Dr. Michael Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, echoed Nawaz, saying that Islamism had far more to do with politics than religion.
“The ideology that motivates these terrorists today has very little to do with the religion of Islam. It’s the difference between a religion and a radical ideology,” he said.
There are over 1 billion Muslims in the world, although only a small percentage is believed to be Islamist. These extremists have been moving west, however, with recent Muslim immigrations into Europe.
Zeyno Baran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said while Britain has a more vibrant Muslim community, American Muslims are more likely to be radicalized. Most Islamic organizations in the United States – such as the Council on American Islamic Relations – have ties to an organization called the Muslim Brotherhood which promotes an Islamist ideology.
“I’m worried about raising my children in this country because I don’t know where to send them to teach them Islam. I’d have to teach them at home,” she said.