Terrorism and Islamism: differences, dynamics and dilemmas

This paper points out the increasing and erroneous conflation of Islamism with terrorism in mass media and policy-oriented conversations. It argues for a nuanced understanding of the differences between the different groups that are broadly categorised as 'Muslim fundamentalists' and suggests instead a finer reading of the context in which the various and vastly different groups operate. Focusing on the Islamists (amongst the various other kinds of Muslim groups) and building upon 13 months of intensive fieldwork in urban Lahore, the paper then attempts to point out the context, potential and limitations of a particular group, the Jama'at-e-Islami Pakistan.