The Retreat Of Political Islam And The Rise Of The Post-Islamist Order

By Grace Mubashir, New Age Islam 16 November 2024 A Post-Islamist Order Will Require Uncertain And Tortuous Paths But Presents A Quite Promising Alternative Whereby Such Reconciliation Of Islam With The Aspirations Of A Modern Pluralistic Society Can Be Achieved. Main Points: 1. It is political Islam that has become the mode through which people have been expressing discontent with secular governments and foreign influence in the Muslim world for years 2. To the majority, political Islam became a more viable option than secular nationalism or socialism that claimed to bring prosperity and social justice - promises not fulfilled 3. Political Islamist parties gained footholds in countries like Algeria, Tunisia, and Sudan during the 1980s and 1990s, and many others waged civil wars and insurgencies. 4. This disillusioned many of the Muslims, who felt that establishing Islamic governance through political or militant means was quite out of place. ----- Political Islam, in recent years, has retreated from several parts of the region, thus creating the theme of debate for a post-Islamist order. Political Islam, in abstraction, is the sum of efforts and ideologies that represent movements striving to organise political life according to Islamic principles and implementing Sharia law as a state policy. It is political Islam that has become the mode through which people have been expressing discontent with secular governments and foreign influence in the Muslim world for years. As political Islam faces setbacks and changes due to social, political, as well as ideological challenges, the stage seems set for a shift towards the post-Islamist era: a political and social order reconciling religious values with democratic and pluralistic ideals. The Rise of Political Islam To understand the notion of a post-Islamist order, it is essential to first examine the rise and evolution of political Islam. Political Islam gained prominence in the 20th century as a response to colonialism, Western dominance, and perceived moral decay associated with secular ideologies. The organisation of bodies like al Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Jamaat-e-Islami in South Asia that called for a return to Islam was to be a complete guide for conducting oneself in both personal and social fields during the Islamic revival. To the majority, political Islam became a more viable option than secular nationalism or socialism that claimed to bring prosperity and social justice - promises not fulfilled. It led to gaining popularity among big sections of the disfranchised populace by political Islamist movements. The leaders of the movements argued that Islamic governance would restore the moral order, wipe out corruption, and redress the social imbalance. An important landmark in the history of political Islam was the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, popularising the Islamist movement around the Muslim world to realise the ultimate goal of a political entity based on the vision of an Islamic state. Political Islam As A Force Political Islamist parties gained footholds in countries like Algeria, Tunisia, and Sudan during the 1980s and 1990s, and many others waged civil wars and insurgencies. Even the non-violent Islamist parties were intended to be transformative forces, this time within the democracies themselves, most obviously in countries like Turkey, where AKP arose on the Islamist platform, or in Egypt, where the Muslim Brothers became more relevant following the 2011 Arab Spring. To that extent at least, there seemed to exist a stronger idiom for political Islam: it managed to encompass the grievances of those who were dissatisfied with autocratic regimes as well as socio-economic distress. The Challenges and Setbacks of Political Islam However, the political Islam project has recently faced a number of reverse setbacks and crises. In truth, the failures of Islamist experiments in governance in the past two decades have reduced the appeal of political Islam to vast sections of the citizens. Some of these failures include the collapse of the Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt, disillusionment with Islamist governance in Sudan, and the transformation of AKP from an Islamist party into an authoritarian entity working more for the power of its leaders than the ideals of religion. Egypt's Muslim Brothers Experience When, in 2012, Mohamed Morsi—the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate—was elected president of Egypt, this was interpreted as the ultimate triumph of political Islam. However, the Brotherhood's brief ascendency underlined the difficulties of ruling a pluralistic society and plotting in complex political currents. Morsi's government was beset by the problems of economic distress, political mismanagement, and charges of autocracy. He was overthrown by the military in 2013. The Brotherhood failed to strike a balance between Islamist objectives and inclusive governance, which made it increasingly out of step with popular opinion. Sudan's Islamist Governance reflects the Sudan situation, where the Islamist regime founded by Omar al-Bashir, who seized power in 1989 by coup, imposed Sharia law and followed policies that seemed to be proscribed under Islamic law. Years of authoritarian rule, economic crisis, and gross human rights violations discredited the Islamist model, and al-Bashir was eventually ousted in mass protests in 2019. This situation makes the fall of al-Bashir's government a proof of the reaching limits of Islamist rule, which has clearly failed on socio-economic aspects for the population. The Turkish Exception Under the AKP Turkey's Justice and Development Party has been a conservative Islamist party that, in reality, succeeded in attaining mainstream success by becoming pro-growth, pro-reform, and pro-middle-class while simultaneously talking to moderate Islamic virtues. The longer the party stayed in power, however, the more it relied on authoritarian mechanisms and began to gradually erode civil liberties. This only alienated a part of the electorate that had once rallied behind the AKP due to its commitment to democratic governance, thereby leaving many suspecting Islamist political parties to be incompatible with democracy. It has diluted its influence in the world by linking political Islam with violent extremism. The movements, for instance, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIS pursued the Islamic states by violence targeting local and Western nations. The move resulted in the labelling of political Islam with all sorts of stigma in the West and causing enormous damage to the