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Counter-Islamist Investigative Journalism, Opinion and News

Focus on Western Islamism

Islam: a 1400-year-old faith that includes a great range of sects and movements.
Islamism: a century-old utopian political ideology that seeks to return to past glories by imposing medieval religious laws.

The May 7 election in Tower Hamlets, a borough of London, delivered adecisive victory for Mayor Lutfur Rahman’s Aspire party, underscoring its enduring support despite years of investigations, scandals, and political controversy.
FWI Opinion & Interview
Tower Hamlets Votes to Forget
Rahman’s Supporters Deny and Ignore His History
June 10, 2026
 · 
Hannah Baldock
An Islamic Relief thriftshop in Tower Hamlets, London. An umbrella organization of relief agencies in Germany expelled Islamic Relief's chapter in that country after a government audit revealed that the Foreign Ministry had failed to properly oversee funds allocated to the organization. Islamic Relief Worldwide, headquartered in the United Kingdom, defended its German affiliate.
FWI News
Islamic Relief Franchise Takes Another Hit, This Time in Germany
Islamic Relief Deutschland Ousted from Umbrella Group of Relief Agencies
June 10, 2026
 · 
Dexter Van Zile
A Dutch mother Ayada K. was sentenced to seven years in prison by a court in The Hague for war crimes after allowing her 13-year-old son Abdallah to join ISIS as a child soldier. The boy trained in Sharia and military camps, served in the group’s military police, and later died fighting near Raqqa. Above, a fighter wearing ISIS regalia prepares ammunition outside of Aleppo in January 2017.
FWI News
Dutch Court Convicts Mother for Letting Son Fight for Islamic State
Judges Prosecute Multiple Women for Taking Children to War Zone
June 9, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Swiss Bishop Marian Eleganti (left) and Italian Bishop Antonio Suetta (right) have challenged the Catholic Church’s prevailing approach to Islam by warning about the threat of Islamism in Europe and calling for renewed efforts to share the Gospel with Muslims rather than relying exclusively on interfaith dialogue.
FWI News
Two Bishops Tackle Islamism in Europe
Prelates Break Taboo on Evangelizing Muslims and Addressing Jihadi Violence
June 5, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Italian police arrested a 21-year-old man of Moroccan origin accused of promoting ISIS propaganda, glorifying attacks against Christians, and expressing a desire to emulate a recent vehicle attack in Modena. Prosecutors cited evidence of online radicalization, support for jihadist violence, and statements suggesting an imminent threat, leading to his detention as part of ongoing efforts to counter Islamist extremism in Italy.
FWI News
Italian Police Arrest ISIS-Inspired Moroccan Immigrant Intent on Perpetrating Car Attack
Suspect Expressed Desire to ‘Do Like Modena’ Before Arrest
June 4, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
A makeshift memorial outside the Bataclan theatre in Paris on December 14, 2015, one month after Islamist terrorists killed 132 people in coordinated attacks across the French capital. Belgian courts have now approved temporary prison leave for Mohamed Bakkali, convicted of helping orchestrate the attacks.
FWI News
Belgium Moves to Free Jihadi Mastermind Behind Paris Mass Killings
Court Grants Furloughs to Islamist Terrorist Who Orchestrated Killing of 132
June 1, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Lutfur Rahman, shown above speaking at the launch of the Aspire Party in 2018, has survived electoral fraud findings, government investigations, and repeated controversy to remain one of the most influential figures in Tower Hamlets politics.
FWI Research
Tower Hamlets: A Sectarian Fiefdom in Heart of London
Mayor Lutfur Rahman Survives as Mayor with Help from East London Mosque
June 1, 2026
 · 
Hannah Baldock
In Winterthur, Switzerland, a 31-year-old Turkish-born naturalized Swiss citizen and known Islamic State supporter stabbed three people at the local train station while shouting “Allahu Akbar.” The attacker, Nesip Dedeler, had a prior criminal record for spreading ISIS propaganda and had recently returned from Turkey. Police classified the incident as a terrorist attack. The assault took place on May 28—the second day of Eid al-Adha—with one victim left in serious condition.
FWI News
Islamic State Supporter from Turkey Stabs Three at Swiss Train Station
Police Had Been Tracking ISIS Propagandist Who Shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’
May 29, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Counterterrorism experts suspect that Salim El Koudri’s May 16, 2026, car-ramming in Modena, Italy was a deliberate Islamist terrorist attack, pointing to the driver’s planning, choice of location and time, and other data points uncovered in the investigation.
