, where extreme views are shared and normalised. Research finds the internet usually complements real-world contact rather than replacing it, and it can speed the process up, in some cases to a few weeks."
    },
    {
     "q": "Where do I report someone who may be radicalised?",
     "a": "In the UK call 999 in an emergency, or the police hotline on 0800 789 321, or report online at gov.uk/ACT. Worried families can call ACT Early on 0800 011 3764. In Australia call the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400. In the United States use tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI. You do not need proof, only a concern."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html.md",
   "title": "How to counter extremism: what works and what fails",
   "description": "How to counter extremism: what the evidence shows on Prevent, deradicalisation, Denmark's Aarhus model, France's 2021 law, Austria's raids and Australia.",
   "updated": "2026-10-13",
   "words": 2450,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How to counter extremism: what does the evidence show?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html#evidence"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What works to counter violent extremism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html#works"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Does the UK's Prevent strategy work?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html#prevent"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What is the Aarhus model, and did it work?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html#aarhus"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Do deradicalisation programmes work?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html#deradicalisation"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What did France's 2021 separatism law achieve?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html#france"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What happened after Austria's Operation Luxor?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html#austria"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What works against Islamism, as opposed to violence?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html#islamism"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What do Australia's programmes show?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html#australia"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What cuts the other way?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html#other-side"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/counter-extremism.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "How can extremism be stopped?",
     "a": "No single policy has been proven to stop it. Governments combine intelligence-led disruption of plots, prosecution of incitement and violence, support schemes for people drifting towards extremism, supervised release of offenders and policing that Muslims see as fair. Evaluations are thin, so each measure should be tested and published rather than assumed to work."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is the Prevent strategy?",
     "a": "Prevent is the part of Britain's CONTEST counter-terrorism strategy that aims to stop people becoming terrorists. Public bodies have a statutory duty to take part, and a panel decides whether referred people receive Channel support. The 2023 Shawcross review praised its structure but criticised an uneven focus on Islamism and weak evidence for many funded projects."
    },
    {
     "q": "Do deradicalisation programmes work?",
     "a": "The evidence is not strong enough to say. Terrorist prisoners reoffend at low rates with or without programmes, and no thorough evaluation of jihadist programmes was available in 2011. France's residential centre at Pontourny, opened in September 2016, was empty by February 2017. Support in the person's own community, as in Aarhus, looks more promising."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is the Aarhus model?",
     "a": "The Aarhus model is a Danish approach in which the police and city authorities offer mentoring and support to young people at risk of extremism and to returning foreign fighters. NPR counted 34 departures from the city to Syria since 2012 but only one in 2015. Senators who visited found no statistics on results, so its effect is unproven."
    },
    {
     "q": "What works against Islamism?",
     "a": "Tools aimed at violence, such as surveillance, prosecution and supervised release, are well established legally. Tools aimed at non-violent Islamism have a weaker record. Austria's raids on alleged Muslim Brotherhood supporters were ruled unlawful on complaint and the first terrorism trial ended in acquittal, while France's 2021 law drew a mixed verdict from the Senate."
    },
    {
     "q": "How do you counter violent extremism without alienating Muslims?",
     "a": "Evidence from New South Wales and the EU points to keeping community programmes away from security branding, treating people fairly when police stop them, and offering support rather than only reporting. Muslims in the EU trusted police less when they thought a stop involved profiling."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/france-election-2027-islamism.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/france-election-2027-islamism.html.md",
   "title": "French Election 2027: Immigration, Islamism and the Polls",
   "description": "France's 2027 presidential election: dates, candidates, Le Pen's appeal, October 2026 polls, where immigration ranks, and each camp's plans on Islamism.",
   "updated": "2026-10-19",
   "words": 2016,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/france-election-2027-islamism.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "When is the 2027 French presidential election?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/france-election-2027-islamism.html#dates"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Who are the candidates?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/france-election-2027-islamism.html#candidates"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Can Marine Le Pen run in 2027?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/france-election-2027-islamism.html#le-pen"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What do the polls say?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/france-election-2027-islamism.html#polls"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Is immigration the top issue for French voters?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/france-election-2027-islamism.html#issues"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What does each camp propose on immigration and Islamism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/france-election-2027-islamism.html#positions"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What did France's Muslim Brotherhood report find?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/france-election-2027-islamism.html#report"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What do French people think about Islamism and secularism?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/france-election-2027-islamism.html#opinion"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Did the October 2026 riots change the campaign?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/france-election-2027-islamism.html#riots"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/france-election-2027-islamism.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/france-election-2027-islamism.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "When is the French presidential election in 2027?",
     "a": "The first round is on 18 April 2027 and the second round on 2 May 2027. A runoff is held if no candidate wins more than half the votes in the first round. Macron's term ends on 13 May 2027 and he cannot run again."
