Browsing by Subject "Islamism"
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Item Accommodationist Islamist political organizations : authoritarian settings and US foreign policy(2020-05-09) Wolfson, Aaron Jacob; Ayoub, Samy A.Islamist parties tend to be the most developed political parties in authoritarian Middle Eastern and North African states. When elections are called for, Islamist groups historically outperform their competitors to win seats in parliaments and effectively compete for executive office when applicable. In lieu of designating a broad group of ideologies as “terrorism,” the US needs to develop an understanding of their goals and behavior so that it can engage with these groups effectively. Doing so would be to the benefit of the states Islamist groups represent and US interests within those areas. Through use of some primary, but mostly secondary literature, this research seeks to show how these groups should be understood and, thus, engaged. Under authoritarian regimes Islamist groups seek a balance between action and survival. When participating in democratic mechanisms of governance Islamist groups tend to cooperate with groups of other ideologies, showing a general trend of moderation. However, moderation is not guaranteed, and instances exist showing that radicalization may be more likely in certain conditions, especially when Islamist-Islamist cooperation is democratically viable. The report focuses on three groups in the Middle East and North Africa during the late 20th - early 21st centuries; al-Wefaq (al-Bahrain, 2001-2016), the Justice and Development Party (Morocco, 1997-2017), and the Muslim Brotherhood (Egypt, 1981-2013). Each case provides a different political and social context, showing how groups of similar Islamist ideologies reacted to their political and social realities. The report finds that the United States needs to develop an understanding of political Islamism within certain contexts, especially in contrast to its radical relatives. Conflation of the two will neither enhance US interests in the region nor prevent the ascendancy of Islamist groups in states with democratic mechanisms of governance. Rather, acceptance and willingness to work from good faith will need to be the lynchpin of American foreign policy. Finally, regional concerns will need to be considered, but should not outweigh local concerns. The US must be aware of the concerns of allies such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and Israel over Islamist success, but should not defer to these states in making policyItem Azharite Clerics in Egypt : protection of their professional role in a changing religious and political environment, 1805-1968(2015-05) Cumming, Willis Winfield; Di-Capua, Yoav, 1970-; Moin, Azfar AThis study seeks to investigate the relationship of the religious seminary, Azhar, in Egypt between the years of Muhammad Ali's reign (1805-1849), and the 1960s under Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-1970). It pays special attention to the relationship that developed as a result of the "Development of Azhar Law" that Nasser promulgated in 1961. While the change in politics and popular religious culture during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century initially created difficulties for the institution’s religious scholars in preserving their professional role in Egyptian society, Azhar gained a new political importance as a center for producing works of apology in favor of Nasser's post-colonial regime. This new relationship proved auspicious not only for the state who could rely on Azhar's support against written attacks against it by Islamists, but also for the institution itself which gained the security of state financial support and a vested interest of the state in keeping the seminary graduates employed and active in social and political life. This transformation, although giving the institution a new political relevance, compromised its independence from state control to the point where it incorporated pro-state propaganda into its religious message. Consideration of these historical phenomena lead us to wonder about resulting legacy of Azhar's religious message and the implications it has for popular religion and politics in Egypt.Item The cry of the wolf : Islamism in Post-Soviet Chechnya(2015-08) Jimenez, Justin Daniel; Garza, Thomas J.; Neuburger, MaryChechnya today has been operationalized as a hub of Islamic radicalism that threatens a global jihad force. How did this region become a link in terrorist networks such as Al Qaeda? And how did a Chechen nationalist movement transform into a jihad against Russia and the West? Islamic radicalism in Post-Soviet Chechnya is the product of many factors, chief among them notions of historical determinism, a legacy of conflict and oppression, and political volatility. Consequently, this report utilizes a historical and political approach in order to present a clear and complete understanding of Islamism's rise and growth in Chechnya. Russo-Chechen relations have long preceded today's insurgency and counterinsurgency operations in Chechnya, and Islam has always played a crucial role in this history. The Russo-Chechen narrative is thus key to understanding the development of Islamism in Chechnya. Chapters 1 and 2 delineate this history and expound upon notions of historical determinism, helping to contextualize Islamism in contemporary Chechnya. There are also a host of politically contingent factors contributing to Islamic radicalism in Chechnya, particularly Putin's use of soft authoritarianism in the Caucasus. These factors are examined in Chapter 3. Taken in sum, this historico-political approach aims to trace the development of political Islam in Chechnya and shed light on the consequences of this phenomenon, as they relate to today's growing network of global Islamism and the future of Chechen jihad.Item The political impact of Islamic banking in Jordan(2011-08) Malley, Mohammed Mathew; Henry, Clement M., 