Islamic terrorism

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Islamic terrorism (also known as Islamist terrorism or radical Islamic terrorism or Jihadi terrorism) refers to terrorist acts carried out by fundamentalist militant Islamists and Islamic extremists.^[1][2][3]

Since at least the 1990s, Islamist terrorist incidents have occurred around the world and targeted both Muslims and non-Muslims.^[4] Most attacks have been concentrated in Muslim-majority countries,^[5] with studies finding 80-90% of terrorist victims to be Muslim.^[6][7][8] The annual number of fatalities from terrorist attacks grew sharply from 2011 to 2014 when it reached a peak of 33,438, before declining to 13,826 in 2019.^[9] As of 2015, four Islamic extremist groups – Islamic State, Boko Haram, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda – were responsible for 74% of all deaths from terrorism.^[10][11] In some of the worst-affected Muslim-majority regions, these terrorists have been met by armed, independent resistance groups.^[12] Islamist terrorism has also been roundly condemned by prominent Islamic figures and groups.^[13][14][15]

Justifications given for attacks on civilians by Islamic extremist groups come from their interpretations of the Quran,^[3] the hadith,^[16][17] and sharia law.^[3] These include retribution by armed jihad for the perceived injustices of unbelievers against Muslims;^[18] the belief that many self-proclaimed Muslims have violated Islamic law and are disbelievers (takfir);^[19] the perceived necessity of restoring Islam by establishing sharia law, including by reestablishing the Caliphate as a pan-Islamic state (e.g. ISIS);^[20] the glory and heavenly rewards of martyrdom;^[17] and the belief in the supremacy of Islam over all other religions.^{[Note 1]}

The use of the phrase "Islamic terrorism" is disputed. In Western political speech, it has variously been called "counter-productive", "highly politicized, intellectually contestable" and "damaging to community relations", by those who disapprove of the characterization 'Islamic'.^[23][24][25] It has been argued that "Islamic terrorism" is a misnomer for what should be called "Islamist terrorism".^[26]

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