Answer: Islamic extremism, Islamist extremism, or radical Islam refer to extremist beliefs associated with the religion of Islam. These are controversial terms with varying definitions, ranging from academic understandings to the idea that all ideologies other than Islam have failed and are inferior to Islam.[1] This can also extend to other sects of Islam that do not share such beliefs. Political definitions include the one used by the government of the United Kingdom, which understands Islamic extremism as any form of Islam that opposes "democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs".[2]
It is not to be confused with Islamic fundamentalism or Islamism, the former defined as a movement of Muslims who are of the view that Muslim-majority countries should return to the fundamentals of an Islamic state (though some see Islamic fundamentalism as a form of Islamic extremism) and the latter being a type of political Islam. Islamic terrorism or jihadism is very often the result of Islamic extremism, although not in every case.
