Islam, Muslim, Islamist

Islam is the religion. A Muslim is a person who follows it, around 1.9 billion people, the vast majority living ordinary, peaceful lives. An Islamist wants Islam to govern the state and the law, by force if needed. Criticising Islamism, the political project of groups like Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Iranian regime, is not an attack on Muslims or on Islam. Blurring the three is how honest debate gets shut down as ‘Islamophobia.’