1937-; Higley, John; Boone, Catherine; McDonald, Patrick; El-Gamal, MahmoudThis dissertation examines Islamic banking in Jordan. It is argued that institutions perceived as culturally authentic may play important political roles in a post-colonial society. Islamic banking in particular can both function in a modern, globalized economy and express cultural tradition. It may help to legitimate Jordan’s political structures and overcome social and economic bifurcations between traditional and modern sectors of society. Jordan is a part of a region of the world in which the colonial experience continues to have an enduring legacy. What had previously been a tribal Bedouin society was transformed almost overnight. Its modern banking system transgressed Islamic norms and laws and excluded huge portions of the population who continued to see meaning in the religious values and principles rooted in the social and cultural institutions that had just been trampled upon. This dissertation looks into how Islamic banks that interact in a global economy while remaining true to culturally authentic beliefs and practices can begin to close the gaps between state practice and popular beliefs. The strongest opposition to the monarchy in Jordan has come from political Islamists who feed upon popular discontent and alienation caused by the practices and actions of a ruling elite that does not share the same cultural values as the majority of the population. Much of what the Islamists espouse, while culturally authentic, is removed from the political, financial, and economic realities of the modern era. Islamic banking thus has the potential to play a mediating role between a modernizing elite and this Islamist backlash. This dissertation will test the extent to which cultural authenticity matters by observing how Islamic banks in Jordan have been able to tap into a latent demand for alternative financial practices and how the Islamic financial movement relates to Islamist political movements. Although Islamic banking has not achieved its full potential, the dissertation presents strong evidence of its capacity to bridge divisions between state and society.Item Religion and politics : investigating the relationship between the Islamist social movement and the Muslim intra-religious convert(2007-08) Arnoult, Jonathan Blake; Pedahzur, AmiNews headlines link the religion of Islam to acts of violence every day, interchangeably using terms like "radical," "Islamo-fascist," "militant," "terrorist," "wahabbist," "jihadist," "Islamist," "Muslim-extremist," and "al-Qaeda member" to describe the anti-"moderate" Muslim. In an effort to contribute to the literature supporting the idea that political ideology is the focus of radical Islam, or ‘Islamism,’ rather than the religion of Islam, this study seeks to explore whether recent converts to Islam in the West are attracted to the social movement based on Islamism.Item Rethinking US religious freedom policy in the Middle East & North Africa : responding to assertive secularisms and the rise of Islamism(2018-08-16) Crawford, Adam Scott; Suri, Jeremi; Inboden, William, 1972-This project examines international religious freedom (IRF) as a tenet of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The project also reviews the discourses surrounding the issue of religious freedom both in the United States and Western Europe and argues that the frame of secularism--that is, the separation of the religious and political realms--is a hegemonic frame in both the U.S. and Western Europe. The discursive analysis relies on a typology of secularism developed by the political scientist José Casanova. It classifies the secularist discourse of Western Europe as an ideological secularism--which sees religion as antithetical to notions of modern human existence. It also classifies the secularist discourse of the United States as mainly statecraft secularist--in that it seeks only to sustain differentiated religious and political spheres. The project examines the religious freedom approach of the United States in the MENA region and argues that it has failed in identifying and criticizing forms of religious persecution of Islamist actors in various assertive secularist regimes in the modern MENA region. Islamism will remain salient throughout the region, particularly given the weakness of other forms of identity signification, such as secular-nationalist identities, throughout the region. The United States should rethink its approach to IRF, particularly its unwillingness to classify Islamist socio-political actors as religious actors deserving of U.S. IRF advocacy. While Islamist actors may not adhere fully to the tenets of Western liberalism--U.S. advocacy for their religious freedom may prevent the more radical strains of the ideology from fomenting domestic and transnational violence.Item Revival, reform, and reason in Islam : Alfarabi on the proper relationship between religion and politics(2018-10-09) Siddiqi, Ahmed Ali; Pangle, Thomas L.; Pangle, Lorraine; Stauffer, Devin; Azam, HinaThis dissertation applies the teachings of Alfarabi to the debate between Muslim revivalists and reformists. Reviewing selected works of Khomeini, Maududi, and Qutb, I argue that Islamist revivalism constitutes a fundamental challenge to rational political science insofar as the former demands subordinating reason to revelation. Next, through a critical analysis of several liberal Muslim theorists, I show that these leading reformists fail to vindicate the role of reason in political matters and therefore leave the Islamist challenge unmet. I subsequently turn to Alfarabi's "Book of Religion" (Kitāb al-Milla) with an emphasis on the philosopher's treatment of political science. In doing so, I find that Alfarabi is able to offer a far more compelling response than the liberals to that view of piety on which the Islamist position depends. I therefore suggest that it is Alfarabi, above all, who points modern scholars toward the necessary theoretical foundations of any successful intellectual engagement with Islamism.