Tareq Al-Suwaidan, a Kuwaiti Islamist cleric affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and previously barred from entering the United States over terror-related concerns, outlined a strategy for long-term Islamist dominance during an August 15, 2025 interview on the The Thinking Muslim podcast, hosted by Muhammad Jalal.
Al-Suwaidan argued that transforming society does not require convincing a majority. Instead, he claimed that properly training and ideologically preparing just 1–2% of Muslim youth is sufficient to “overcome” the rest and trigger sweeping social and civilizational change. He asserted that approximately 1.5% have already been “affected correctly,” suggesting that such a transformation is approaching.
Drawing on what he described as 50 years of dawah (Islamic outreach) experience, Al-Suwaidan said he has never encountered a generation superior to Muslim youth in the West. He portrayed them as uniquely positioned to lead the revival of the East and ultimately facilitate the global spread of Islam, emphasizing their education, confidence, and access to Western societies.
On the issue of jihad, Al-Suwaidan rejected interpretations that limit it to an internal or spiritual struggle. He stated that the Quran explicitly endorses fighting and warfare for the sake of Allah and for the strategic goal of establishing an Islamic state by force. According to him, the Quran’s direct use of terms meaning “fighting” demonstrates that armed struggle has been a foundational and legitimate principle of Islam since its earliest days, not a later distortion.