    },
    {
     "q": "Can Marine Le Pen run in 2027?",
     "a": "Yes, unless the Court of Cassation rules otherwise. The Court of Appeal upheld her embezzlement conviction on 7 July 2026 but cut her ban from office so that it no longer covers the 2027 election. She has appealed further, and a final ruling is expected before the vote."
    },
    {
     "q": "Who is leading the polls for the 2027 French election?",
     "a": "Marine Le Pen leads every first-round poll published in October 2026, with 31% to 37%. Édouard Philippe, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Raphaël Glucksmann follow with 9% to 18% each. She also leads in every second-round pairing tested, but the vote is six months away."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is immigration the main issue in the French election?",
     "a": "Not for most voters. Purchasing power and health rank first in most polls, with immigration typically eighth or lower overall. It is the top issue for RN and Reconquête voters."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is Islamist entryism?",
     "a": "It is the term French officials use for organised efforts to gain influence over local institutions, associations and schools to advance a political reading of Islam. A Senate bill to create an offence against it passed in May 2026. 74% of French adults backed such an offence in an October 2026 Ifop poll."
    },
    {
     "q": "Will Le Pen or Bardella be the RN candidate?",
     "a": "Le Pen, as long as she remains eligible. She announced her candidacy on 7 July 2026, and every October 2026 poll tests her rather than Bardella."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/us-midterms-2026-immigration-islamism.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/us-midterms-2026-immigration-islamism.html.md",
   "title": "US Midterms 2026: Immigration, ICE and Islamism Issues",
   "description": "The 3 November 2026 US midterms: polls on Trump's immigration record and ICE, the Minnesota races, the Michigan Senate fight and Brotherhood designations.",
   "updated": "2026-10-19",
   "words": 1591,
   "type": "guide",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "Key facts",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/us-midterms-2026-immigration-islamism.html#key-facts"
    },
    {
     "heading": "When are the 2026 midterm elections and what is at stake?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/us-midterms-2026-immigration-islamism.html#stakes"
    },
    {
     "heading": "What do Americans think of Trump's immigration policies?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/us-midterms-2026-immigration-islamism.html#polls"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Why is Minnesota a battleground?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/us-midterms-2026-immigration-islamism.html#minnesota"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How has Islamism entered the campaign?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/us-midterms-2026-immigration-islamism.html#islamism"
    },
    {
     "heading": "How did immigration shape the 2024 election?",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/us-midterms-2026-immigration-islamism.html#2024"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/us-midterms-2026-immigration-islamism.html#faq"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Related guides",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/us-midterms-2026-immigration-islamism.html#related"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "When are the 2026 midterm elections?",
     "a": "Election day is Tuesday 3 November 2026. All 435 House seats, about a third of the Senate and 36 governorships are on the ballot. Early voting started weeks before; in Minnesota it was under way by 6 October."
    },
    {
     "q": "What is Trump's approval rating on immigration?",
     "a": "About 38% to 39% in October 2026 and July 2026 polls. ABC News, the Washington Post and Ipsos found 38% approved and 61% disapproved. AP-NORC found 39% approved in July. Republicans approve strongly and Democrats overwhelmingly disapprove."
