Introduction
Political Islam in the Middle East has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past decades (Akbarzadeh, 2012). The growth of Islamic resurgence in the Middle East is broadly regarded as political Islam. Kennedy (2017) emphasizes that political Islam is associated with the 1967 military defeat of Arab states by the Israeli forces. Political Islam has led to the emergence of diverse Islamist movements, which are characterized by several traits, amongst them the establishment of an Islamic state that is governed in accordance with Sharia laws. Akbarzadeh (2012) supports the view that political Islam constitutes a new phenomenon that focuses on using relations as an approach to shape the political system. Therefore, one of the distinct features of political Islam entails the concept of ijtehad, which entails independent reasoning, interpretation of Islamic traditions, and the Holy Qur'an, applying them to the prevailing political situation (Volpi, 2013).
Because political Islam is based on the Islamic religion, it has a global reach owing to the large size of the Muslim population. Mandaville (2010) asserts that the Muslim religion comprises over 1.25 billion people and ranks as one of the fastest-growing religions. Political Islam embraces diverse aspects of modernity, such as industrialism and technological advancement. Shehata (2012) further accentuates that political Islam has become one of the most important political forces in the Middle East. This paper evaluates the growing influence of political Islam across the Middle East from the 1970s to the present.
Analysis
According to Esposito and Shahin (2013), political Islam emerged during the 1970s as a result of increased political activism that was aimed at replacing Islamic states. The growth of political Islam has greatly shaped domestic and international politics in diverse ways. The Middle East has been characterized by an increase in the number of Islamist movement groupsthath agitate for different political aspects at the national level. One of the elements that has contributed to the growth in the influence of political Islam in the Middle East entails the application of pressure to governments in the quest to ensure that their promises to ordinary citizens on socio-economic progress are fulfilled (Bokhari & Senzai, 2013). This indicates that political Islam is founded on perceived failures by the state.
The fact that political Islam is focused on pressuring governments to promote economic progress has resulted in increased support by the expectant populace. Hamid and McCants (2017) assert that the perceived failures vary considerably amongst the, including their failure by the Muslim world to ensure adequate protection of Muslim interests, such as encroachment of the Islamic religion and tradition from Western cultures, promoting justice and socioeconomic growth, which are considered fundamental to Islam.
Political Islam has been manifested through diverse forms across the Middle East. One of the notable areas relates to politics. Political Islam has, since the 1970s, been embedded in national politics. For example, in Iran, Islamist movements managed to persuade a discontented public to topple the Monarch in 1978(Akbarzadeh, 2012). In addition to this aspect, the growth of political Islam has culminated in the development of constitutionalism. This resulted into emergence of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The growth of political Islam has further spurred the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, which has become deeply entrenched in Egypt’s political environment. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has, over the past decades, been very aggressive in the quest to liberate Egypt using violent means. For example, in 1981, the group assassinated President Anwar Sadat (Bokhari & Senzai, 2013).
Political Islam and violence
Political Islam embraces the use of violence in the quest to attain political power. Despite violence being one of the tactics that is widely employed by political Islamist groups, the Islamist movements are increasingly changing their tactics to access power. According to Akbarzadeh (2012), some renowned political Islamic groups are considering Islamizing their government through non-violent methods. For example, the Lebanese Hezbollah has, over the past years, resorted to pacification as a tactic in gaining political power. Traditionally, the group was renowned for the use of violence such as suicide missions, abductions, and bomb attacks (Bokhari & Senzai, 2013). The group has been transformed from a non-violent movement to a political movement that seeks power through democratic means. The Lebanese Hezbollah has in the past participated in several national elections, for example, in 1992 and 1996, where it won 8 and 7 parliamentary seats. Similarly, the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood was integrated into the country’s political system, which is evidenced by its participation in the 1989 national parliamentary elections in which its members won 22 seats (Bokhari & Senzai, 2013). Despite employing militancy as an approach to achieve its political power, Hamas, which has its roots in the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood, also advocates for electoral politics (Bokhari & Senzai, 2013). The renunciation of violence by some Islamist movements indicates remarkable progress in the growth of political Islam.