FWI News
New Evidence Emerges Linking Italian Car Ramming to Jihadi Terrorism
Italian-Moroccan Arrested in Separate Investigation Into ISIS Attack Plot
May 27, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
An aerial view of Modena, Italy, where a Moroccan-born driver injured eight pedestrians. Prior to the attack, the driver authored anti-Christian hate emails and social media posts praising Allah surfaced following the attack.
FWI News
Car Attacker Penned Hate Mail Labeling Italians ‘Christian Bastards’
Italian Investigators Emphasize Mental Illness, Downplaying Vehicular-Jihad Angle
May 22, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
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The Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center in Roxbury, Mass.
FWI Opinion & Interview
True to Form, Boston Mosque Hosts Islamist Troublemaker
Will Local Religious and Political Leaders Respond?
May 14, 2026
 · 
Dexter Van Zile
The Green Party’s strong performance in U.K.’s local elections on May 7, 2026, helped deliver more than 570 victories to candidates who campaigned on sectarian Muslim grievances and anti-Israel activism, signaling the growing influence of Islamist-linked political networks in British local government.
FWI News
Islamist-linked Lobby Scores Big Wins in England’s Local Council Elections
May 14, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Islamic Relief UK (IRUK) hosts a stall at Trafalgar Square during London’s “Eid in the Square” celebration on May 7, 2022, marking the end of Ramadan with cultural activities, food, and community engagement as part of the annual festival. Islamic Relief USA, the organization's former affiliate, has filed suit against IRUK stating that its behavior has jeopardized its tax-exempt status in the United States. IRUK denies all the allegations.
FWI News
Islamic Relief Worldwide Seeks Private Arbitration in Lawsuit with American Affiliate
May 11, 2026
 · 
Dexter Van Zile
France’s Senate has passed a sweeping bill targeting “Islamist infiltration,” including harsher penalties for offenses against republican principles, expanded state powers to monitor mosques and organizations, and new measures aimed at combating separatism. Critics warn that the legislation’s broad language could threaten freedom of expression and allow future governments to target political opponents.
FWI News
French Senate Passes Sweeping Measures Against Islamist Infiltration
Counter-Islamists Warn Bill Could Be Deployed Against Conservatives
May 7, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Omar Suleiman has adapted the rhetorical strategies of 1930s radio priest Father Charles Coughlin for the digital age, using religious narratives, social media influence, and anti-Zionist rhetoric to deepen hostility toward Israel and alienate Muslims from the West. Suleiman’s commentary surrounding Gaza, the October 7 attacks, and global Islamist politics serves a broader ideological project aimed at reviving a transnational Islamic ummah in opposition to modernity and peace in the Middle East.
FWI Research
Special Report: Omar Suleiman, Islamist Reincarnation of Father Coughlin
Founder of Yaqeen Institute Follows in Footsteps of Radio Priest from 1930s
May 6, 2026
 · 
Dexter Van Zile
After a Somali-born man, previously referred to the UK’s anti-extremism program, Prevent, was charged with the attempted murder of two Jews in Golders Green, Green Party deputy leader Rachel Millward appeared on BBC Question Time and attributed the sharp rise in antisemitic violence in Britain to rising food prices.
FWI News
Somali Previously Referred to Anti-Extremist Program Charged With Attempted Murder of British Jews
Green Party Deputy Blames Rising Food Prices for Antisemitism
May 4, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia (above), the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations, drew criticism after invoking “Islamophobia” in a U.N. address while omitting concerns about Islamist ideology and the persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority countries. In the photo above, the archbishop speaks at the U.N. on an unrelated topic in 2024.
FWI News
Counter-Islamists Accuse Vatican of Promoting ‘Islamophobia’ Regime
Catholics Join in Protesting Holy See’s and U.S. Bishops’ Use of Ideological Term
April 28, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
France’s intelligence services are warning that an alliance between Muslim Brotherhood-linked activists and the far left has gained influence in national student union elections, raising concerns about growing Islamist penetration of the country’s universities.
FWI News
Muslim Brotherhood-Leftist Axis Sweeps French Student Union Elections
Intelligence Agencies Sound Alarm Over ‘Political Islam’ Penetrating Universities
April 24, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Winfield Myers
FWI Research
Shia Leaders Support Iranian Regime from Safety of U.S., Europe
Imams in West Portray Khamenei as Victim, U.S. as Perpetrator
April 23, 2026
 · 
Noah Sandler
Spain’s Catholic hierarchy backed a mass regularization plan granting legal status to hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants, raising renewed concerns about jihadist infiltration through Europe’s southern border.
