What is the role of Islamism and Islamist movements in post-2003 Iraqi politics? Does Islamism provide an impediment to Iraq’s efforts at a democratic transition or can Islam act to promote democratization? I analyze several political trends that fall under the rubric of Islamism. First, the government of Nuri al-Maliki, who heads the Islamic Call Party (Hizb al-Dacwa al-Islamiya), functions as a Shiite “political mafia” which intimidates Sunni Arabs and Kurds who are viewed as elements which oppose the regime’s goals. Second, the powerful Sadrist Trend (al-Tayyar al-Sadri) – formerly the Mahdi Army (Jaysh al-Mahdi) - seeks to curtail Maliki’s power by promoting a cross-confessional and cross-ethnic nationalism, under the banner of Islam. Finally, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the leader of global Shiism, Ahmad cAbd al-Ghaffur al-Samara’i, the Sunni Mufti of Iraq, and a large number of moderate Shiite and Sunni clerics, seek to offset the sectarianism, corruption and neo-authoritarian polices of the Maliki government. They also work to promote democratization, tolerance and national reconciliation (al-musaliha al-wataniya). This paper ends with an assessment of the influence competing Islamist trends will have on the future trajectory of Iraqi politics. It also assess the extent to which exogenous forces, such as Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, are influencing the Islamist movement in Iraq and encouraging sectarianism at the expense of democratization.