Political Islam and democracy
Political Islam has undergone diverse phases, from the charismatic period,d which ranged between the 1970s and 1980s. This period was characterized by increased pursuit of national liberation through the use of popular contestation (Ali, 2013). The growth of political Islam declined during the 1990s. However, there has been a remarkable progress in political Islam over the past few years, as evidenced by victories by several Islamic political parties in Egypt in 2012 and Tunisia in 2011 (Brichs, Etherington & Feliu, 2017). The Arab uprising experienced between 2010 and 201 indicates an increase in the influence of political Islam. The Islamic Revolts experienced in some Middle East countries, such as Syria and Yemen,n have been triggered by growing discontent amongst the public over the failure by governments to satisfy the demands of the public. Thus, political Islam is being perceived as a vehicle for constructing political systems that will foster the development of democracy, hence freeing economies (Brichs, Etheringtono & Feliu 2017). The growth of political Islam has increased the creation of democracies. According to Milton-Edwards (1999), the establishment of democracies mainly involves long processes of transition undertaken by diverse parties, such as economic and social actors. These actors seek to establish political systems that benefit the general population. The growth of political Islam has resulted in a remarkable increase in the ease with which political transition into democracy occurs. For example, political Islam has increased the ease with which countries integrate democratic processes.
According to Cook and Stathis (2017), governance in most Middle East countries is based on autocracy, which entails suppressing other parties from accessing political power through democratic mechanisms such as popular vote. Kupchan (2012) asserts that the Middle East is dominated by theocrats and sheikdoms that arise from either the integration of tribalism and Islam into politics. The high rate of autocracy in the Middle East has spurred the growth of political Islam, as evidenced by the emergence of Islamist movements.
Moreover, the increased integration of political Islam in national politics in the Middle East countries has had a remarkable impact on the development of democracy in the region. The growth of political Islam is projected to contribute to the perpetuation of democracy. Croty (2005) highlights that achieving real democratization in a state requires the application of pressure on the government both from within and without. Different Islamist movements, which form the foundation of political Islam, have over the past decades increased their pressure on national governments that are considered authoritarian. According to The Economist (2017), the Muslim Brotherhood, which is a transnational Islamic movement,t has become deeply embedded in the national politics of most Arab countries. Some of the Arab autocrats in the Middle East have imposed strict measures aimed at reducing the growth of political Islam, such as the Muslim Brotherhood. For example, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt have,e over the recent past, put effort to cease their diplomatic link with Qatar because of its purported support of the Muslim Brotherhood. These countries view the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization that is focused on disrupting an already established order. This aspect highlights the fact that political Islam continues to have a notable influence on the modern political environment.
The success of political Islam in stimulating the growth of democracy is underlined by the fact that political Islam advocates for different strategies, amongst them militancy,y in the push for democracy. Through this approach, political Islam has greatly contributed to the increase in the push for democratization in the Middle East. Even though the militant approach has contributed to considerable success in attaining the desired outcome, stakeholders must ensure that political Islam is not negatively influenced by outside forces through radicalization (Mandaville, 2010). Averting violence and radicalization is essential in ensuring that political Islam is effective in promoting political stability. Prevention of violence will further play an essential role in ensuring that political Islam becomes a source of hope for ordinary citizens.
Conclusion
The analysis shows that political Islam has undergone noticeable growth over the past three decades in the Middle East. Political Islam continues to have a notable impact on modern society in the Middle East with regard to governance. The growth of political Islam is underlined by the emergence of different Islamist movement groups. One of the factors that has spurred the growth of political Islam eentailsthe need to eliminate autocratic governments that have dominated most countries in the Middle East. Political Islam has resulted in notable successes over the past. One of the major contributions of political Islam entail growth of democracies across the Middle East.
In the quest to achieve its goal, political Islam has largely employed diverse tactics. For example, in pursuing democracy, some proponents of political Islam have resulted into use of violence. Nevertheless, there has been a remarkable transformation in political Islam as evidenced by a reduction in the use of violence in favor of democratic mechanisms by some Islamist movements such as Hezbollah in Lebanon. Thus, political Islam has resulted in an increase in the rate of democratization in most Middle Eastern countries. The use of violence has further increased pressure on autocratic Middle East governments to consider entrenching democracy in their governance and satisfying the people’s economic and social demands. In summary, political Islam is projected to contribute to a notable transformation of governance in the Middle East, hence improving the socio-economic welfare of the population in the Middle East, which has been under an autocratic leadership.
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