Islamization

Islamization refers to the process by which a society or community comes to organize social, legal, political, and cultural life in accordance with Islamic principles and norms. It can involve individual religious practice, institutional reform, and changes in public policy, as well as demographic shifts through conversion. The term is used in historical and contemporary contexts to describe varying degrees and forms of Islam’s influence.

Historically, Islamization unfolded through a mix of conquest, trade, migration, and missionary activity. In the early centuries, Muslim states extended rule over large areas of the Middle East, North Africa, Iberia, and Central Asia, often incorporating existing legal and administrative systems with Islamic law. Conversion was uneven and gradual, shaped by local conditions, Sufi networks, and social and economic incentives. In some periods, Islamization accompanied centralized state-building and the codification of sharia, while other societies absorbed Islamic practices through customary norms and religious institutions.

In the modern era, Islamization has often taken the form of state policy or legal reform. Examples include Pakistan's 1980s Islamization under military ruler Zia-ul-Haq, Iran's post-1979 constitutional framework integrating Islamic law with state institutions, and various forms of legal and educational reform in other Muslim-majority countries. Other contexts emphasize religious revival and social reform without full theocratic rule, producing debates about secularism, pluralism, and human rights.

Scholars study Islamization from historical, anthropological, political, and comparative perspectives, noting that processes are diverse and contested. Related topics include Islamic law, political Islam, and da'wah.