Post-islamism: features, processes and prospects

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of such an ambiguous phenomenon as Post-Islamism, which emerged as an alternative to the ideas of Islamism that were subjected to the crisis in the 1990s. A distinctive feature of Post-Islamic ideas is their compatibility with the principles of democracy in a globalizing world. Unlike Islamism, Post-Islamism focuses on the rights of an individual instead of his duties. However, these progressive ideas could not become a full-fledged replacement for Islamism, since the decline in its popularity at the end of the XX century turned out to be temporary. The success of a number of Islamist parties in the parliamentary elections at the beginning of the XXI century became a confirmation of this. The events of the Arab Spring have made significant adjustments to the ideological architecture of the region. In the wake of the fall of authoritarian regimes and the growth of democratic calls for the expansion of human rights and freedoms, Islamist movements from moderate to ultra-radical have intensified. Against the background of the victory of moderate Islamists in the parliamentary elections in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, they again started talking about the onset of a phase of Post-Islamism. However, the failures of the Islamists in achieving political power and creating an Islamic state are more a tactical shift in their policy than a strategic one. Few Islamist movements have abandoned their goal of creating an Islamic State with the full application of Islamic law. Since Islamism is ambiguous, the boundaries between it and post-Islamism are still blurred and inaccurate. Despite this, post-Islamism is a more intellectual discourse about Islam and its place in the modern world and society.