JUST ANOTHER POLITICAL PARTY:

The Death of Political Islam? (Jon B. Alterman, 14 Dec 2007, World Politics Review)

The obituaries for political Islam have begun to be written. After years of seemingly unstoppable growth, Islamic parties have begun to stumble. In Morocco, the Justice and Development Party (or PJD) did far worse than expected in last September's elections, and Jordan's Islamic Action Front lost more than half its seats in last month's polling. The eagerly awaited manifesto of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, a draft of which appeared last September, showed neither strength nor boldness. Instead, it suggested the group was beset by intellectual contradictions and consumed by infighting.

It is too early to declare the death of political Islam, as it was premature to proclaim the rebirth of liberalism in the Arab world in 2003-04, but its prospects seem notably dimmer than they did even a year ago.

To some, the fall from grace was inevitable; political Islam has collapsed under its own contradictions, they say. They argue that, in objective terms, political Islam was never more than smoke and mirrors. Religion is about faith and truth, and politics are about compromise and accommodation.

Which is why the messianism of Shi'a Islam gives it an advantage, but political Islam of the Sunni variety is doing rather well in Turkey too, the most advanced Muslim democracy.

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 14, 2007 6:01 PM