A Closer Look at the Term ‘Islamist’

The Takeaway

In response to the coverage of Egypt’s elections, the Takeaway has heard a lot from listeners about our use of the term “Islamist” to describe the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and other parties in Egypt. One Takeaway listener wrote on our Web site, “Is there Christianists and Jewists? It is about time that sensitivity was built in the media discourse.” Playwright, attorney and commentator Wajahat Ali joins the program to help us pinpoint how the term “Islamist” is used and misused. He’s also the lead writer of a Center for American Progress report titled “Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America.”

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