Defined by bogeymen

Successful meme-based ideologies typically define themselves by defining the "other": an alliance of invariably malicious forces bent on the destruction of Islam and the corruption of its thoughts and creed. Their identity is thus primarily formed not by the Islamic culture, but by the prejudices (see related TFTD) formed by their portrayal of the dangers and threats of the "agents of Satan".

The West, in its entirety, is portrayed an enemy of Islam, and their governments are engaged in a Crusade to annihilate the Muslims. The Jews and Zionists are like a dagger in the side of the Muslim body, with territorial, political, economic and social ambitions - the old Protocols conspiracy. Needless to say, the Muslim rulers are seen as mere puppets, acting as agents for their Western masters, and similarly the government scholars (aka "scholars for dollars") are depicted as bearded mouthpieces for the agents of the infidels.

Democracy is portrayed as a threat, as it represents the sovereignty of man over the will of the Creator, and is the Trojan horse used by the West to undermine Islam and spread corruption and mischief. Human rights and the four freedoms are the values that underpin the liberal democracy, and are seen as the lethal venom with which the body of Islam is being injected. Secular Muslim organisations are a direct threat to the very idea of Islamism, and are demonised without question.

Other Islamist and Islamic groups are considered a threat because they threaten the exclusivity of the group's ideology, and challenge the "saved sect" status of its adherents. Those "non-practicing" Muslims who do not follow Islamic traditions aren't necessarily viewed as a threat, rather they are used to boost the Islamists' moral arrogance and self-righteousness.

Furthermore, they have a tendency to be critical of their history, demonising key personalities and belittling the status and contributions of the social, religious and political movements that constitute their Islamic culture and heritage; even the established schools of thought and philosophy are not exempt from criticism, and sometimes even blamed for the current state of backwardness and intellectual decline. The exeption to this is the so-called "golden era" of the first few generations of Islam, as this is portrayed as the Islamic Utopia for which all believers should aspire. Distancing their followers from their Islamic heritage reduces the competition for religious, political and intellectual authority and superiority, thus preserving the meme.

Human nature is such that these Islamist memes will constantly create suitable bogeymen to maintain sufficient inertia to allow them to weather most conditions. They successfully cultivate a unique blend of social, political and religions xenophobia that serves to preserve and enhance the very prejudices that brought these memes into existence. Weather this mechanism is the result of evolution or "intelligent design" is still unclear however.