Political Islamthe Revival of Islam in the Middle East: Trends, Dynamics and Implications
Introduction
There is currently a large scholarly literature exists on all aspects of political Islam in the Middle East, but it is very rarer to see any explicit theorizing intended at explaining the Islamist revival in the Middle East and remains partially unexplained despite a number of theories seeking explanation for its growth and popular appeal. In general, most theories contend that Islamist revival in the Middle East is a retort to relative deprivation , especially social inequality and political repression. While, alternative theories locate the answer of the Islamist revival within the precincts of religion itself and the powerful, evocative potential of religious symbolism. A general problem with all these postulations is that they may explain the revival in some countries in the Middle East but not in others. At present, it appears that there is not a single theory that can explain the many faces of Islamic revival in such diverse settings as, for example, democratic Islamism in Turkey, revolutionary Islam in Iran, Islamist opposition in Egypt and Islamist terror in Algeria.
This also fits in with the fact that we know comparatively little about the grassroots members of the Islamist movements and the popular sentiments they embody. There is, hence, a need to continue along the lines of Saad Eddin Ebrahim’s pioneering study of the populist bases of Egyptian Islamists as well as more recent work on the socio-spatial dimension of contemporary Islamism. Such studies may also contribute to developing theories of Islamist movements in general.
In particular there seems to be a need for studying the dynamics of contemporary social movements as vehicles of the Islamist revival. While the study of Islam and social movements is not a novel theme, and in fact Islam began as a social movement, more attention needs to be paid to modern Islamic movements. Especially, it seems important to engage in a comparative analysis of Islamic movements in the Middle
There is currently a large scholarly literature exists on all aspects of political Islam in the Middle East, but it is very rarer to see any explicit theorizing intended at explaining the Islamist revival in the Middle East and remains partially unexplained despite a number of theories seeking explanation for its growth and popular appeal. In general, most theories contend that Islamist revival in the Middle East is a retort to relative deprivation , especially social inequality and political repression. While, alternative theories locate the answer of the Islamist revival within the precincts of religion itself and the powerful, evocative potential of religious symbolism. A general problem with all these postulations is that they may explain the revival in some countries in the Middle East but not in others. At present, it appears that there is not a single theory that can explain the many faces of Islamic revival in such diverse settings as, for example, democratic Islamism in Turkey, revolutionary Islam in Iran, Islamist opposition in Egypt and Islamist terror in Algeria.
This also fits in with the fact that we know comparatively little about the grassroots members of the Islamist movements and the popular sentiments they embody. There is, hence, a need to continue along the lines of Saad Eddin Ebrahim’s pioneering study of the populist bases of Egyptian Islamists as well as more recent work on the socio-spatial dimension of contemporary Islamism. Such studies may also contribute to developing theories of Islamist movements in general.
In particular there seems to be a need for studying the dynamics of contemporary social movements as vehicles of the Islamist revival. While the study of Islam and social movements is not a novel theme, and in fact Islam began as a social movement, more attention needs to be paid to modern Islamic movements. Especially, it seems important to engage in a comparative analysis of Islamic movements in the Middle
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