FWI News
Spain’s Church-State Collusion Clears Path for 30,000 Jihadis To Enter Europe
Bishops Back Leftist Government’s Mass Regularization of Mainly Muslim Illegals
April 21, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Not every member of the Hijabi Brigade is an Islamist, but the movement does provides cover for Islamist violence against women and non-Muslims throughout the world.
FWI Opinion & Interview
Hijabi Brigade Silences Critics of Jihadist Violence
Veiled Women Shield Islamist Politics From Scrutiny, Recast Critics as Bigots and Misogynists
April 16, 2026
 · 
Dexter Van Zile
A Belgian intelligence report acknowledged that the Muslim Brotherhood promotes an extremist ideology capable of fueling anti-democratic behavior, polarization, and violations of fundamental rights, yet concluded the movement poses no direct violent threat to Belgium.
FWI News
Belgium Shrugs Off Warning of Muslim Brotherhood Influence
Renowned Scholar Warns of ‘Impotence’ of Belgian Secret Services
April 15, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
The United States Council of Muslim Organizations has issued a statement defending Aasiya Andrabi and Dukhtaran-e-Millat, the Kashmiri Islamist group advocating jihad and Sharia.
FWI News
Muslim Umbrella Organization Defends Jihadis (Again)
April 8, 2026
 · 
Noah Sandler
Ahnaf Kalam
FWI News
AI-Powered Propaganda Radicalizes One in Two Young German Muslims
April 8, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Supporters linked to Muqtada al-Sadr—whose militia targeted U.S. troops during the Iraq War—have organized food distribution events in Washington, D.C., and Dearborn, Michigan, presenting them as charitable outreach while promoting a movement with a long record of anti-American militancy. These activities, framed as religious service, raise concerns that they function as influence operations aimed at embedding a foreign-aligned network within U.S. communities and testing the limits of American oversight and tolerance.
FWI Opinion & Interview
Supporters of Shia Army that Killed Hundreds of U.S. Soldiers in Iraq Distribute Food in Nation’s Capital
April 7, 2026
 · 
Ali Almrayatee
While the firing of Carrie Prejean Boller (right) from the White House Advisory Board on Religious Freedom over her hostility toward Israel generated substantial controversy in the mainstream press, Sameerah Munshi's resignation elicited praise from the Islamist community. Munshi (center), who has appeared on podcasts organized by the Yaqeen Intitute, an Islamist organization led by Omar Suleiman, is part of a larger effort to attract support for Islamism amongst Evangelical Protestants in the United States.
FWI Research
Meet Islamist Activist Sameerah Munshi
April 6, 2026
 · 
Noah Sandler
Police in the Italian city of Brescia, shown above, have expelled a Pakistani imam who promoted the practice of child marriage.
FWI News
Italy Deports Pakistani Imam Who Endorsed Marrying Nine-Year-Old Girls
April 4, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Following historical precedent, U.S. citizenship application forms should require immigrants to disclose any affiliation with or support for a clearly defined list of prohibited Islamist organizations, just as applicants are currently asked about ties to Communist movements. Immigrants connected to specific Islamist groups that promote violence, anti-constitutional activity, or the erosion of liberal democratic norms should be barred from entry or stripped of citizenship under these standards.
FWI Opinion & Interview
Time to List Islamist Organizations on Applications for U.S. Citizenship
April 3, 2026
 · 
Dexter Van Zile
A major new study links mass Muslim immigration into cities like Molenbeek, Belgium, shown above, to a rising risk of violent civil war in Europe.
FWI News
No-Go Zones Increase Prospect of Civil War, Experts Warn
April 2, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Golders Green, a historic center of London’s Jewish community, became the site of a targeted arson attack on emergency medical vehicles—part of what appears to be a broader wave Iran-linked operations aimed at intimidating Jewish populations across Europe.
FWI News
Israel Warns of an Iranian-Backed Jihadist Group Targeting Jews
March 27, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
A recently published Israeli report documents how Islamist NGOs funnel money to Hamas as part of a “financial jihad.” Groups promote Islamist governance and antisemitism behind a veneer of moderation and participation in Western democracies.
FWI News
Israeli Inquiry Links Islamist NGOs to ‘Financial Jihad’ Campaign in Europe
March 25, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Islamic Relief UK (IRUK) hosts a stall at Trafalgar Square during London’s “Eid in the Square” celebration on May 7, 2022, marking the end of Ramadan with cultural activities, food, and community engagement as part of the annual festival. Islamic Relief USA, the organization's former affiliate, has filed suit against IRUK stating that its behavior has jeopardized its tax-exempt status in the United States. IRUK denies all the allegations.
