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Islamism in Britain: what is the threat?

September 15, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Islamism in Britain: what is the threat?

Earlier this month, hundreds of thugs in balaclavas blocked access to the port of Dover, chanting "stop the boats" and "Christ is king." The incident was a vivid expression of a broader trend: a poll last year found that more than half of Britons agreed that Islam is incompatible with British values. But as Stanley Laughren, a British correspondent for The Economist, explains, many of those respondents are failing to make an ever more important distinction — between the religion of Islam and the political ideology of Islamism, which are "very different things."

Defining the ideology

Islamism is a political ideology that believes government and society should be guided by Islamic principles — essentially, that Sharia law should become the law of the land. It tends to be authoritarian, rejects integration into Western society, and opposes pluralism, free expression, and equal rights. While it can lend itself to violent tactics, jihadis are just one particularly extreme subcategory. Most Islamists are not violent and instead seek to influence politics through lobbying, protests, and what is known as "entryism" — the strategy by which a small group of ideologues can wield outsized influence by getting their people into positions of power.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (01:43) **Anti-Muslim Sentiment and the Islam/Islamism Distinction** - The episode opens with the Dover port protests and a poll showing over half of Britons think Islam is incompatible with British values, framing the core problem: conflating the religion of Islam with the political ideology of Islamism.
  • 2 (05:19) **Is Islamism a Real Problem or a Perception Issue?** - The discussion pivots to whether the threat is actual or exaggerated, with the head of MI5 noting 75% of counter-terror work is on Islamist extremism, while most Islamists pursue non-violent entryism into institutions.
  • 3 (06:41) **Why Police and Government Responses Fail** - The conflation of Islam and Islamism explains why authorities over-accommodate Islamist demands, treating them as representing all Muslim sensitivities and risking wider disorder.
  • 4 (08:15) **The Demographic Question and Segregation** - As Britain’s Muslim population grows, so does the potential number of Islamists, with campaigns to elect independent Muslim MPs backed by former Islamist group leaders.
  • 5 (09:42) **Breaking the Cycle: A Path Forward** - The tension feeds itself: Islamists and the far right both promote the narrative that Islam is incompatible with Western civilization, but this is a false and dangerous premise.
  • 6 (12:10) **Transfer Pricing: How US Companies Dodge Taxes** - The segment shifts to a new topic: American multinationals shifting profits to low-tax jurisdictions abroad, saving at least $11 billion last year alone.
  • 7 (14:50) **The Coca-Cola Super Bowl Case** - The IRS’s largest transfer pricing case is against Coca-Cola, potentially totaling $20 billion if the IRS wins on appeal, covering years of back taxes and interest.

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Show Notes

Though a growing share of the British population is anxious about Islam, they have no reason to be. Islamism, a fringe ideology that believes government and society should be guided by Islamic principles, is the real concern. America cracks down on multinationals’ efforts to shift profits overseas. And why corporate training videos are virtually useless.


Guests and host:


  • Sonny Loughran, Britain correspondent
  • Shera Avi-Yonah, US business correspondent
  • Andrew Palmer, “Boss Class” host and Bartleby columnist
  • Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
  • Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”


Topics covered: 


  • Islamism, Britain, Islamophobia
  • IRS, corporate tax, Coca-Cola
  • Corporate training videos


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