Why Is Islam Facing Growing Rejection in Some Societies? An Expert Discusses the Role of Islamists

Terrorism reflects the extreme form of contempt for those who do not think, feel, or act like them. Islamist terrorism is tied to the expectation of salvation; the killer is promised a paradisiacal afterlife and the glory of future generations who resemble them. This is how Austrian expert Robert Pichler defines terrorism and Islamist terrorism.

In an interview with DW Arabic, he explains that radical Islamist terrorism, such as that of ISIS, thrives on the vision of an Islamic political system that rejects the legitimacy of the modern, sovereign nation-state and seeks to establish an overarching Islamic policy aimed at reinstating the caliphate.

He also notes that young people who support this ideology often fail to grasp the political implications of their actions. Instead, they become tools of a remotely controlled fundamentalism that despises the West, its democracy, and its respect for human rights and minorities.

In the Western perception, Islam is often misused by political fundamentalism. However, in reality, ethnic nationalist fundamentalism shares similar traits—just think of the disdain for democracy and the Western way of life expressed by the Russian pro-Putin intellectual elite, who fuel the war against Ukraine and find support within parts of the Orthodox Church, as well as from the far-right and far-left political factions in Europe.

The Austrian expert emphasizes that it is difficult to distinguish critical voices from within their own camp. After the attempted Islamist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, the Islamic Faith Community — the official representative of Muslims in Austria — could only reiterate its basic rejection of violence and extremism.

As for liberal educational circles in Austria, they often turn a blind eye to this issue, not wanting to be seen as racist or anti-Islamic. On the other hand, the rejection of Islam is noticeably increasing within the Austrian majority; widespread distrust has now turned into deep-rooted resentment, and this rejection is likely to surface in the upcoming elections.