POLS1270 Prof. M. Cammett March 6-8, 2012 Islamism POLS1270 Prof. M. Cammett March 6-8, 2012

What is Islamism (aka Political Islam)? Definition: “An Islamist believes that Islam as a body of faith has something important to say about how politics and society should be ordered in the contemporary Muslim World and seeks to implement this idea in some fashion” (Graham Fuller, The Future of Political Islam, 2003). Islamism ≠ Fundamentalism NB: Not all Muslims are Islamists

Variants Variants of Islamist Movements 1) Political (= our focus) 2) Missionary (Da’wa) 3) “Jihadi” Distinct methods and tactics for pursuing goals Shi’a v. Sunni activism National & transnational linkages

Case Study: Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in Egypt 1928: MB founded in Egypt by Hassan al-Banna 1952: Free Officers Revolution 1954: Attempted assassination of Nasser  MB Banned State socialism/populism & the fiscal crisis of the state Sadat’s partial opening towards Islamists 1970s+: Rise of the “parallel Islamic sector” (Wickham 2002) Mubarak’s tolerance of Islamist social activities 1992-1997: Islamist violence and state crackdown Hassan Al-Banna

Mubarak Campaign Poster (2005 Presidential Elections) MB Gains in Parliament 1984: Alliance with Wafd 2000: 15 MPs 2005: 88 MPS (20%) 2006+: State crackdown 2008: Constitutional amendment – no “indepenents” 2010: Big MB losses 2011-2012 . . . Mubarak Campaign Poster (2005 Presidential Elections)

Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi or AKP) in Turkey Kemalism and secularism in Turkey Predecessors: Refah Partisi (Welfare Party) - Fazilet Partisi (Virtue Party) 2001: AKP estb. Why did AKP accept constitutional secularism? PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Erdoğan and President Abdullah Gül

AKP Electoral Successes The propitious Turkish political landscape Economic boom 2002: >34%, single-party govt. 2007: >46% 2011: ~50%

Why the Rise of Islamism? Contending perspectives . . .

I. Islamic Doctrine and/or Culture The dimensions of the argument Islamic doctrine: The lack of separation between religion and politics Culture/Religion: The appeal of the language of Islam Critiques: Variation in Islamist movements, strategies Over-prediction of the rise and appeal of Islamists Public opinion data?

II. Backlash against the West The argument: Civilizational backlash: Muslim expectations/memories of greatness v. supremacy of the West  dissonance  reactionary political movements Critiques: Essentialism? Again, over-prediction Subnational variation in support for Islamists?

III. Economic Grievances and State Failure State-led development & the fiscal crisis of the state Middle-class variant: Modernization  Educated middle class  High expectations  Dashed expectations “Relative deprivation”/frustration  Appeal of Islamist social justice Poverty variant The Strengths of this Approach The context of wasta and corruption (The Yacoubian Building) But, critiques: Empirical critiques Theoretical critiques Grievances as incomplete explanations . . .

Towards an Understanding of the Rise and Appeal of Islamism Commonalities: Economic context Geopolitical factors Ideational appeal But why cross-national and sub-national variation?  Organizational resources Unanswered questions