ABSTRACT
Introduction Islamist extremism has evolved to include a form of networked insurgency against all and any group or institution that is deemed to be insuffi ciently Islamic and which may include Muslim persons and polities of a different orientation. It reaches across borders and can combine local, national and transnational tensions into a globalized, if fragmented, form of identity politics and can include un-networked actions by individuals or small groups inspired by the more organised insurgency. That is, sometimes the network exists; sometimes there is no connection other than a desire in the mind of the perpetrator to carry out some act in what he or she perceives as support for the cause. Sometimes, without actual networking, the directing authorities have encouraged actions that have attracted a response without direct organisation.