    },
    {
     "q": "Is immigration the top issue in the 2026 midterms?",
     "a": "No. Most coverage and polls put the cost of living first. Immigration is a leading issue for Republican voters, and voters split on which party they trust more on it, with Democrats ahead by 52% to 45% in one September poll."
    },
    {
     "q": "Why is Minnesota important in the 2026 midterms?",
     "a": "It has open races for governor and Senate after a large federal immigration operation in Minneapolis, two deaths during that operation, and a welfare fraud scandal that led Governor Walz not to seek re-election. Democrats led the main races in September polls."
    },
    {
     "q": "What happened with Abdul El-Sayed and Sharia law claims?",
     "a": "El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, is Muslim. Trump called him a \"terrorist sympathizer\" and Senator Mike Lee raised Sharia law. His Republican opponent said his concern was an ideology, not El-Sayed's faith. El-Sayed called the attacks a distraction."
    },
    {
     "q": "Did the US designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group?",
     "a": "Partly. On 13 January 2026 the State Department designated the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organisation, and the Treasury sanctioned the Egyptian and Jordanian branches for supporting Hamas. The movement as a whole has not been designated."
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/about.html",
   "markdown": "https://fightingislamists.com/about.html.md",
   "title": "About Fighting Islamists: Sources, Standards, Corrections",
   "description": "Who publishes Fighting Islamists, how its facts are sourced and dated, how to report an error, and how AI tools and search engines can quote it.",
   "updated": "2026-10-25",
   "words": 722,
   "type": "about",
   "sections": [
    {
     "heading": "What the site is",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/about.html#what"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Words we use",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/about.html#terms"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Our standards",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/about.html#standards"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Corrections",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/about.html#corrections"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Translations",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/about.html#translations"
    },
    {
     "heading": "For search engines and AI tools",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/about.html#machines"
    },
    {
     "heading": "Questions people ask",
     "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/about.html#faq"
    }
   ],
   "faq": [
    {
     "q": "Who publishes Fighting Islamists?",
     "a": "The Analyst publishes Fighting Islamists. The site is free to read, carries no advertising and has no paywall. Every page ends with a citation line you can copy."
    },
    {
     "q": "Does Fighting Islamists criticise Muslims?",
     "a": "No. It criticises Islamism, which is a political ideology, and the laws, doctrines and institutions that carry it. It does not criticise people for their faith, and it treats Islam, Islamism and Muslims as three different things."
    },
    {
     "q": "How do I report a mistake on the site?",
     "a": "Email corrections@objectiveanalyst.org with the page address and a source for the right fact. If the page is wrong, the text is fixed and the Updated date at the top of the page changes."
    },
    {
     "q": "How are the facts on the site sourced?",
     "a": "Facts come from court judgments, official reviews, national statistics, major surveys and primary religious texts, each linked in the footnotes. When sources disagree, the page names who gave each figure."
    },
    {
     "q": "Can AI assistants and search engines quote this site?",
     "a": "Yes. Every English page has a markdown copy at the same address with .md added, and there is a llms.txt guide and full-text files for AI tools. Quote freely with a link back, and keep the distinction between Islam, Islamism and Muslims."
    },
    {
     "q": "Are the translations reliable?",
     "a": "The translated pages were produced with the help of artificial intelligence and say so on the page. The English page is the reference text, and corrections to a translation are welcome."
    }
   ]
  }
 ],
 "briefings": [
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/briefings/brief-2026-W41.html",
   "title": "A week of Islamist terror: two plots in 72 hours, both targeting Jews",
   "date": "2026-10-05"
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/briefings/brief-2026-W42.html",
   "title": "Europe votes to confront the Muslim Brotherhood",
   "date": "2026-10-12"
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/briefings/brief-2026-W44.html",
   "title": "Karak Church Attack in Jordan: What We Know So Far",
   "date": "2026-10-26"
  },
  {
   "url": "https://fightingislamists.com/briefings/brief-2026-W45.html",
   "title": "Karak Church Attack: Jordan Arrests Three, Strikes Syria",
   "date": "2026-11-02"
  }
 ]
}