There are several aspects to this Islamist tendency within the wider Umma (Muslim community), but a couple of aspects of the Islamist movement are interesting to note - especially from the perspective of a Brit.
Firstly, political / radical aspects of Islam are indigenous to the religion itself - indeed Muhammad was not just a preacher, he was also a political leader who was not shy to act militantly.
Secondly, there are plenty of key figures in Islam who have offered doctrinal justifications for militant actions - notable ones are Maududi and Qutb, both of whom justify their actions from the Qur'an and Muhammad.
Thirdly, British colonialism and US imperialism has added oxygen to a dying fire in the last 150 years.
Fourthly, the holistic nature of Islam - the fact that it is to do with the whole of life - can at times put our Protestant, Western, individualistic Christianity to shame for thinking that we can privatize it. In fact, perhaps we only privatize it rhetorically, for religion is still and will always be the heartbeat of why we do politics.
Fifthly, this is an issue that will not go away easily and will certainly not go away if we continue to export hollow Western imperialism as a solution in any form, let alone in the current trend of bombs and soldiers.
What are we as followers of Christ to do? Perhaps something radically Christlike... allow Christ to permeate every area of out lives and live it out peacefully.
