Islamism(s) and the Arab uprisings: between commanding the faithful and mobilising the protestor

Abstract

This study attempts to situate Morocco within the recent Arab revolutions. The extant literature on Morocco's Islamism deems the 2003 Casablanca terrorist attacks a turning point in the Islamists’ relationships with the regime on the one hand, and the public's view of political Islam on the other. However, with the recent protest movements, the regime can no longer sustain its security approach to Islamism. Further, and unlike the 2003 attacks, which made all Islamists prime suspects, the 2011 Marrakesh bombings brought the regime under further scrutiny by the protest movement. In the midst of the changes sweeping the Arab world, both the monarchial government and Islamists are facing a set of unknown parameters. It remains unclear whether the recent widening of dissent (to include liberals, women and minorities) would strengthen Islamism's presence in the Moroccan political scene. In order to call into question the trend deeming Islamism a recent phenomenon, this study aims to historicise Islamism in Morocco. So, an exploration of the origins, evolution and language of Islamism in Morocco is central to this study.