“We are Muslims, not Islamists.”
Morocco’s first female prime minister, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, has drawn widespread criticism for distinguishing her Muslim faith from “Islamist” politics.
A member of the secularist Authenticity and Modernity Party, El Mansouri has spoken about balancing Morocco’s Islamic identity with modernity and reform.
— One Nation Media (@1NationMediaX) October 6, 2026
I’ve noted many times over the years that “Islamism” is a Western construct designed to distance Islam from the crimes done in its name and in accord with its teachings. There is no concept of “Islamism” in Islamic theology or law; Islam is inherently political, and all the elements of “Islamism” are found in standard Islamic teaching across all mainstream sects and schools of jurisprudence. Cowards and trimmers still use it to court mainstream approval, but those who are more interested in truth and accuracy than mainstream acceptance and big donor checks do not use it.
Yet here is Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, prime minister of Morocco, using the term. And other Muslims are criticizing her for doing so, because they recognize that the term has no legitimacy from an Islamic standpoint. A typical response to El Mansouri from a Muslim on X: “‘Islamists’ is a Western term and this term ‘Islamist’ does not exist in Islam. The religion is call Islam and its believers are Muslims. Yes she is not an Islamist. ‘Islamist’ is a misleading term against Islam.”
Tony says
EVERY MUSLIM is to be a Terrorist of Allah to make Islam supreme with their Muslim MONEY and with their Muslim LIVES for the sake of Allah to kill and be killed while engaging war. Allah in Qur’an 9:111 says, “Surely Allah has purchased from the believers[Muslims] their souls and their money so that they may have the garden[Heavenly Paradise]. They engage in war for the sake of Allah, so they kill and are killed…”.
Islam’s Muslims are to engage in war for Allah’s sake to make Islam, Islamic Law, supreme over all. Allah in Qur’an 49:15 teaches, “Surely the believers[Muslims] are only those who believed in Allah and his messenger. They do not doubt, and they performed JIHAD with their MONEY and their LIVES for the sake of Allah. Those are the truthful.” See also Qur’an 2:191; 4:89, 91; 8:60; 9:5, 29, 111; 47:4; 48:29, etc.
Billy says
Islam is TOTALITARIAN which includes every aspect of a society including political, judicial, legal, executive, legislative, social, military, police, religious, etc. TOTAL means TOTAL, not most or a little, to be fashioned or determined by Muslims in power when Allah in Qur’an 8:39 commands, “And engage in war with them[Non-Muslims] until there will not be sedition and the religion will be completely to Allah…”
PRCS USN (ret) says
But, what about the ‘radical Islamists’ our politicians and ‘reporters’ so constantly refer to?
Are they just misinformed?
abu taleb says
In my understanding, Islamist and Islamism is related to the core Islam, while muslims are the more broad definition of people who claim or registered to have religion of Islam, but no necessary to follow strict Islam.
So, by using Islamist instead of muslim, implicitly, we are saying that Islam is bad and evil, those who follow strict Islamic teaching are bad people who kill in the name of allah, oppress non muslims, treat women badly etc.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I just love this. She tried using this invented word to pretend that her people were not jihadists, and got dinged for it! Fantastic!
The sooner these cretins in public recognize that there is no such thing as “islamism”, “islamist” that is different from “muslim” or “islam”, the better
Troybeam says
One and the same, there is no difference in their actions for when they gather together they often become violent and that there is the truth.
James C A reid\\ says
She’s quite Correct! No such thing as an Islamist. They’re all just Muslims following the same Ideology. A few years back, Turkish Premier said, after some Islamic Horror, “Islam, is Islam, is Islam.” Just a few weeks after that, the then Pakistani Premier, Imran Khan, said the exact same words after another Horror had been carried out.
Standing Joke: What’s the difference between an Extreme Muslim & a Moderate Muslim?
Answer: The Extreme Muslim wants to Kill you & the Moderate wants the Extremist to Kill you.
Take note:- Nowhere in the Western world has there been any Marches by “moderates” demonstrating against the Jihadis etc. They proudly carry Banners saying, “No to Democracy.” etc. etc. & openly endorsing Sharia & Islam etc
Pray Hard says
Islam is islam. Moslems are moslems.
David M says
What is an Islamist? Someone who is a pious Muslim who actually follows the teachings of the Quran, unlike the average Muslim who was just born into that crap.