Modern times (1918–present)

Further information: Fall of the Ottoman Empire, Arab Revolt, Arab–Israeli conflict, Islam and secularism, and Iranian revolution

By the early years of the 20th century, most of the Muslim world outside the Ottoman empire had been absorbed into the empires of non-Islamic European powers. After World War I losses, nearly all of the Ottoman empire was also parceled out as European protectorates or spheres of influence. In the course of the 20th century, most of these European-ruled territories became independent, and new issues such as oil wealth and relations with the State of Israel have assumed prominence.^[131]

The Sultan Ahmet Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), consisting of Muslim countries, was formally established in September 1969 after the burning of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.^[132]

Muslim girls pose at the Istiqlal Mosque of Jakarta. Many Muslim women do not show their hair in public.

Islamic revival and Islamist movements

Further information: Islamic revival and Islamism

The 20th century saw the Islamic world increasingly exposed to outside cultural influences, bringing potential changes to Muslim societies. In response, new Islamic "revivalist" movements were initiated as a counter movement to non-Islamic ideas. Groups such as Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt advocate a totalistic and theocratic alternative to secular political ideologies. Sometimes called Islamist, they see Western cultural values as a threat, and promote Islam as a comprehensive solution to every public and private question of importance. Some Muslim organizations began using the media to promote the message of Islam. The first Islamic satellite network hosting a 24-hour service worldwide was MTA International, established by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in 1994. Zakir Naik, head of the Islamic Research Foundation, established another 24-hour Islamic international TV channel (Peace TV) in 2006.^[133]
In countries like Iran, revolutionary movement replaced secular regime with an Islamic state, while transnational groups like Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda engage in terrorism to further their goals. In contrast, Liberal Islam is a movement that attempts to reconcile religious tradition with modern norms of secular governance and human rights. Its supporters say that there are multiple ways to read Islam's sacred texts, and stress the need to leave room for "independent thought on religious matters".^[134]
Modern criticism of Islam includes accusations that Islam is intolerant of criticism^{[clarification needed]} and that Islamic law is too hard on apostates from Islam. Critics like Ibn Warraq^{[unreliable source?]} question the morality of the Qu'ran, saying that its contents justify the mistreatment of women and encourage antisemitic remarks by Muslim theologians.^[135] Many authors have criticised Islam (as well as other religions) as being sexist, intolerant, and warlike. Thinking that Islam is at odds with modern science, and more particularly evolutionary biology, Richard Dawkins wishes to popularize "evolution in the Islamic world."^[136] In his book titled God Is Not Great, which criticizes all religions, Christopher Hitchens expresses his opinion by stating that Islam is "dogmatic," and "the fact remains that Islam's core claim – to be unimprovable and final – is at once absurd." Such claims have been challenged by many Muslim scholars and writers including Fazlur Rahman Malik,^[137] Syed Ameer Ali,^[138] Ahmed Deedat^[139] and Yusuf Estes.^[140]
Others like Daniel Pipes and Martin Kramer focus more on criticizing the spread of Islamic fundamentalism, a danger they feel has been ignored.^[141] Montgomery Watt and Norman Daniel dismiss many of the criticisms as the product of old myths and polemics.^[142] The rise of Islamophobia, according to Carl Ernst, had contributed to the negative views about Islam and Muslims in the West.^[143] In contrast, Pascal Bruckner and Paul Berman have entered the "Islam in Europe" debate. Berman identifies a "reactionary turn in the intellectual world" represented by Western scholars who idealize Islam.^[144]