--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only way we can challenge Islamism is…" description: "\"The only way we can challenge Islamism is to engage with one another. We need to make it as abhorrent as racism has become today. Only then will we ste..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/maajid-nawaz-7798_abhorrent_the-only-way-we-can-challenge-islamism-i_1448737.jpg" --- # The only way we can challenge Islamism is to engage with… ![“The only way we can challenge Islamism is to engage with one another. We need to make it as abhorrent as racism has become today. Only then will we stem the tide of angry young Muslims who turn to hate.” quote by Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/maajid-nawaz-7798_abhorrent_the-only-way-we-can-challenge-islamism-i_1448737.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/maajid-nawaz-7798_abhorrent_the-only-way-we-can-challenge-islamism-i_1448737.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/maajid-nawaz-7798_abhorrent_the-only-way-we-can-challenge-islamism-i_1448737.jpg) > “The only way we can challenge Islamism is to engage with one another. We need to make it as abhorrent as racism has become today. Only then will we stem the tide of angry young Muslims who turn to hate.” [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Engaging directly with Muslims and framing Islamism as socially unacceptable, similar to racism, can reduce radicalization among youth. **In simple terms:** Talk with Muslims to fight extremism. Key Takeaway Use dialogue and strong social condemnation. Themes interfaith dialogue counter‑extremism social norms Mood thoughtful urgent Type policy educational When to use this quote - community workshops - school programs - media campaigns - policy forums Key Concepts radicalization identity politics public discourse Questions to Reflect On - What strategies ensure respectful dialogue? - How can societies shift perceptions without stigmatizing? A Different Perspective Risk of alienating communities if tone is harsh. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abhorrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abhorrent/) [Abhorrent Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abhorrent-racism-5204026/) [Angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) [Another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another/) [Become](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/become/) [Challenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenge/) [Challenge Islamism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenge-islamism-1270634/) [Engage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engage/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Islamism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamism/) [Islamism Engage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamism-engage-5204025/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Muslims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muslims/) [Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Racism Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism-today-1349632/) [Stem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stem/) [Then](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/then/) [Tide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tide/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Turn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turn/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [Increased sympathy for an Islamist cause, lack of integration, and the absence of acceptance of Muslims into British society makes it harder for Muslims…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/increased-sympathy-for-an-islamist-cause-lack-of-integration-and-the/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Experienced racism today...I guess some things never change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/experienced-racism-today-i-guess-some-things-never-change/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“These studies are about a lot more than foul calls and strikeouts. They’re about the nature of racism today: subtle, pervasive, persistent. And they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-a-smith/these-studies-are-about-a-lot-more-than-foul-calls-and-strikeouts/) [Jeremy A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-a-smith/) > [Racism today is the ultimate evil in the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/racism-today-is-the-ultimate-evil-in-the-world/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“Dog whistling comes out of the South and its preoccupation with blacks, but it always involved equal opportunity racism, and never more so than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/dog-whistling-comes-out-of-the-south-and-its-preoccupation-with/) [Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/) > [Islamism is not Islam. Islamism is the politicisation of Islam, the desire to impose a version of this ancient faith over society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/islamism-is-not-islam-islamism-is-the-politicisation-of-islam-the/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Within our lifetime, we can remember a time when Islamism wasn't the dominant form of discourse or the aim should be to minimise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/within-our-lifetime-we-can-remember-a-time-when-islamism-wasn-t-the/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [I care not to debate which came first, Islamism or anti-Muslim bigotry; suffice to say that both feed into each other symbiotically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/i-care-not-to-debate-which-came-first-islamism-or-anti-muslim-bigotry/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Preying on the grievances of disaffected young men is the bedrock of Islamism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/preying-on-the-grievances-of-disaffected-young-men-is-the-bedrock-of/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [“The greatest evils since World War II have been Communism and, since the demise of Communism in the Soviet Union and most other Communist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/the-greatest-evils-since-world-war-ii-have-been-communism-and-since/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Things need to be properly named. Political confusion starts with terminology confusion. Islamism implies some sort of political and social plan for Muslim people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/things-need-to-be-properly-named-political-confusion-starts-with/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [“Islam is a close union of the spiritual and the temporal; it is the reign of a dogma, it is the heaviest chain that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar-2/islam-is-a-close-union-of-the-spiritual-and-the-temporal-it-is-the/) [B.R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar-2/) > [“As Islamic liberalism waned, and resistance arose against the West and its influence, that very resistance started to