Difference between Muslim and Islamist?

[DCal430]

I have noticed some media groups refer to Muslim terrorist groups as Islamist rather than Muslim. What is up with this?

 

[Lemon law]

Maybe a good question DCAL430, but its way too late at night to even take a stab at the question. Other than to say the Muslim religion is every bit as diverse as any other belief system.

 

[CanOWorms]

I think that "Islamist" is their particular brand of political ideology whereas "Muslim" is a member of a religion, a much broader concept.

 

[Kadarin]

There's no difference between a Muslim and an "Islamist". The latter is a made-up term designed to allow the media to tell us who's doing all the religiously motivated suicide bombings, jihads, car bombings, beheadings, and so forth without offending precious Muslim sensibilities.

 

[IonusX]

I have noticed some media groups refer to Muslim terrorist groups as Islamist rather than Muslim. What is up with this?

muslim =/= terrorist
islamist =/= terrorist
lets get that past us shall we and stop stereotyping.

now i could be wrong but as i understand things muslim is the overarching label for a whole range of variants or sects of the muslim faith. whereas islam is simply 1 form of that faith. kinda like how protestants and Jesuits are sects or variants of the christian/catholic faith.

so anytime you see muslim terrorist its a mislabeling either done because whoever wrote the script was a tool. or because they mean to demonize a whole range of people rather than just a select few.
and islamic terrorists is again treating it unfairly. practicing islam isnt a bad thing. in fact on paper its one of the most peaceful of the muslim faiths. but folks try and twist it for their own evil intentions. by instilling a false version of the faith into the minds of the less educated or less sane, but such things are common in all religions.

for example up until the reneissance there was no written copy of the bible that people could read freely. only priests or aristocrats could. as a result folks could interpret or twist the bible in any which way they so desired.

 

[Zorander]

Islamist? Is that like making up the word Christianist?

My understanding is Islam is the religion itself and a Muslim is a follower of Islam. I'm sure it's a gross generalisation but that should be the idea.

 

[kylebisme]

OMG people, learn to use a dictionary.

 

[Stas]

There's no difference between a Muslim and an "Islamist". The latter is a made-up term designed to allow the media to tell us who's doing all the religiously motivated suicide bombings, jihads, car bombings, beheadings, and so forth without offending precious Muslim sensibilities.

I'm with this guy. Kind of an escape goat word. Saying "Islamists bombed a school bus and murdered 17 children" sounds ordinary. Saying "Muslims bombed a school bus and murdered 17 children" make me feel like I used the n-word in a really racist context. On national television. Even though, it's essentially the same thing.

 

[feralkid]

Islamist? Is that like making up the word Christianist?

No, that would be a Crusader.

 

[fskimospy]

Islamists are Muslims who attempt to force their religion into the political sphere through implementing sharia law, creating theocratic states,etc. Any religion can do this. America has significant numbers of Christianists who try to legislate their faith, and Jews have a somewhat similar version in Zionism.

 

[Braznor]

All the words used here are wrong.

Muslim : Member of the faith of Islam and its various doctrines.

Islamist : A person who advocates fundamentalist Islam in his life and upon others through think, literature etc.

Radical Islamist : A person who serves Islam violently in its jihads.

Islamist terrorist : A radical Islamist who uses tactics of terror against enemy civilians or the kafirs.

 

[sandorski]

All the words used here are wrong.

Muslim : Member of the faith of Islam and its various doctrines.

Islamist : A person who advocates fundamentalist Islam in his life and upon others through think, literature etc.

Radical Islamist : A person who serves Islam violently in its jihads.

Islamist terrorist : A radical Islamist who uses tactics of terror against enemy civilians or the kafirs.

Seems closest to my thoughts. Basically, "Islamist" is a subset of Islam/Muslim. Now it probably is a Western Media coined term, but rather than PC being the motivation, I think it's just to add precision to what's being discussed.

 

[StrangerGuy]

There's no difference between a Muslim and an "Islamist". The latter is a made-up term designed to allow the media to tell us who's doing all the religiously motivated suicide bombings, jihads, car bombings, beheadings, and so forth without offending precious Muslim sensibilities.

Fvck PC. If Muslims want to protect their religion with any sort of moral standing they should be the first at the frontlines to condem violence committed in the name of Islam instead giving the "I am so offended by petty event X so and I gonna kill u all" death threats. Even silence from moderate Muslims towards Islamic violence should be seen as a sign of cooperation.

 

[Double Trouble]

There's no difference between a Muslim and an "Islamist". The latter is a made-up term designed to allow the media to tell us who's doing all the religiously motivated suicide bombings, jihads, car bombings, beheadings, and so forth without offending precious Muslim sensibilities.

This, exactly this. The media doesn't want to seem like they're unfairly negatively portraying all muslims when they report stories of terrorism, so they coined a new term to be more politically correct. At first, they started using the term "radical muslim", but that still has the word muslim in it, so they went to the term islamist. It's PC bullshit.

 

[fskimospy]

This, exactly this. The media doesn't want to seem like they're unfairly negatively portraying all muslims when they report stories of terrorism, so they coined a new term to be more politically correct. At first, they started using the term "radical muslim", but that still has the word muslim in it, so they went to the term islamist. It's PC bullshit.

Except of course the term Islamism has been around for decades. It is a more accurate description of those who attempt to fuse Islam and politics as opposed to those who practice it in a personal sense. You can be a radical Muslim without being an Islamist.

Only here is the myth of media persecution so strong that people will shriek and complain about a more accurate term being used.

 

[Siddhartha]

I have noticed some media groups refer to Muslim terrorist groups as Islamist rather than Muslim. What is up with this?

An example of the difference is between a Christian and an IRA member.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

Islamists are Muslims who attempt to force their religion into the political sphere through implementing sharia law, creating theocratic states,etc. Any religion can do this. America has significant numbers of Christianists who try to legislate their faith, and Jews have a somewhat similar version in Zionism.

I agree with your definition of Islamism but I reject the comparison to Judaism and Christianity. Islam is far more intertwined with politics in even "moderate" Muslim states than Christianity is in any Western state (excluding the Vatican of course) or Judaism is in Israel. The most fervent evangelical Christians in the US would be moderates in any Muslim state. In theory what you're saying is true but in practice it hasn't existed anywhere for at least 400 years.

Zionism is also primarily a political ideology. It has some grounding in religious history but as you know Israel is a liberal democracy that has not and never will be governed by religious law.

 

[Double Trouble]

Only here is the myth of media persecution so strong that people will shriek and complain about a more accurate term being used.

Nobody said anything about media persecution, just media PC. What you're saying about the historical distinction may or may not be correct, but the media change to islamist instead of muslim is a very recent one that's come about after the outcry about negative muslim portrayals. That's not a coincidence.

 

[fskimospy]

I agree with your definition of Islamism but I reject the comparison to Judaism and Christianity. Islam is far more intertwined with politics in even "moderate" Muslim states than Christianity is in any Western state (excluding the Vatican of course) or Judaism is in Israel. The most fervent evangelical Christians in the US would be moderates in any Muslim state. In theory what you're saying is true but in practice it hasn't existed anywhere for at least 400 years.

Zionism is also primarily a political ideology. It has some grounding in religious history but as you know Israel is a liberal democracy that has not and never will be governed by religious law.

I wasn't trying to say which was better or worse, just that the -ism on the end designates a combination of religion and politics. Islam is a lot more politicized than other religions, I agree.

About Israel though, don't be so sure. The ultra-orthodox have been making enormous strides there in the last few decades and currently wield vastly disproportionate power to their population. Additionally, this already over-represented population is increasing at a far faster rate than the rest. While Israel is certainly a liberal democracy today, I am not at all certain that it will always be so. (check out some news on the Haredi Jews for more info!)

 

[Abwx]

Beyond the wording dispute , Islamism was a term coined to name
groups whose behaviour has in fact nothing to do with Islam.

These groups were created thanks to Saudi money and US blessings
as a tool to wage conflicts in countries that were seen as a threat
for the Saudi monarchy.

This corrupted US supported monarchy is trying to implement an heresy
through Islam wich consist to support any group that dont question
the illegitimate rule of the Saudi mafia over Arabia.

One will understand better these manipulation when thinking
about monarchy wich is an illegitim rule in islamic world.

 

[cybrsage]

Is the Saudi Monarchy a problem since they allow the Mutawa to run Sharia courts? The King runs the civilian affairs and the Mutawa run the religious affairs. From what I have read in the Quran, that is not a problem. Granted, I have not read the entire thing yet and certainly do not remember all (or even a marjority) of what I have read. I do think I have read more of the Quran than most Muslims have, though. I consider this sad. I am also positive I have read more of the Bible than most Christians and more of the Tanakh than most Jews, too...which is also sad.

 

[Abwx]

Sharia is not legitimate , neither in Saudi Arabia nor in any current
so called muslim state as it is explicitly said in the Quran that there s
conditions that must be respected for its application being legitim ,
and to this day , no muslim country fit these conditions.

The saudi monarchy is the same as european medieval kingdoms :

To the king belongs people s bodies and goods while their brains belong
to a corrupted church...

 

[cybrsage]

Can you provide me the specific Sura about it? I am always interested in learning.

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

I have noticed some media groups refer to Muslim terrorist groups as Islamist rather than Muslim. What is up with this?

I don't know, they are all the same and all deserve the same fate.

 

[Jaskalas]

I have noticed some media groups refer to Muslim terrorist groups as Islamist rather than Muslim. What is up with this?

Muslim is to Islamist as White is to White Supremacist.