Islamist

Chapati Mystery: Word of the Day: Islamist: "I don't like the word Islamist - not one bit. Today, I would like to take a skewed opinion poll from my lagging readership. What do you think about that word? In a headline today, NYT writes, 'Shiites in Iraq Back Islamist to Be Premier'.
Islamist is referenced in the very first sentence: ' Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a Shiite doctor with an Islamist bent, was chosen Tuesday by the victorious Shiite alliance as its candidate to become Iraq's new prime minister.' With an Islamist bent. I read the article with great interest to try and find which of the two meanings OED provides for Islamist applied:
a. Islamism, n. Add: Islamist n., (b) one who is versed in Islamic studies.
or
b. Islamism, n. The religious system of the Muslims; Muhammadanism. So Islamist, an orthodox Muslim; Islamistic a., Islamic [OED]
So, the NYT is obviously going for the second definition, but not quite adhering to the script"