Solo is considered a stronghold for hard-line Islamist groups.

VOA: standard.2009.09.17

Sources in Mogadishu tell VOA that there are reports that some members of a hard-line Islamist insurgent group called Hisbul Islam arranged for the release of Obriere in exchange for a ransom.

VOA: standard.2009.08.26

Jamaat-i-Islami, a hard-line Islamist party, Saturday afternoon announced a boycott of the Karachi polls in protest against election irregularities.

WSJ: Karachi Beset by Political Strife

The hard-line Islamist political parties that backed putting Islamic law into the constitution and championed local Shariah laws are slipping in popularity, too.

WSJ: Indonesia Polls Show Hard-Line Islamists Losing Ground

In one of the most progressive countries in this region, left-wing and liberal groups are also worried about the rising influence of more hard-line Islamist Salafist groups.

BBC: Tunisians' frustrations, two years on