Political Islam: A 40 Year Retrospective

Nader Hashemi

doi:10.3390/rel12020130

Abstract

The year 2020 roughly corresponds with the 40th anniversary of the rise of political Islam on the world stage. This topic has generated controversy about its impact on Muslims societies and international affairs more broadly, including how governments should respond to this socio-political phenomenon. This article has modest aims. It seeks to reflect on the broad theme of political Islam four decades after it first captured global headlines by critically examining two separate but interrelated controversies. The first theme is political Islam’s acquisition of state power. Specifically, how have the various experiments of Islamism in power effected the popularity, prestige, and future trajectory of political Islam? Secondly, the theme of political Islam and violence is examined. In this section, I interrogate the claim that mainstream political Islam acts as a “gateway drug” to radical extremism in the form of Al Qaeda or ISIS. This thesis gained popularity in recent years, yet its validity is open to question and should be subjected to further scrutiny and analysis. I examine these questions in this article.

Highlights

The year 2020 roughly coincides with the 40th anniversary of the rise of political
Several events overlapped that contributed to this development: the 1979 Islamic Revolution Islamists came to power via revolution (Iran) and the capture of the American embassy in Tehran, the seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca by Saudi militants, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the rise of the Afghan Mujahideen, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq’s Islamization program in Pakistan, and the growing prominence of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in societies throughout the Arab world
Understanding the local and national context is essential if one seeks a firm grasp of the dynamics of religious politics in Muslim societies

Summary

Introduction

The year 2020 roughly coincides with the 40th anniversary of the rise of political. Islam. While this trend in Muslim politics has deeper historical and intellectual roots, it was approximately four decades ago that this subject emerged from seeming obscurity to capture global attention. Several events overlapped that contributed to this development: the 1979 Islamic Revolution Iran and the capture of the American embassy in Tehran, the seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca by Saudi militants, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the rise of the Afghan Mujahideen, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq’s Islamization program in Pakistan, and the growing prominence of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in societies throughout the Arab world. It was during this period that the prominent historian of Islam, Bernard Lewis, weighed in on this topic. This thesis gained popularity in recent years, yet the question remains as to whether it has any validity? I examine these questions in the pages below

Political Islam in Power

Political Islam and Terrorism

Findings

Conclusions