FWI News
Fitna Among Islamists: Muslim Charity in U.S. Sues Former Affiliate in U.K.
March 25, 2026
 · 
Dexter Van Zile
Oxford University—one of Britain’s most prestigious academic institutions—now stands at the center of growing concern as new reporting documents a surge in Islamist-influenced antisemitism affecting Jewish students across elite campuses.
FWI News
Islamists Helped Turn U.K. Higher Education into Hotbeds of Jew-Hatred
March 23, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
An aid worker's jacket, emblazoned with the logos of the Latter-day Saint Charities and the terror-aligned Michigan charity Rahma Worldwide, which embraced and signed contracts with senior Hamas terror officials in Gaza
FWI Research
Church of Latter-day Saints Partnered with Hamas Ministry and Financed Hamas Contractor
March 23, 2026
 · 
Sam Westrop
Protesters at a poorly attended Al Quds protest in London promote anti-Israel and anti-Western messaging on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran on March 15, 2026.
FWI News
Al Quds Protest in London: A Rally for Ayatollahs—Not Palestinians
March 20, 2026
 · 
Hannah Baldock
(Two women in Islamic dress stand by the water’s edge—an image of modesty often presented as a personal or cultural choice. But the banned book Moi, la jeune Musulmane goes far beyond encouraging girls to veil like the women above: French authorities say it promotes sexism, restricts female autonomy, and fuels hostility toward Western society among teenage readers.)
FWI News
France Bans Islamist Book Radicalizing Teen Girls with Sexism, Anti-Western Hate
March 20, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Activists associated with the Islamic Human Rights Commissioned, a registered charity in the U.K., protest in favor of the repressive regime in Iran at a recent protest in London.
FWI News
Lord Walney Confronts U.K.’s Blind Spot: Iranian Influence
March 20, 2026
 · 
Potkin Azarmehr
Councils across northern England have reissued guidance urging schools to accommodate strict Islamic sensitivities—discouraging figurative art, music, dance, and mixed-gender activities—prompting critics to warn that state-funded education risks enforcing religious norms on all students rather than balancing pluralism with shared cultural standards.
FWI News
U.K. Officials Warn Schools: Student Artwork Could Run Afoul of Sharia
March 20, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor has indicted five Islamist activists accused of having links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
FWI News
Anti-Terror Prosecutor Indicts Imam of Poitiers Grand Mosque for Funding Hamas
March 19, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
The Royal Mint has sparked outrage after agreeing to donate profits from the sales of specially created Kaaba gold bars to Islamic Relief UK (IRUK), a U.K.-based charity.
FWI News
Special Report: U.K. Mint Donates Gold Sales Profits to Charity Banned by UAE
March 18, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
British newspapers report on the shock by-election result in Greater Manchester’s Gorton and Denton constituency, where Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer defeated Labour in a contest marked by sectarian campaigning, Urdu-language outreach to Muslim voters, and allegations of family voting and NGO-driven mobilization.
FWI News
Red-Green Alliance on the March in Northwest England
March 14, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
In 2018, four years before he became Mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, Abdullah Hammoud condemned U.S. President Donald Trump immigration policies at a rally in the city. In this photo, taken when the future mayor was serving in the Michigan House of Representatives, Hammoud stands next to Mohammad Elahi, the imam at the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights with close ties to the Iranian regime.
FWI Opinion & Interview
Dearborn Leaders Share Responsibility for Attack on Nearby Synagogue
March 13, 2026
 · 
Dexter Van Zile
The Barcelona City Council has triggered an uproar after recommending the suspension of music and dancing for Muslim students in schools during Ramadan.
FWI News
Barcelona City Council Backs Strict Ramadan Ban on Music, Dance in Schools
March 12, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
Islamists in the United Kingdom mourned the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who was killed in a precision airstrike on February 28, 2026.
FWI News
Islamists in U.K. Mourn Death of Iranian Supreme Leader
March 12, 2026
 · 
Potkin Azarmehr
Efforts to stifle free speech with the accusation of 'Islamophobia' have a long and storied history in the United Kingdom. Above, a poster promoting "Islamophobia Awareness Month" on display in London in 2024.
FWI News
Muslim Council of Britain Rejects U.K. ‘Islamophobia’ Definition
March 11, 2026
 · 
Jules Gomes
BERJAYA
FWI Research
Hamas Officials’ Family and Affiliates Established and Staffed Top Dallas Private School
March 6, 2026
 · 
Sam Westrop
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