reputation of Islam as a whole. This disillusioned many of the Muslims, who felt that establishing Islamic governance through political or militant means was quite out of place. These are examples of how the excitement for political Islam early on is now passé. Islamist movements had difficulties marrying religious ideals with the practicalities of modern governance. They have also often failed to address the socio-economic needs and democratic aspirations of their population, and this has been left open to other models, which retain Islamic values without further hostage to the strict framework of political Islam. Characteristics of a Post-Islamist Order This reality of a post-Islamist order is knit into the retreat of political Islam. In a post-Islamist order, there is an attempt to reconcile the Islamic value system with democratic governance, human rights, and pluralism. On the plus side, as compared with the dogmatic nature of the ideologically rigid political Islamic ideology, post-Islamism presents a more utilitarian and dynamic approach toward the reconstruction of the Islamic identity vis-à-vis modern nation-states. Private Faith Over a State Imposition: Post-Islamism places one's private religious practice over a state-imposed Sharia law. This method best means that the application of Islam as a commitment to some values of ethics and morality applies the right direction instead of imposing the state law. This method is very common in societies where people carry out their activities as Muslims but do not try to enforce it as government policy. Inclusivity and Pluralism: post-Islamist society is more inclusive of diversity and pluralism, with granting certain rights to minorities and possibilities for coexistence in a multifaith society. For example, in Tunisia, the Islamist party, Ennahda, appealed to the concept of "Muslim democracy," distanced itself from the rule of Sharia law enforcement, and promised rather to work under the rubric of secular governance. Thus, post-Islamism seems to be a concept that represents not just democratic values such as free elections, political accountability, and free speech. Instead, the post-Islamic actors will act according to the norms of the rule of law that have been established by the obvious needs that have priority over the religiously ordered institutions. Separation of religion from state or governance: This is one of the post-Islamic distinct features that allows religious values to inform personal and societal ethics and does not militate against direct intrusions in legal or political matters. In this light, it respects secular institutions yet retains a religious identity for a community. Socio-Economic Focus: While political Islam focused on the implementation of religious law, post-Islamist movements focus on socio-economic issues such as education, health-care, and economic reform. The pragmatic approach seeks to address the needs of the people effectively in the present instead of enforcing ideological conformity. Examples of Post-Islamist Movements: Elements of post-Islamist ideology have been embraced by movements and parties due to changing political landscapes in many countries. Tunisia's Ennahda Party: Ennahda, the Islamist party in Tunisia, is transformed into a "Muslim democratic" party that promotes democratic values and secularism but has maintained a cultural affinity to some Islamic traditions. It embodies the transition from political Islam to pluralism and governance inclusiveness. The Moroccan Justice and Development Party has been part of democratic governance for quite a long time in Morocco, and the country's issues on economic development and anti-corruption take priority over religious legislation, even though the PJD identifies ideologically with Islam but functions under a constitutional monarchy and is cooperating with secular political elites. Iran's Green Movement Comprising broad sections of Iranians critical of the clerical regime, the Green Movement emerged in 2009. Neither overtly nor necessarily post-Islamist in nature, it had, however, demanded democratic reforms and greater freedoms that showed a need for governance respecting human rights rather than Islamic law. The Future of an Islamic Order Thus, prospects for a post-Islamist order seem relatively different in the Muslim world-in certain countries at least, where regional political dynamics are such and public attitudes and levels of economic development allow for it. In other countries, entrenched patterns remain strong due to lasting social, political, and ideological chasms. Some conditions may be required for the flourishing of post-Islamism: In return, the process can be justified by the power of civil society to enhance democratic participation, human rights, and public accountability in a post-Islamist development. This can therefore be bolstered by establishing dialogues in civil society, opinion, and holding actors in power accountable. The growing alienation of youth from the traditional political Islam streams among young, modernised, secularally educated generations that have been exposed to global media. Their activism in politics and civil society is likely to advance a post-Islamist order conforming to today's values. Economic Development: Socio-political movements find it difficult to thrive in economic unrest, with issues like unemployment and poverty. Economic stability around citizens lets them focus upon good governance, enjoyment of human rights, and political accountability, as opposed to solutions through religious ideology. Conclusion It seems very clear that setbacks for political Islam and the rise of post-Islamist sentiments presage an evolving political landscape in the Muslim world. This eclipse holds out an enduring prospect for finding a middle ground between Islamic values and democratic governance based on secular institutions instead of the traditional Islamist visions about it. Through freedom of religion and other liberties, this reversal might transform Muslim societies towards greater inclusion, human rights, respect for the law, yet still enacting the possibility of people living their faith without compulsion. A post-Islamist order will require uncertain and tortuous paths but presents a quite promising alternative whereby such reconciliation of Islam with the aspirations of a modern pluralistic society can be achieved. ----- A regular columnist for NewAgeIslam.com, Mubashir V.P is a PhD scholar in Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia and freelance journalist. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-politics/retreat-political-islam-rise-post-islamist/d/133727 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism