Knowra Islamic fundamentalism Islamic fundamentalism A diverse set of movements that advocate returning to Islam’s foundational texts and practices, often opposing secular or modernist interpretations. The label is contested and does not describe a single doctrine or organization.
Quran : Islam’s central scripture, understood by Muslims as divine revelation to Muhammad. Movements described by this label often ground their calls for renewal in Quranic interpretation.
Islamic modernism : A reform movement that sought to reconcile Islamic thought with modern institutions and intellectual currents. It offers a distinct response to modernity from movements that stress restoration of early Islamic models.
Islamic reformism : Efforts to renew Islamic thought and practice through reinterpretation, education, or institutional change. Reformist projects may seek renewal without treating a return to early precedent as the overriding goal.
Islamic Revolution : The 1979 revolution that overthrew Iran’s monarchy and established an Islamic Republic. It made an explicitly Islamic political order central to a modern state, though its Shi'a setting differs from many Sunni movements.
Hadith : Reports about Muhammad’s words, actions, and approvals, transmitted through chains of narrators. Appeals to foundational practice often depend on selecting and interpreting hadith.
Colonialism in the Muslim world : European imperial rule and influence across Muslim-majority societies, especially from the eighteenth through twentieth centuries. Anti-colonial politics and responses to European power shaped several movements later described as fundamentalist.
Jihadism : A militant ideology that advocates armed struggle as a means of establishing or defending a political order framed as Islamic. Some fundamentalist currents become jihadist, but most movements described as fundamentalist are not militant.
Islamic State : A jihadist organization that controlled territory in Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate in 2014. Its extremist rule illustrates one violent outcome, not a representative form, of appeals to foundational Islam.
Salafism : A Sunni movement that calls for emulating the first generations of Muslims and emphasizes scriptural sources. It is one influential current sometimes grouped under the broader label.
Islamic revival : A broad resurgence of Islamic religious practice, institutions, and public influence in modern societies. Fundamentalist movements form only part of this wider and internally diverse revival.
Show all 22