Islam and Islamism: Is There Truly a Difference?

For a long time, I have favored making a clear distinction between moderate Islam and Islamism. I was a fan of M. Zuhdi Jasser, who is working to reform his faith. Most moderate Muslims in America have been adamant about the nature of their practice. They insist that they choose to practice a peaceful Islam — jihad is a peaceful, reflective, internal examination of their lives as Muslims, and they are prepared to live under the laws of the country in which they live.

But in recent history, a new definition of Islam emerged, particularly supported by the West:

The term Islamism was originally used neutrally in the 18th and 19th centuries as a synonym for Islam. It wasn’t until the 20th century that Western academics and policymakers started using Islamism to describe a political movement separate from Islam itself. This is advantageous to those who wish to disingenuously promote the idea of a peaceful, spiritual Islam (Islam) that has nothing to do with a dangerous, radical version (Islamism).

For those of us who know anything about Islam, we’ve been told that this division is legitimate. There is an Islam that is moderate and modern, and there is something called Islamism that is dangerous and determined to conquer the world.

But there are scholars, including Muslims, who would say that there is only Islam. Practitioners may choose to practice their faith in many different ways, but one Muslim explains where the confusion arises:

My own family and their close friends are moderate Muslims by any measure. Yet they certainly believe in Islamic supremacy. As I grew up, they often told me that Islam would eventually spread across the whole world, and everyone would become Muslim. They didn’t say that they would help to make this happen themselves, nor did they try to convince my siblings and me to proselytize, let alone to take part in violent jihad. They just took it for granted that Islam would come to dominate the globe. If you call that belief ‘Islamism,’ which you see as an extreme version of Islam, you will have little hope of understanding how Muslims like my family see the world.

To restate what this writer is saying, every Muslim practices Islam. And all Muslims anticipate that one day, Islam will rule the world. They may not actively participate in that goal, but a faithful Muslim believes that this transformation will come about. Also, all Muslims believe the Koran is the word of Allah.

If a person studies the Koran and the Hadith, he will find that many of the distinctions between Islam and Islamism don’t exist. For example, some sources say that Islamism is the political form of the religion. But in fact, Islam cites political action, too:

The use of Islamism to describe the many undesirable features of Islam is a modern invention, created to avoid confronting the full nature of Islam — including its incentive of material over spiritual rewards as seen in Koran Chapter 8 (The Spoils of War) — and to dismiss the warnings of non-Muslims who possess a clear understanding of its foundational texts. This distinction is not doctrinal but political, designed to make Islam appear non-threatening while denying association with those who fully apply its legal and political components.

Again, a person may choose not to actively follow the political strategies of Islam, but it’s important to note that political objectives can be pursued without violence. Muslims have been making inroads into the political sphere, recently setting a record of participation in November 2025:

In a remarkable show of civic engagement and perseverance, 42 Muslim Americans have been elected to public office across the United States in this year’s off-year elections. This marks the largest number of Muslim victories in American political history. The diverse group of winners spans at least nine states, from New York and Virginia to Michigan, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. The newly elected officials include five mayors, four state legislators, two judges, and dozens of city council, school board, and county officials, reflecting both the breadth and depth of Muslim participation in American democracy.

Many of the people elected may very well be civic-minded citizens, doing their best to help make America a great country.

Whether they all honor U.S. law and the Constitution, only time will tell.

I’m reluctant, given what I now know, to assume that moderate and radical Islamism are significantly different.