Western observers, both among the general public and the media,
commonly make the mistake of thinking that Islamism1 is the same
as traditional Islam. Even Western researchers describe Islamism
as a resurgence of traditional Islam. One researcher describes
Islamists as people of the "anthropological tradition";2 in
contrast, moderate Sunni Muslims are characterized as those
whose faith is mitigated, influenced by syncretism, or diluted
by a certain amount of secularization and Westernization.3 But
this turns reality upside-down. In fact, Islamists depart in
important ways from the Islamic tradition. This is especially
apparent in what concerns divine attributes, Islamic law, and
Sufism. Indeed, some outstanding traditional Muslim scholars,
such as Sheikh Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri4 and Sheikh Ahmad
al-‘Alawi,5 see Islamism as a symptom of secularization and as a
reshaping of their religion into a modern, ideological
totalitarianism.6 It is this view that I myself share, and shall
present here. Subordinating Reli