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Artificial Intelligence, Islam, and the Road to Militancy: How Generative Technologies Could Exacerbate Extremism

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In the last few years, artificial intelligence has transformed the way people seek and study religious teachings. This is especially the case among Muslims worldwide. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and open-source Chatbots are becoming spiritual guides by providing immediate answers to religious queries and explaining old Islamic texts. They are always connected and seem to have a lot of information. But the sudden transition generates serious questions: Can AI-generated Islamic knowledge, especially without regulation, incite radicalization, terrorism, and violence? This is no longer speculative. It is being discussed on the internet forums and encrypted messaging platforms, from the Middle Eastern youth to European and South Asian cultures. Abuse of AI in religious affairs is being seen. In an age where misinformation travels faster than accurate information, context is lost, and where extremists gain from textual interpretations, AI-driven dialogue on religion may be a th...
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How Islamic Reform Movements Gave Rise to Militancy and Sectarianism: The Indian Experience with Deobandi, Barailvi, Ahl-e-Hadith and Aligarh Movements

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Islamic reform movements have typically been with the hope of improving religion, improving morals, and restoring religious values. However, over time—and especially in India—most of them have generated unforeseen problems: group violence, political fighting, and cultural segregation. While some sought to modernize Islamic thinking and facilitate peaceful coexistence, others became inflexible and intolerant and produced schisms within the Muslim community and social unrest. This article discusses how reform movements across Indian Islam, from the British colonial era to the current era, have created positive change and tensions. It explains why some reformers turned to violence or to strict religious views, discusses moderate reform movements, and analyses the diverse beliefs in Indian Islam. It is not intended to condemn all reform but to admire the tensions between religion, identity, power, and change across India's Muslim communities. Colonial Anxiety and the Reasons for Change...
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How Open Source Intelligence is Transforming the War Against Islamist Terrorism

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The era of terrorism is no longer under wraps. Islamist terrorists now openly function, leaving virtual footprints on social media, encrypted messaging applications, and public websites. This is where OSINT—Open-Source Intelligence—comes in. OSINT is used to refer to collecting and analysing publicly accessible information. It is now a very effective tool to locate and counter terrorist networks worldwide. It is being used in India too. OSINT is not comparable to the former method of intelligence collection. The former methods involve the use of spies, wiretaps, and undercover observation. OSINT employs information that are already publicly available. They range from Facebook messages, leaked databases, satellite imagery, and Telegram messages. Open sources have the capacity to reveal important information on the planning, propaganda, and operations of extremist groups. Here, we will tell you what OSINT is. We will tell you what it does, how it does it, and with what tools and methods,...
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Inayat Khan: The Sufi Who Sang of the Unity of All Faiths

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  In the early part of the 20th century, when the world was still to understand East and West, modernity and mysticism, there was one who dared to cut across all boundaries. He did not come to fight or convert. He came with a sitar and a heart full of love. And that person was Hazrat Inayat Khan, the Indian Sufi, who brought the teaching of Sufism to the West—not as dogma, but music of the soul. Inayat Khan (1882–1927) is not only remembered as a mystic, but also as a bridge—between Islam and the world, between spirituality and modern life, and between the East and the West. His message, music, and words still touch human beings who seek peace, depth, and meaning in a fractured world. Early Life and Musical Background Inayat Khan was born into a musical family in Baroda, India. He was trained in Indian classical music and was already one of the nation's finest singers in his early twenties. To him, music was not a performance art; it was a means of accessing the divine. "Music...
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