replace genuine religiosity as the basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/as-islamic-liberalism-waned-and-resistance-arose-against-the-west-and/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [I see no difference between Islam and Islamism. Islam is defined as submission to the will of Allah, as it is described in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-see-no-difference-between-islam-and-islamism-islam-is-defined-as/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [“It can certainly be misleading to take the attributes of a movement, or the anxieties and contradictions of a moment, and to personalize or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-can-certainly-be-misleading-to-take-the-attributes-of-a-movement/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More by Maajid Nawaz > [I was held in the Mazra Tora Prison for my role as leader of the pan-Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir in Alexandria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/i-was-held-in-the-mazra-tora-prison-for-my-role-as-leader-of-the-pan/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Ironically, xenophobic nationalists are utilizing the benefits of globalization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/ironically-xenophobic-nationalists-are-utilizing-the-benefits-of/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [I care not to debate which came first, Islamism or anti-Muslim bigotry; suffice to say that both feed into each other symbiotically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/i-care-not-to-debate-which-came-first-islamism-or-anti-muslim-bigotry/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Let me make this clear: it is our duty to adopt a policy barring the wearing of niqabs in these public buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/let-me-make-this-clear-it-is-our-duty-to-adopt-a-policy-barring-the/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Expressing myself through language was always something that I had had to learn to do more so than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/expressing-myself-through-language-was-always-something-that-i-had/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Not all Muslims wish to express themselves in public through a communal religious identity. Identities are multiple, and some may wish to speak instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/not-all-muslims-wish-to-express-themselves-in-public-through-a/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [During my teenage years as an Islamist recruiter, I moved to live in self-contained communities in the London boroughs of Newham and Tower Hamlets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/during-my-teenage-years-as-an-islamist-recruiter-i-moved-to-live-in/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [As people's opportunities to succumb to confirmation bias increases online - only seeking out information that confirms their prejudices - ignorance, extremism and close-mindedness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/as-people-s-opportunities-to-succumb-to-confirmation-bias-increases/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [After much soul searching I was able to renounce my past Islamist ideology, challenging everything I was once prepared to die for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/after-much-soul-searching-i-was-able-to-renounce-my-past-islamist/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Chance explorations on search engines do not 'accidentally' lead users to extremist websites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/chance-explorations-on-search-engines-do-not-accidentally-lead-users/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [I think I would encourage leaders to start working with communities in order to inoculate angry, young teenagers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/i-think-i-would-encourage-leaders-to-start-working-with-communities/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [The way to tackle Muslimphobia is to tackle prejudice against Muslims. What it is not is to pretend that Islamist extremism does not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/the-way-to-tackle-muslimphobia-is-to-tackle-prejudice-against-muslims/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Preying on the grievances of disaffected young men is the bedrock of Islamism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/preying-on-the-grievances-of-disaffected-young-men-is-the-bedrock-of/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [No form of theocracy, whether it's manifested in a violent or non-violent form, is ever good for civilisation, and we have to challenge it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/no-form-of-theocracy-whether-it-s-manifested-in-a-violent-or-non/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [One of the problems we're facing is, in my view, that there are no globalized, youth-led, grassroots social movements advocating for democratic culture across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/one-of-the-problems-we-re-facing-is-in-my-view-that-there-are-no/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) [Explore all 87 Maajid Nawaz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) ## More Abhorrent quotes > [“Strange isn't it? How it's the direction we are viewed from that makes us attractive or abhorrent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galen-beckett/strange-isn-t-it-how-it-s-the-direction-we-are-viewed-from-that-makes/) [Galen Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galen-beckett/) > [Individual web pages as they first appeared in the early 1990s had the flavour of person-hood. MySpace preserved some of that flavour, though a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/individual-web-pages-as-they-first-appeared-in-the-early-1990s-had/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [Nothing can be more abhorrent to democracy than to imprison a person or keep him in prison because he is unpopular. This is really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/nothing-can-be-more-abhorrent-to-democracy-than-to-imprison-a-person/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“The most dangerous aspect of religion is its tendency to glorify the absurd and justify the abhorrent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stifyn-emrys/the-most-dangerous-aspect-of-religion-is-its-tendency-to-glorify-the/) [Stifyn Emrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stifyn-emrys/) > [I guess there's nothing I don't like about Merlin, in this presentation. I love everything, even the things I find despicable and abhorrent in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fiennes/i-guess-there-s-nothing-i-don-t-like-about-merlin-in-this/) [Joseph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fiennes/) > [Communism requires of its adherents that they arise early and participate in a strenuous round of calisthenics. 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